Looking Good (for a mom)

One mom's journey through health and fitness as she reclaims the body she had before kids


Push-ups: Then and Now

Posted by Liz On June - 25 - 2009

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a video of myself doing push-ups back in August 2008. I thought that those of my readers who are struggling to do push-ups from the toes might find it interesting. Hope you enjoy my kids being cute in the background!

Watching it, you can see that I struggled to do just two push-ups from the toes before giving up. My form was pretty poor, with my rear coming up too high, but I got them done!

The point is, we all have to start somewhere. I started with two sloppy push-ups from the toes.

So now let’s see the video I shot today (thanks to DH, my camera man):

As I explain in the video, this was actually my second set of thirty. You should have seen my face when DH explained that the first take didn’t actually record! My form is MUCH improved although I still see more areas for improvement, like my hand placement.

What’s amazing is that I went from those two push-ups in August 2008 to being able to do about 30 push-ups within the span of three months. I first accomplished a set of 30 push-ups by November 2008. Although I haven’t significantly upped my one-set number since then, my form has improved, and as I learned last night, I can now do multiple sets of 30 push-ups in one session. I know that if I focused on push-ups more exclusively, I’d be able to use the hundred push-ups program to do far more than 30-35 of them at once, but I’m happy with where I am right now.

So what do you think? Can you do any push-ups from the toes? However many you can do (even if it’s zero), set a goal and work towards it. You might surprise even yourself!

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6 Responses to “Push-ups: Then and Now”

  1. Grace @ Sandier Pastures says:

    Great stuff Liz! I need to take a video of myself doing pushups too to see my form. I can do pushups from the toes but my hands are place a little closer together than yours. Could I be doing the close-grip version? I'm not sure! I can do 15-20 consecutive now but like you, I started with two!

    But seing these two videos, you must be so proud of your amazing body transformation!!

  2. andrewjameslowry says:

    Liz, Thanks for posting this. Excellent form for your 30 set. Well done. BTW your leg muscles really pop out and show great definition in this video. Looking good leg muscles (for a Mom)!

  3. Liz says:

    Grace, if your hands are just under your shoulders, those are close grip. They are great for the triceps. I can't do as many of those, but am working on them. 15-20 is fantastic! You should video yourself. I think being able to critique your form is helpful. It's so hard to know how you look otherwise.

    Andrew, thanks for the compliments! DH always said my legs are my best feature. Now with all the kettlebell work, deadlifts, and squats I do, they're even better than before!

  4. Anna says:

    Hey Liz, great video! Very inspirational for those people who don't think they can't do push ups. Well done!

    Btw, you look great!

  5. jenjenfirenjen says:

    Awesome Liz! Thanks for sharing. You're still a huge inspiration for me.

  6. Brianna says:

    Thanks for posting the video on push ups. This is very inspirational, especially for women. Many women feel that because they lack upper body strength they will never be able to do a push up. You have shown in your video that if you practice push ups, you can achieve them. I find that it helps to learn push ups on a bench or stability ball when you are starting out. :)

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About Me

For many years, I was a typical American working mom, relying on takeout to get me through the busy evenings, and thinking about exercise but too exhausted to find the time. I ballooned from a size six to nearly a size 10 in under a year. I was fat, and I decided I was fed up. My transformation from then to now inspired friends and encouraged me to start this blog. I want other moms to know they don’t need to be satisfied with just “Looking Good (for a mom),” but that they two can make meaningful changes in their lives, health, and fitness. Learn more about my personal story by reading the \"About the Author\" section and blog posts tagged \"My Story.\"

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