Push ups: reached a plateau. How can I progress?

[Boyadeh]

Good morning, my name is Matthew, I'm a 23 years old guy from Italy ( so I'm not very fluent in English )and this is my first thread in this forum.
I introduce my problem: nearly 4 months ago, I decided to start doing Push ups on a regular basis, every 2 or 3 days.
I know that doing only this type of excersise is not so good, but it's a beginning.
By the way, even if I've been playing basketball since I was 8, I've never been in a gym and I've never really done strength exercises. So, when I started doing Push ups, I was able to do 3 regular Push ups in a row (but with very good form), and probably 2 wide Push ups and 1 diamond Push up.
In these 4 months, I had decent results in muscle growth (mostly in the triceps, but also in the pectorals and a little in the shoulders) and in the number of repetions I can do.
In fact, now I can do:

Regular Push ups: 4x12
Wide Push ups: 4x11
Diamond Push ups: 10-8-8
In the same workout, with 3 minutes of rest between every set and in that specific order.

My goal is to reach 4x12, 4x12 and 4x10 sets and then increase the difficulty by adding weight or by doing declined Push ups

The problem is that in the last 3 weeks I can't add even 1 repetion to my workout and I'm now stuck in a Plateau. So my question is: what would you recommend to do, in order to exit from this Plateau situation and start to increase the number of repetions again?
I think that a good idea could be try to vary the Push up-only workout, maybe by doing the the 3 sets in a different order, or by doing the same repetions but in a different number of sets.
Honestly, I don't know, and this is why I'm asking you.
Hope you can help me, I thank you in advance .

[DJAuto]

Can you try adding weight - maybe even something to lay on your back - for additional resistance?

[bLinkMoore]

I'd say either add weight on your back, or increase the frequency of your workouts. Personally, I always had success just hammering away at bodyweight movements like pushups and pull-ups, doing 100 or so throughout the day, every day. I basically doubled the number of pushups and pull-ups I could do just over a summer. Every time you walk through a doorway, for example, do one set to failure. Every time you go to the bathroom, do 5 pushups. Stuff like that. Little bits at once that, over the course of the day/week, add up to some really significant numbers of reps.

[Boyadeh]

Can you try adding weight - maybe even something to lay on your back - for additional resistance?

Yes I could, but my idea was to start adding weight once I reached my goal of 4x12, 4x12 and 4x10, but I'm not there yet

[Boyadeh]

I'd say either add weight on your back, or increase the frequency of your workouts. Personally, I always had success just hammering away at bodyweight movements like pushups and pull-ups, doing 100 or so throughout the day, every day. I basically doubled the number of pushups and pull-ups I could do just over a summer. Every time you walk through a doorway, for example, do one set to failure. Every time you go to the bathroom, do 5 pushups. Stuff like that. Little bits at once that, over the course of the day/week, add up to some really significant numbers of reps.

Ok, so the day I do this workout ( which consists of more than 100 Push ups itself ) I could try to do more Push ups throughout the day But I can't do them every day, I tried once and I couldn't do them in an effective way.

[dmatsinger]

I'll have to respectfully disagree with everyone else who are saying add weight at 10 pushups. Personally I don't think you should add weight until you reach at least 30 pushups with good form. Pushups you can grease the groove with body weight pushups. If you aren't overly sore in the day do some sets throughout increasing the amount of pushups you do by either an extra set or extra rep. You should be able to increase your pushups by at least one at the number you are doing every time. Usually 50 is the plateau where it starts getting a little harder to start adding more to (thought definitely not impossible.) Also, take into account how weighted pushups will affect you, for me I have a weighted vest that I do 45 lbs for pushups and end up getting a big pump in my shoulders and thats where I feel it the most.

[Boyadeh]

I'll have to respectfully disagree with everyone else who are saying add weight at 10 pushups. Personally I don't think you should add weight until you reach at least 30 pushups with good form. Pushups you can grease the groove with body weight pushups. If you aren't overly sore in the day do some sets throughout increasing the amount of pushups you do by either an extra set or extra rep. You should be able to increase your pushups by at least one at the number you are doing every time. Usually 50 is the plateau where it starts getting a little harder to start adding more to (thought definitely not impossible.) Also, take into account how weighted pushups will affect you, for me I have a weighted vest that I do 45 lbs for pushups and end up getting a big pump in my shoulders and thats where I feel it the most.

Thank you

[LM8287]

I'm no expert but the dmatsinger is right. Just my opinion but remove the extra weight and decrease the time between each set. Maybe instead of 3 minutes you should do 30 seconds to a minute rest? Other than that your workout seems solid.

[11lemon11]

I think Jack Lalanne said that the best way to get better at doing push ups, and he was a record holder, was to

1) Do push ups until failure

at which point

2) Do push ups on your knees, like women often do, until failure

and then

3) Do push ups while leaning against a wall until failure



So that you completely exhaust yourself.

[DCSpartan]

Do pushups 6 days a week.

[Casca]

You don't really have to add weight to make push ups more challenging. Try archer push-ups and eventually one hand push-ups and pseudo planche push ups



Also, try holding yourself in the push-up position with one arm , legs apart enough for balance, hands more center-line with your body till you develop better core strength, shoulders level just as they would be doing normal (both arms) push ups. See people demonstrating one arm push ups on youtube and their body is completely twisted sideways. Guy in this vid does em perfect. Go down slowly and then push back up with both arms.

[Boyadeh]

I think Jack Lalanne said that the best way to get better at doing push ups, and he was a record holder, was to

1) Do push ups until failure

at which point

2) Do push ups on your knees, like women often do, until failure

and then

3) Do push ups while leaning against a wall until failure

So that you completely exhaust yourself.

Thank you, it seems it could work

[Boyadeh]

You don't really have to add weight to make push ups more challenging. Try archer push-ups and eventually one hand push-ups and pseudo planche push ups



Also, try holding yourself in the push-up position with one arm , legs apart enough for balance, hands more center-line with your body till you develop better core strength, shoulders level just as they would be doing normal (both arms) push ups. See people demonstrating one arm push ups on youtube and their body is completely twisted sideways. Guy in this vid does em perfect. Go down slowly and then push back up with both arms.

Thank you