Pushup plateau. Anyone ever do 100?

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I have a couple of goals for this year since it's my big 60. One is to do a local Olympic Tri in open water this Sept. The second is to do 100 pushups.

I'm behind in my training for both right now due to a nagging leg problem and some ever present excuses. However I'm still training with my free weight routine and mixing in the body weight exercises for a full body workout.

I seem to have plateaued at 50 consecutive pushups and was wondering if there were any suggestions? I looked at the site for 100 pushup training and am following it somewhat. I have 3 or 4 more exercises I do for pushup training, plus benching at different levels. I just get tired in my head while counting. I get to 30 or so and start thinking oh sh-- 20 more and I'm still only half-way.

Any suggestions on how to knock out the other fifty? I once thought this was going to be easy with the free weight and bodyweight routines I do regularly. Should I stop counting, use a timer, count backward, or just shut up and work for ten more each time out?

I think I need some positive reinforcement from the group.
 
counting backwards is something a lot of people like to do. But if you fail at 50 because of lack of muscular endurance, then you fail. Do you think it's muscle or do you think it's mental weakness that makes you stop at 50? I know I'd never bother to do 50, it would take too long (and I doubt that I could do it if I tried)
 
Pushup plateau

Thanks for the quick reply, especially from Super Moderator Karky. I'm sure it's both mental and muscle fatigue. I'm trying the other exercises to conquer the muscle part and I guess the mental thing will come with increased strength. Maybe my question is how do YOU train to push beyond mental and endurance limits? Quitting is not an option.
 
Pushup plateau

Thanks Wesrman. The military site was right on the money. I have been trying to do 100 total with as few sets as possible. They said I should push that to 200 reps in sets of whatever I can do. Makes lots of sense. A few more replies and I'll be fired up for today's workout.
 
My best guess for this would be to try adding weight to your back and lowering the reps for a while to increase strength and do some isometric press up holds for scapular stability for about a month and then go back to doing them at bodyweight.

But then I’ve never got near 100 press ups so that’s just a guess :)
 
After squatting & benching my max pushups is 25. So being fresh i reckon i could do 35..

100 pushups is a good achievement IMO!!
 
Have you tried doing 100 reps of pushups? First doing as many as you can, then take a break, then do some more, and continue until you hit 100? Then each workout you could focus on getting more on that first set with many continuous pushups and lowering the rest periods between the next ones.
 
Pushup plateau

That's exactly what I do now. Trying to do 100 total in as few sets as possible. I like the idea of some weight on my back for some amount of reps. 50 is my max and 3 sets is my shortest amount to 100 so far. Today I'll be trying the different types of pushups, going for 200 reps in as few sets as I can and adding some weight for a few. Today happens to be a chest and tri day for weights so I bet I'll feel the burn. Dips and cardio should round out the workout if I don't buy the farm first.
 
100push ups will need a lot of muscular endurance, both in the pecs, tris, and shoulders, but also in the core and scapula stabilizers.
Doing some isometric push up holds, like Typhon suggested, might be a good idea.
 
I may sound really snorty and an ass for posting this but it may help, so please keep an open-mind. 100 pushups are cake for me BUT I workout with really heavy weights. The best bet is to keep on pushing your limit on the bench press, try adding a little more weight everytime you feel strong. At the same time, do a lot of cardio to drop the bodyfat and remember to strentch before and after lifting. Can you bench press your bodyweight 10 times? That should be in mini-goal towards the 100 pushups. If you can do your bodyweight, then try bodyweight + 5 lbs, then 10 lbs, etc.

In reality though, when I am 60 yrs old and can even do 50 pushups, I will be damn proud of myself. Dude, that is just amazing feat as it is but I know you can achieve more, stay POSITIVE and BELIEVE that you can do it. While doing the pushups, don't think everytime, just do it without count. Focus on your breathing and push it until you drop.
 
Pushup plateau

Tic--- awesome. I can do the bodyweight bench ten times. I am really working at my bench and have made great strides in the incline bench. I am weak at pullups so I imagine in order to do the 100 pushes I'll have to get stronger in the upper back, shoulders and the like.

One guy at my gym told me "at 60 I hope just to not be drooling on myself". What is an iso pushup exactly?
 
I have a set routine, every night @ 8 after tucking the kids in, while watching TV during commercials i do 50 pushups and 60 situps and 20 squats. 4 sets of each in that hour of TV.
 
Pushup plateau

Well I tried all the suggestions and many thanks for the links and interest. My last workout was pushing for 200 reps in a whole bunch of sets. I tried some weight on my back which felt weird but effective because it really made me hold my core. Hands close together for 10 was killer on the tris. I do more reps using Busco (sp?) balls and also do reps with my feet real elevated with a goal of doing hand stand pushups eventually. Hands way out in front was another variation that hit the core hard. Wrapped it up with isos. I was pretty shot for the rest of the bench etc part, but pushed through it with lower weight and more reps. Planks, hanging knees to elbows and pull downs hit the abs. I did my first 10 min Interval Training on a treadmill for cardio with nice post workout results.
A protein bar and a cold Fat Tire finished the day just right. I recommend body weight training for a muscle confusion change up. A pushup workout is as good as it gets and for me and approaches squats as the best overall exercise.
Check out Vanda Hadarean routine in competition to see how far you need to keep working. The pics are not too shabby either.;)
 
Well... I have done 99 in one minute... for work with numerous spotters to make certain that I was doing them properly... that was five plus years ago... what I was doing then was a combination of benching with a ton of tricep work. I benched with weight heavier than my body... same hand width of my pushups... which is narrow. I only did the bench/push up work two times a week. Then, for the test, I went as fast as I could and ended up with 99.

My suggestion is to train YOUR weakness, whether it is your tri's, pec's, or shoulders... train that weakness and you'll achieve a better number of pushups.
 
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