Can pushups alone help to build your chest?

[burko]

The reason i ask this is because i have just stoped doing weights so i can do a navy seal workout which lasts about 9 weeks and then you do an advanced one, anyway all it is is pushups,situps,pull ups and alot of running and swimming. This is it.

First 9 Weeks:

Week 1

Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pushups: 4 sets of 15 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 4 sets of 20 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 3 sets of 3 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 15 min. 4-5 days/week


Week 2

Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pushups: 5 sets of 20 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 5 sets of 20 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 3 sets of 3 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 15 min. 4-5 days/week


Week 3

Running: No running
Pushups: 5 sets of 25 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 5 sets of 25 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 3 sets of 4 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 20 min. 4-5 days/week


Week 4

Running: 3 miles, 8:30 pace, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pushups: 5 sets of 25 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 5 sets of 25 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 3 sets of 4 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 20 min. 4-5 days/week

Weeks 5-6

Running: 2 / 3 / 4 / 2 miles, Mo/Tu/We/Fr
Pushups: 6 sets of 25 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 6 sets of 25 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 2 sets of 8 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 25 min. 4-5 days/week

Weeks 7-8

Running: 4 / 4 / 5 / 3 miles, Mo/Tu/We/Fr
Pushups: 6 sets of 30 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 6 sets of 30 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 2 sets of 10 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 30 min. 4-5 days/week


Week 9

Running: 4 / 4 / 5 / 3 miles, Mo/Tu/We/Fr
Pushups: 6 sets of 30 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Situps: 6 sets of 30 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pullups: 3 sets of 10 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: Swim continuously for 35 min. 4-5 days/week

[LouPac]

A NAvy Seal workout is more to build endurance. Keep in mind also that Navy Seals are eating about 7000 calories a day when they are in training.

[Sexybeast777]

Yes, you can build a lot of muscle, maybe about 10 lbs of pure muscle, which is a lot, you'd be surprised...
Btw, you'll gain muscle, but you won't gain any fat, you might even get leaner, good luck and enjoy!...

[1mmort4l]

So, your expected to run close to 4 minute miles back to back, but they only expect 3 pullups, 15 pushups???? Seems weird...

Anyway, any stimulating excercise will build muscle, provided calorie intake is enough.. So, yes... it may not be vey substantial very quickly, but basically it will.

[Steven.Gaskell]

ahh damn this just reminded me of this article i read once.
i wish i had it, but it was something along the lines of:

some guy had a friend in the marines. basically this marine left and went of with the rest of the squad, came back some months later, and his m8 was like ''so how did you build that chest of yours!" and he said they made him do like 90 pushups every 3 hours. of course, very anecdotal so i was a bit cautious.

think it could of been t-nation or something, about prison inmates working out i think, and how they got so beefed

anyway there are a ****load of variations to pushups, enough to keep anyone satisfied

[MixmasterNash]

Yes, an extremely large volume of pushups may cause muscle growth.

No amount of pushups will lead to significant growth during a long, endurance oriented routine to intended only to improve endurance that burns bazillions of calories.

[Jordanbcool]

Pushups would be a terrible way to build muscle, there are very little ways you can add consistant resistance unless you start placing dumbells and plates on your back. Although thats kinda unsafe.

If you want to build up your chest, do it. If you want to do this program for the navy seals then do it.

[RedSpikeyThing]

So, your expected to run close to 4 minute miles back to back, but they only expect 3 pullups, 15 pushups???? Seems weird...

That does seem strange. I think most people can push themselves on the running (especially with some jackass screaming in your face), but it takes time to build the strength required to do pullups. The last week is 6x30 pushups and 3x10 pullups.

[mickyjune26]

This does seem like pretty aggressive pull-ups growth for just 9 weeks. But how knows, I haven't done it.

[arnoldsclone]

let me dispell this myth that you can't build a hell of a chest with push ups! I have a friend who whent to jail for 5 months, he did push ups sit ups, and pull ups, and hand stands against the wall every day, as much as he could all while eating crap! He lifted with a great program, and diet prior to going away, he came out of jail bigger, leaner and stronger that when he left, and this was with a **** diet, and no weights to use! I like to bench of course, but i also love to do decline push ups, i go to a bench, put my toes on it as if it was the floor and then place my hands on the floor, and do huge rom push ups! I like the feeling of these more than anything i've done for chest, i save it as a last burnout set after i bench.

[burko]

Well i wasnt intending to use this program for muscle growth, but i thought i would see if it could build a little muscle.

[Rock Steady]

It'll build some muscle. Before I joined a gym I worked out at home and pushups were all I did for my chest. Saw good gains, but it's not a good long term approach.

[deeder]

Are you planning on joining the navy? If not then why not do a 3-day workout of some sort then do all that running and swimming to stay in good shape?

[humidityhater]

Two 4 minute miles back to back is very extremely difficult. I'd be very impressed if someone that is not a trained runner could accomplish that.

[burko]

Are you planning on joining the navy? If not then why not do a 3-day workout of some sort then do all that running and swimming to stay in good shape?

No i don't plan on joing the navy, but i do inten on joing the Australian special forces and then adventually trying out for the SAS which is closely related to the American navy seals.

[Bikkstah]

I went to Infantry Basic (14 weeks), Airborne (3 weeks) and Ranger School (9 weeks + RIP (3 weeks)) and came back with a pretty decent chest. This is from constant punishment ALL day EVERY day though, not a few sets of 30 push-ups at the gym. It was also, with the exception of Ranger School, on at least 7,000 calories a day (min. 2 MRE's a day @ 3500 cals a piece + a hot chow meal).

[SEALBound]

When it says 2 miles, 8:30 pace, thats for seperate miles. 2 miles --> 19 minutes total time.

[burko]

When it says 2 miles, 8:30 pace, thats for seperate miles. 2 miles --> 19 minutes total time.

What would it be in kilometers, does anyone know? is it like 7 minute km pace or something?

[paul5150]

I was just wondering, how did this work out for you?

[North]

What would it be in kilometers, does anyone know? is it like 7 minute km pace or something?

7 minutes a km? a km is smaller than a mile, if you mean both kms then probably around 7 minutes.

[rdkraus]

7 minutes a km? a km is smaller than a mile, if you mean both kms then probably around 7 minutes.

I believe there are 1.6 km in a mile.