I have been given advice from a gym rat that I should not work a given muscle group more then once a week.

However, this site says to do push ups 3 days a week...

http://www.hundredpushups.com/

I presume the site would be correct but, they gym rat guy is very fit and seems knowledgeable.

What say you?

I am specifically training to increase my push ups, if that matters.

Conventional theory used to be work out one day, rest the next and so on.

I never subscribed to that. When I was working out, I'd hit it every day and work hard. Usually the same exercises but not always. I'd thrown in a light weight day, or a dumbell day or only cable day, just to get some variety. Not saying your gym rat friend is wrong, but once a week? I don't know how you make progress like that.

I assume you are doing other exercises? That's important. I always did my large muscle group exercise, like bench presses, first and then the smaller muscle groups like arms, at the end. IIRC, I did bench presses, upright rows, cable pull downs, some cable shoulder work, then bicep and triceps work. I always tried to alternate opposing muscle groups and I worked pretty quick. The easiest to understand is the arm work. I'd do a set of bicep curls and then get over to the triceps machine and do a set there, then back to biceps and so on. Five sets for everything.

If you are doing other work, I'd suggest concentrating on bench presses. That will help your push ups because you can get a lot more resistance, and hence strength, with a bench press.

And remember, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. If you're a power lifter, odds are you're kind of squat and short. Very strong, but a tall thin guy is not likely to be a power lifter.

Good luck!

I was taught that you need to let the muscles rest a day or two to re-build. That is how you gain strength. I would alternated and do like upper body on Mondays, lower on Tuesday or Wednesday, then upper again on Thurs and then the next week switch it up to keep it balanced.

I always did the hard workout one day and light workout the next. Then rest on the weekends. Alternating hard-easy seemed to work for me.

All I do at the gym is run on the tread mill for 20 mins then do upper body exercises.

I am specifically training to meet the AF basic entry requirements. All they look at are push ups, sit-ups and the run.

I just started running this year and have participated in a few 5Ks in my area. I am confident in my ability to do the run and the sit ups but sadly, my push are about as weak as you can get.

Therefore, I focus exclusively on my upper body for weight training.

Thanks guys!

The reason why most people recommend to not train the same muscle group everyday ist to avoid Training Plateaus (google for it for more info). The reason for this is that if you do the same workout every single day, then your body will adapt to this training and as a result the effectivness of the workout will diminsh and you won't increase your strength.

When you will hit such a Plateaus is individual different. Some hit it very late and some very early.

I had an old SF guy tell me to work the whole body every day, but to change it up.

For example, if one does curls and crunches one day, do flutter kicks the next; both are abdominal exercises (along with working the hip flexor), but do so in different ways. If you run eight one day, ruck five the next.

Of course he assumed a level of fitness beyond beginning marshmellow stage; if you're starting out, the every-other-day routine is best.

Personally I got the shock treatment of whole body workout every friggin' day all friggin' day, as I had the lack of foresight to get into shape before leaving for Basic Training and the unfortunate timing of the early 1980's. Gained twenty five pounds and grew an inch in eight weeks. Not the recommended system, but it worked.

Sounds like you got stuck in FTU? When I went through Ft Benning in 92 I spent a few weeks there. Hence my motivation to be properly prepared this time around!!! Went in at 235, came out 185. Not sure how much of that was FTU and how much was basic but yeah, FTU sucked!

heh, I was going down my workout "memory lane". Back when I was lean and mean, I used to do about two hours of cardio (running, swimming, stationary climber or rower), and at least one hour of strength training (mostly weights) every day. Seven days a week. If I took a day off, it was because I had to, not because I wanted to. People told me I was going to burn out and be susceptible to injury and such, but it was hard to argue with the results.

And the best part, I could eat just about anything I wanted!

3 hours in the gym a day? Were you a professional athlete?