How many push ups and sit ups should I do?

How many push ups / sit ups are needed for a 13 year olds anaerobic workout?

• I'm 13 and want to stay in shape. I'm not focusing on aerobic yet, and I understand there are more things, such as different exercises and warm-ups / cool-downs. I just want to know, because push-ups and sit-ups are all I really feel like doing. I was thinking 30 each, twice a day. Is that a good estimate

• Answer:

  So much depends on your goals... If you really don't want to do more than pushups and sit ups, there wasn't a lot of point writing to us. But just those two won't take you far: you are only working your abs, one of 3 upper arm muscles, and part of your chest. I'm going to suggest a couple things that will work more of your body, will only need one session per day, and still doesn't require any equipment. Push ups are great for your biceps and chest-- it's essentially like a face down bench press. Concentrate on form: keep your back straight, lower your chest to within a couple inches of the floor, do each rep slowly and in control till you can't do another. Take a minute break, and repeat-- two sets to failure will be a safe but effective work out. Do the first set with your hand narrower than your shoulders to work the biceps more, switch to shoulder width on the second set to benefit your chest. If you can do more than 10 reps on your second set, put your feet up on a chair or bed to make it a bit tougher. If you wish to gain mass in those areas, only do this every other day: our muscles need time to recuperate and grow. If you have a sturdy chair with arms, you can also do simple 'dips' to help your triceps-- the muscle on the back of your arms. Great for your shoulders and lats, too: search for 'dip exercise' to learn how. You could do these on days when you are resting your biceps. Try crunches instead of sit ups: they work better because they work the entire range of your abs from top to bottom, sit ups really don't. You can find plenty of instructions on proper form etc. online. Since you aren't really trying to make the muscles bigger, you can do them everyday. You can also do leg rises [lay flat, lift your legs straight up] and side ups [lay on side, use the side ab muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor] for variety. Also google 'plank exercise' for a really easy but effective ab blaster...