cant do pushups or pull ups. please help me

Question

I'm 21 years old next week. I weigh 41 kilos (~90lbs).

My light body weight lead me to depression. I've been smoking cigarettes for the past 5 years, but I've finally made up my mind to get fit and joined a gym last week.

• Day 1 I did 40 pushups,
• Day 2 I did 40 pushups, along with other exercises and weight lifts.

I've experienced muscle soreness for 3 days but now the soreness I gone. Surprisingly I've gained 2 kilos in just a week without using any protein but

I'm not able to do more than 3 pushups. My body isn't supporting it. Why is that so?

I even stopped smoking and using 1 or 2 nicotine gums a day, it's helping me with cravings.

Answer 1

Soreness

Cherish it. It's not a way of measuring how effective your workout was, but it should tell you that you've done something out of your comfort zone, and that's good!

The more you train, the less of it you'll have. But generally, don't worry about it.

Sudden weakness

This is important. Learn this immediately!!

When you train, you break the muscle fibers down. When you rest and eat, you build the muscles back up, stronger.

So essentially, you failed your pushups, because your chest and tricep muscles were already weakened from your previous workout(s).

We like to go to the 48 hour "rule of thumb", and suggest that you don't train the same muscle groups two days in a row, but give them at least one day of rest before you train them again. This can be overlooked if you eat and rest a LOT between each workout, but again, the 48 hour rule of thumb is a good place to start to see how you handle it.

Weight gain

2 kg in 1 week is fine, but it goes under "easy come, easy go". A week is a very short period of time, and what you accomplish in a week can be lost in another week. But what you gain in a year, sticks with you for much, much longer.

Smoking

Obviously, quitting smoking is the way to go. You know it, we know it, I don't think it warrants too much of a reply, besides... Good luck!

Answer 2

Do I understand correctly that you are not able to do any push-ups after 3 days of your last workout?

I think you are attacking your problem wrong. You should not force your body to something, pick up a proper wprkout program, stick to it and watch your diet. Muscles and Strength will come - be patient, dont rush - what comes fast, goes fast ... you will be frustrated and stop your journey.

As a an example you could start working out 3 days a week, doing compound movements ex. Deadlifting, Squating, Bech and Military Pressing as you said you joined a gym.

With bodyweight only exercises you will sooner or later plateau or having difficulties gaining more mass as the stronger and bigger you get the more resistance you will need to progress further as the body adapts to the demands you put it through.

Dont give up, good things need time. Consistency and patience is the key.