To start with I'm new here so "hey" lol. Anyway I appologize for not putting this in the new forum but since I wanted to ask a few questions I figued it would be best to post here.

Ok, first alittle information on myself cuz I assume that will help you all help me. Its alittle embarrasing as I am about 6 feet even, maybe a tad shorter and I only weigh about 130 lbs soaking wet. So I am very skinny. I am 24 years old and at this point in my life I know its when people are supposed to be in their prime right? Anyway further information, I work night shifts and 12 our shifts at that so when I am able to exercise at home its usually early in the morning before I go to bed.

So now that you have some personal background here are my goals and questions.

I am considering joining the Air Force but I am afraid b/c I have to be able to do 40 something push ups w/i 2 minutes. I cannot do that as it stands right now at all. To be honest (and my face is turning red again) I can do about 5 in a rowe all the way down untill I feel like I'm gonna die haha.

Now I've started to do these every day before I go to bed. But I have read where doing push ups every day alone will not increase muscle. Should I buy a weight bench and do some bench presses?

Basically its just so confusing all the stuff you have to do. Its like work out this day, eat this, dont work out that day. My head is spinning but I WANT to understand this. I promise you guys I am fully dedicated to this. I am very tired and very upset at myself physically. Just so you know I dont consider myseld a down person. I have good enough friends I play guitar and sing. In General I am very upbeat but I am just tried of feeling like I'm not really a man.

So, what are your suggestions for me to take my weak self and go from 10 to 50 push ups in two minutes. AND get alittle built up in my upper body?

Thank you to anyone who answers seriously and doesnt put me down for who I am

In your case, it sounds like you will be stressing type II muscle fiber, but after a while, perhaps when you can do over 20, you'll be exerting type II muscle fiber.

You may want to do 3 every hour or two.

Try to increase it one rep each day, but don't do them daily. you'll need time to recover. Do them every other day.

But would it be better for me to buy a weight bench and proceed that way? Or stick with the push ups which sounds like you recomend

One thing I didnt mention. I've been doing them for alittle over a week now. I havent had any kind of system I basicaly just do as many as I can till I cant. Then after a few minutes when I am able I do more. Each time they get less and less untill I finally my muscles just wont even let me move up at all lol. Now the first few days of doing that I was soar as could be. But now I really dont feel soar at all except for maybe 10 minutes afterwards. That makes me feel good like I am making progress but it hasent increased the # I can do.

Probably because you're not allowing enough time to recover.

A bench and weights would help, but you'll benefit most from a full-body workout to gain the best hormonal response. That means being able to do squats and deadlifts as well. The squat is probably the one exercise that requires a rack to position the bar in place.

If you want to save money in the immediate, you might consider a gym membership. You can get one for about $20/mo. A year would be $240, less than a decent rack, bench and weights.

the only thing is b/c of my size I would be lying if I said I wouldnt be completely uncomfortable in a gym. Thats just it, I have no self esteem what so ever when it comes to strength type things I cant imagine how I would feel being arround guys who are throwing up 200 or something pounds like its a feather and me sitting there crying over push ups lol

Do a good full-body workout and you can increase about 5lbs/wk. After a year, that's a 260lb increase.

Thanks for all your help ! I really appreciate it. You see the wight lifting and the full body workout is what I want to do. I am doing all these push ups basicly as a hold over untill I get a weight set.

Once I do get my weights what would you recomend me do? I know you cant tell me how heavy b/c you dont know what I can do but how do I figure out the amount of sets and what not to do.

You might want to look at Homegrown Muscle or Waterbury's Total Body Training.

When it talks about squats, you can sub in dumbbell squats for the barbell or perhaps hack squats.

just a tip about push-ups, do it in pyramids, such as do 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 have a little rest in between, that pyramid is 50 push-ups but I can promise you it does not feel like 50, after a while maybe you can do two pyramids? good luck in the air force