I put the car in 1st and let off the clutch and the spedo goes up but theres no power going to the wheels. And when you put it into gear you can push it freely.

You have a worn out clutch disc so the transmission still has to come out to change it.

Adjust clutch cable .

is this a manual transmission ? You may have a problem with the clutch plates, clutch cable or if hydraulic the clutch master cyclinder .
The clutch is two plates of metal that rub together to allow the gears to move the car. When you push the pedal in the plates come apart to allow you to change the gears. If the clutch plates wear out or do not touch the gear box will not go into gear. It will feel like something is stopping the gear from going in. It could also be a syncromesh problem. I have a car that intermittantly does not go into reverse but I put the clutch pedal out and back in and it goes away,

Eric, how are you confirming whether or not the car goes into gear if you shift gears without the engine running? One way would be to put it in 1st and see if you can push the car. If you can't, it is in gear.

Another option is to roll the car slightly forward or backward (engine off) while trying to put the car in gear. Once it is in gear, then the car shouldn't move any further. However, if it goes into gear, DO NOT start the car without taking it back out of gear.

The clutch is much more likely to be the problem than the transmission.

If the clutch fluid ever ran dry, then the clutch hydraulics will need to be bled of air. Otherwise, the problem could be the clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder or throwout bearing. Since you didn't report the clutch slipping (e.g. engine revving without accelerating when in gear) it is likely not the clutch disks themselves.

I'd start by looking at the clutch hydraulic circuit. "...could not put gear into 1st or reverse" suggests that the change cables on the transmission may be failing. And just in case, make sure there's nothing in the cabin that's jamming the gear change lever.

could be the clutch release arm has bent or the springs in the center of the clutch plate have worn or broken

Try to double clutch when you downshift from 2nd to 1st ( while driving be in 2nd put in the clutch go to neutral pull out clutch rev it a lil and put the clutch back in and then shift to first) what this does is that it aligns the gears and it might go into 1st alot smoother. Happened to my 86 Toyota and never had problem with it after that

It sounds like you have a blown throw out bearing for the clutch operation. Fix it soon or you'll do a whole lot more damage to the drivetrain.

EITHER YOUR CLUCH IS WORN OR THE SLAVE CYLINDER GAVE OUT.. CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL ON THE SLAVE CYLINDER RESERVOIR OR TO BE MORE SURE WHAT IT IS. DO THIS-
BE SURE NO ONE IS IN FRONT OR YOUR NOT GONNA HIT A CAR IN FRONT / WITH THE ENGINE OFF "IGN" ON PUT IT IN 1ST OR 2ND GEAR IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE TRICKY OR ROCK THE CAR WITH ONE LEG MAKE SURE IT GOES IN GEAR. THEN PRESS THE CLUTCH AND TRY STARTING IT IF TRYIES TO TAKE OFF IN GEAR THEN YOUR CLUTCH IS GOOD/ BUT THE SLAVE CYLINDER OR THE A HOSE LEAKED THE FLUID. IF IT STARTS IN YOUR IN GEAR AND THE CAR DONT TAKE OFF THEN ITS YOUR CLUTCH FOR THAT YOU NEED A NEW CLUTCH AND REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION. LET ME KNOW OR SEND ME A FEEDBACK THANSK HOPE THIS HELPS YOU.

Does this happen in all gears or just first? Sounds like you need the clutch adjusted or replaced