DoMorePushups-CompleteEdition-

ByBarryRabkin

CertifiedSportsNutritionist&NationalCouncilonStrength&FitnessPersonalTrainer

ForewordbyNickNilsson,AuthorofMuscleExplosionandMadScientist

Muscle

Copyright©2015BarryRabkin.AllRightsReserved.

Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorby

anymeans,withoutthepublisher'swrittenconsent.

Pleaseconsultyourdoctorbeforestartinganyexerciseornutritionprogram.We

arenotliableforanyinjuriesordamages.Youtrainatyourownrisk.

DedicationThisbookisproudlydedicatedtoallthebravemenandwomenservingtheircountriesinthemilitaryandlawenforcement.Yourstrengthinspiresusall.

TableofContentsForewordbyNickNilsson–AuthorofMuscleExplosionandMad

ScientistMuscle#1–Introduction

13

#2-StrategyandGoals19

Balance20

FunctionFollowsForm21

EliminateYourWeakestLink25

GreasetheGroove28

Reps+Rest=Results31

KeepRecords33

WannaBet?36

NeverBeSoreAgain:WorkoutSecrets37

NeverBeSoreAgain:Post-Workout

Secrets41

HairoftheDogthatBitYou49

KillYourCortisol50

RestforYourTest51

Alcoholvs.Athlete52

PracticePerfection54

Visualize56

#3-WorkoutFormats61

21s62

BeattheClock63

MaketheMostofYourTime64

Pyramids67

Relays68

RepTargeting71

RestReduction73

TabataDrills74

TagTeam76

VolumeTraining79

#4–PlateauBusters82

2-Up1-DownNegative83

Aftershock90

FailureIsOnlytheBeginning91

HandsOff93

MuscularOverload94

Odds&Evens97

Partials/Burns100

Plyometrics100

Pre-Exhaust102

Rest-Pause104

DotheTwist105

#5-Pre-TestPreparation111

BreakaSweat112

FightorFlight?113

Meditate117

WorktoRest118

Post-ActivationPotentiation121

#6-TestTakingTechniques125

BareFoot126

NoRestrictions130

BreatheEasy131

ValsalvaManeuver133

ChestOut135

Explode137

MuscularActivation139

GrabtheFloor140

Irradiation142

EfficientRangeofMotion144

MixItUp150

RestBetweenReps152

PaceYourself154

RestRight158

SideFoot159

WideLegs163

#7–Conclusion166

ForewordThePush-Upisoneoftheclassictestsofstrengthandmuscular

endurance.Practicallyeveryorganizationthatteststhefitnessofit'smembersor

applicantsusesthepush-upasameasuringstick.Andforgoodreason!It'strue

indicatorofphysicalfitness.

Andthat'swhereBarryRabkinandhisbook"HowtoDoMorePush-Ups"

comesin!

Barryhasdoneatremendousjobexplaining,dissectingandcompilingallthe

informationyouneedtotakeyourpush-upstrengthandendurancetoawhole

newlevel.

Withthetechniquesandworkoutsfoundinthisbook,youwillabsolutelysee

amazinggainsinyourpush-upnumbers.

I'vebeeninthefitnessbusinessmorethan20yearsandIstilllearnedalotfrom

thisbook,especiallyabouthowtobesttakeapush-uptest.Therearetips,tricks

andtechniquesthatnothelpyougetreadyfortesting,butactuallyperformbetter

duringthetestaswell...andthatcanmeanthedifferencebetweensuccessor

failure...acceptanceorrejection.

Ifyou'relookingforacompletemanualonhowtodomorepush-ups,thetitleof

thisbookreallydoessayitall!

NickNilsson

AuthorofMuscleExplosion-28DaystoMaximumMass,TheBestExercises

You'veNeverHeardOf,andMadScientistMuscle.

Nickhasbeenweighttrainingformorethan20yearsandhasbeenacertified

personaltrainerfor13years.HeholdsadegreeinPhysicalEducationand

Psychology.

#1Introduction

“Knowledgeispower.”-FrancisBacon“Onecanhavenosmalleror

greatermasterythanmasteryofoneself.”-LeonardodaVinci“Most

powerfulishewhohashimselfinhisownpower.”-Seneca“Hewho

controlsothersmaybepowerful,buthewhohasmasteredhimselfis

mightierstill.”-Lao-Tzu“Iam,indeed,aking,becauseIknowhow

torulemyself.”-PietroAretino

Everyonewouldliketobeabletodomorepushups.Forsomeofus,it'san

opportunitytoincreaseourfitnessandphysicalmasterytofinallyreacha

lifetimegoal,suchas50pushupsorevenaone-handedpushup.Forsome,it'sa

cheap,convenient,andportableworkoutthatwecandoanytimeandanywhere.

Manyenjoychallengingfriends,co-workers,andfamilymemberstopushup

contests,eitherasamotivatingchallengeorasademonstrationofstrengthand

endurance.

Forourmenandwomeninthemilitaryandlawenforcement,pushupsareajob

requirement.Thefollowingarethecurrentmen'sminimumpushup

requirementsforboththemilitaryandlawenforcementorganizations.These

numbersrepresentwhatyoumustbeabletocompletebeforetheywilleven

consideradmittingyou.Moreareexpected,andyoushouldaimtododouble

thesepushupnumbersifyouwanttosetyourselfapart:DeltaForce-55

FBIHostageRescueTeam-50

ArmyRanger-49

AirForce-45

Navy-42

NationalGuard-35

ROTC-35

ArmyPhysicalFitnessTest(APFT)-35

FBISpecialAgent-30

CoastGuard–29

Tostandout,themaximumpushupsforaperfectscoreonthemen'sArmy

PhysicalFitnessTestis77pushupsin2minutes.Nomatterhowqualifiedor

dedicatedyouare,unlessyoumeettheminimumrequirementsabove,youwill

notbegivenanopportunitytoserve.Fortunately,anyonecanmeetandexceed

thesegoals,aslongasyouhavethepreparation,workout,andtechniquesthatI

willsharewithyou.

IamcertifiedasaNationalCouncilonStrengthandFitnesspersonaltrainer,and

Ihavehadtheprivilegeofhelpingcandidatesapplytoboththemilitaryandthe

FederalBureauofInvestigation,easilybreezingthroughtheirphysicalfitness

tests.

Thisbookisbrokeninto5sections:1)StrategyandGoals-Chooseyour

personalgoalsandcustomizeyourtrainingtoeliminatestickingpointsand

maximizeresults!

2)PushupWorkouts-Anexhaustively-testedcollectionofthemosteffective

pushupworkouts!Findyourfavoriteorthrownewchallengesatyourbodyfor

freshgainseverytime!

3)PlateauBusters-Ourbodiesquicklyadapttoourworkoutsandthriveoff

newchallenges.Thesemethodswillletyoublastthroughanyplateau!

4)Pre-TestPreparation-Beforeyourpushuptestorcontestbegins,prepare

yourmindandbodytogivetheirbestperformance!

5)TestTakingTechnique-Domorepushupsbyimprovingtheefficiencyof

yourpushupform.Increaseyourstabilityandminimizewastedenergy.

Dramaticallyimproveyourperformancebyapplyingthesetechniques!

Whetherdoingmorepushupsforajobrequirement,aworkout,apersonalgoal,

aspartofahealthylifestyle,orjustforbraggingrights,Iwillhelpyouquickly

breakthroughyourcurrentlimitstoanewlevelofphysicalmastery,confidence,

andpower.

#2StrategyandGoals“IhavefoundthatthemoreIprepare,theluckierIget.”-GaryPlayer

Chooseyourpersonalgoalsandcustomizeyourtrainingtoeliminatesticking

pointsandmaximizeyourfastresults!

BalanceYourbodycravesbalance.Ifyouhaveastrongchestandaweakback,notonly

willtheimbalancelookstrange,itcancausesinjuries.Ifyouonlytrainpushups

andneglecttherestofyourbody,itwillbeastickingpoint.Yourbodywantsto

beproportional.

The3biggestmusclesgroupsinyourbodyareyourchest,back,andlegs.Even

ifpushupsareyourprimarygoal,makesureyouexerciseyourbackandleg

musclegroupsaswell.Notonlywillyoulookmoresymmetrical,butitwill

keepyourbodygrowingconsistently,burnmorecalories,stimulatemorenatural

testosteroneandgrowthhormone,andhelppreventinjuries.

FunctionFollowsFormBadformwilllimityourprogressandleadtoinjury.Ifyoucan'tdoapushup

withgoodformyet,orifyouwanttoworkuptodoingadvancedpushupslike

clappingoronehandedpushups,youcanreducethedifficultyofthepushup

whilemaintainingperfectform.

Itcanbehardtotellhowgoodorbadyourformis.Asyougettired,it'seasyto

letyourhipsorbacksagwithoutrealizingit.It'simportanttogetfeedback.Use

amirror,videorecordings,oratrainingpartnertocheckyourformandidentify

problemareas.Asyoubecomemoreawareofyourbody,you'llfeelwhen

somethingisoutofalignmentandbeabletoselfcorrect.

Followthisprogressionforanydifficultpushupyouwanttotakeon.

1)Wall:Startoutbydoingpushupswhileleaningagainstawalland

maintainingperfectform.

2)Knees:Thendopushupsoffyourkneesontheground.

3)HandsUp:Thenonaninclinewithyourhandsuponfurniture.Ifyoucando

over10pushupsthatway,you'llbeabletotransitiontodoingsomestandard

pushuprepetitions.

4)Standard:Thenwithstandardpushupformflatontheground.

5)FeetUp:Ifthatgetstobetooeasybutyouwanttostickwiththattypeof

pushup,youcanputyourfeetonasturdypieceoffurniture,placingmoreof

yourweightforwardonyourchestandshoulders.

6)OneFoot:Youcanalsoliftyourbackfootintheairanddopushupsoffjust

onefoot,puttingmoreweightonyourchestandchallengingyourcoreandback

tostabilizeyou.

7)Plyometric:Youcandoplyometricpushups,suchasclappingpushups,in

whichyoupushoffthegroundhardenoughtoclapyourhandsintheair,

betweenrepetitions.

8)OneHand:Finally,youcandoone-handedpushups,placingtwicethe

demandonyourmusclesasnormal.

Theseapproachescanbecombinedwithalmostanypushuptomakeiteasieror

harder,andcanevenbecombinedwitheachother.Maybeyoucan'tquitedoa

clappingpushupyet.That'sokay,combinethesestrategiesandpracticedoing

clappingpushupsoffyourknees.

Maybeadeclinepushupistooeasyforyou.Maybeaone-leggedpushupistoo

easyforyou.Maybeevenaone-armedpushupiseasyforyou.Still,I'venever

metanyonewhowasn'tchallenged,whenattemptingtododecline,one-legged,

one-handed,explosivepushups!

Foranypushup,youcanmakeiteasierorharderwiththesetrickstomatchyour

currentlevelofability;mixupyourworkouts;andkeepthemfresh,challenging,

andfun.

EliminateYourWeakestLinkMaybeyoucando100pushups,ormaybeyoucan'tevendoone.Nomatter

howstrongorhowweakweare,weallhavestrongerandweakerpoints.A

pushupisacompoundmovementthatrequiresseveraldifferent,independent

musclestoworktogether.

Likeanychain,youareonlyasstrongasyourweakestlink.Ifyougivespecial

focusinyourworkoutstotheareathatisgivingoutfirst,youcanquickly

improvethatareasothatitnolongerlimitsyourperformance.

Ifyoutendtostrugglethemostatthebottomofthepushupswhenyourchest

touchestheground,thatmeansyourchestmuscles,yourpectorals,areholding

youback.Ifyoutendtohavethemosttroubleinthetophalfoffthemovement,

lockingoutyourarmstofullextension,thatmeansyourarmmuscles,your

triceps,arelimitingyou.

Byfocusingonthosespecificareas,youwillmakefasterprogress.Wide

pushupsorlowrangeofmotionpushupsworkyourchest/pectorals,whereas

narrowdiamondpushupsorhighrangeofmotionpushupsemphasizeyour

triceps.

Ifyouwanttobuildupstrengthinotherareas,youcanfocusonthembydoing

handstandpushupsorpikepushupstoworkyourshoulders/deltoids,decline

pushupstoworkyourupperchest/pectorals,fistpushupstostrengthenyour

forearms,orfingertippushupstostrengthenyourfingers.

Doingpushupstoemphasizeyourweakestareasisagreatwaytoeliminateyour

stickingpointssothatnothingisholdingyouback.

GreasetheGrooveMyfriendRoberthasthebeststrengthtoweightratioofanyoneIknow.

Surprisingly,hedoesn'thitthegymordoplannedworkoutroutines.

Roberthasapullupbarinstalledinthedoorwayofhisbedroom.Everytimehe

goesinoroutofhisroom,Robertdoesaquicksetofpullups.Heneverpushes

himselftomuscularfailure,buttheseshortsetssprinkledthroughoutthedaystill

addup.I'veseenhimeffortlesslycrankoutover30pullupsinarowwithout

breakingasweat!Robert'simpressiveenduranceisallthankstothequicksets

thathedoescasuallythroughouthisday.

RussianstrengthtrainerPavelTsatsoulinecallsthistechnique“Greasingthe

Groove”or“GTG.”Ingeneral,themoreoftenwedosomething,thebetterwe

getatit.Ifyouwanttoimproveatpianoorpainting,youdon'thavetopractice

forastraighthoureveryday.Instead,youcanpracticefor20minutesthree

timesaday.

Exercisesarealsoaskillthatbothourmindsandbodiesadapttowithfocused

practice.Youdon'thavetodoendlessmarathonworkoutstoimproveyour

strengthorendurance.Youcanimprovewithlightsetsscatteredthroughout

yourday.

Aimforsetsof25%-50%ofyourmaximumrepetitions(yourmaximumisthe

highestnumberofpushupsyoucandocontinuouslywithoutstopping).So,if

youmaxoutat40pushups,whenyou“GreasetheGroove”you'ddosetsof10-

20pushups,3-4timesperday,4-6daysperweek.

Aslongasyoudon'ttraintotofailure,youcankeeptrainingthiswayfor

multipledaysinarow.Thatsaid,ifyoudecidetotrainfor7-10daysstraight,

stopatthatpointandgiveyourupperbody3-5daysofftofullyrecoverfromits

accumulatedwearandtear.Aftertakingthattimeoff,you'llcomebackeven

stronger!

Reps+Rest=ResultsMostpeopleassumethat,ifyougetmoremuscle,yougetstrongerandthat,if

yougetstronger,yougetmoremuscle.That'struetoapoint,butit'snotthat

simple.Thereare200-poundpowerliftersthatcanbenchpressover600

pounds,andtherearebodybuildersthatweighthesameamountbutcan'tlift

halfthat.

Whatisyourspecificgoal?Doyouwanttogainstrengthsothatyoucanbe

morecompetitiveinyourathleticweightclass?Doyouwantsizeandto

improveyourphysiqueratherthanyourathleticperformance?Maybeyouwant

ablendofboth.

Onceyoupickyourgoal,youcantrainspecificallyforitbyadjustingthe

difficultyofthemove,thenumberofrepsperset,andtherestbetweensets.

Choosepushupschallengingenoughthatyoucanworkwithintheserepranges

withgoodform.

Themorechallengingtheexerciseyoudo,themoreitwillincreaseyour

strength;however,recognizethatyouwillbecompletingfewerrepetitionsand

willneedmorerecovery.Usethefollowingplansforwhatyouwanttofocus

on:Strength-5setof5reps,with2-5minuterests

Size&Strength-5setsof10reps,with60-120secondrests

Endurance-5setsof15reps,with60-90secondrests

FatLoss-5setsof20reps,with30-60secondrests

KeepRecordsKeeprecordsformotivation-It'seasytoforgethowmanypushupsyoudidlast

timeorhowmanyyoucoulddowhenyoustarted.Keepalogofyour

workouts.Itwillalsopushyoutogoalittlefurthereveryworkout.

Ifyou'redoingstandardpushups,youcanjustwritethedateandtherepsfor

eachset.Ifyouwanttotakeittothenextlevel,writedownyourrestsbetween

sets,thetypeofworkouts(ifyou'remixingitup)andnotesonhowtheworkout

went.

Keeprecordstospottrends-Everyoneisdifferent,sodifferenttrickswillwork

foreachofus.Keepnotestohelpyouseewhatleadstoyourbestandworst

workouts.Maybeaparticularpre-workoutmeal,song,timeofday,gym,or

trainingpartnerhelpyougetyourbestresults.Maybeeverytimethatyoustay

uplateyou'retiredandhaveabadworkoutthenextday.

Everyoneisdifferent,sofindoutwhatworksbestforyou.Checkyourworkout

recordsfortrends.Repeatwhatgivesyougoodworkoutsandcutoutwhat

doesn't.

Keeprecordstoavoidplateaus—nothingworksforever.Ifyourepeatthesame

workouttoomanytimes,yourresultswillplateau.Likewise,ifyoudon'tgive

yourbodyrecoverytimebetweenworkouts,you'llgetweaker,notstronger.

Keepingrecordsisagreatwaytocatchtheseissues.

Ifyouseeyourresultstaperoff,that'sawarningsignthatsomethingneedsto

change.Youmightneedabreaktoletyourmusclesrecover.Or,youmight

needtomixitupwithfreshexercises.Keepingrecordsletsyoutoseewhenit's

timeforachangeandactaccordingly.

WannaBet?Nothingmotivatesmemorethanafriendlywager.Theminuteyoubetme5

bucksonsomething,Iwillgototheendsoftheearthtowin.Youcanchallenge

afriend,classmate,familymember,orco-workertoabetthatyoucandomore

pushupsthantheycaninamonth.Putsomethingatstakelikeafreehome

cookeddinner,somecash,orthatnight'sdrinksandpizza.

Evenifyourchallengerisatadramaticallydifferentleveloffitnessthanyou,

theplayingfieldcanbeleveled.Justbetthatthestrongeronehastodo2

pushupsoraclappingpushupforeverystandardpushuptheotheronedoes.

Thatway,it'sbalancedbutstillcompetitive.

NeverBeSoreAgain:Workout

SecretsSorenessisanaturalresultofpushingyourmusclesharderthantheyareused

to.Itcomesfromswellingandachingfrommicro-tearsinthemuscle

contractingforcefullyagainstyourbodyweight.

Ifyouaresosorethatit'shardtomoveandyouhavetoskipworkouts,these

trickswillhelp.Yoursoreness,andtheamountoftimeyouneedtorecover,

directlyincreasewiththeintensityoftheworkout.Ifyouwanttobelesssore

andrecoverfaster,youhaveafewoptions.

Dofewerreps,fewersets,lessweight,orlongerrests.Thereisnouniversally

"hard"workoutforeveryone,it'sallrelativetowhatyourbodyisusedto.

Resultscomequicklyforbeginners,andifyou'rejuststartingoutonanexercise

plan,what'salmostimpossibletodaymightbeeasybynextmonth.

Ifyounormallydoasetof20pushups3timesaweek,you'llbeabletodo25

withoutfeelinglikeBarryBondstookabattoyourchestthenextday.Ifyou

normallydo20pushupsandyoudo200,expectyouarmsandchesttofeellike

jelloforafewdays.

Pushingpastyournormalworkoutsisessentialforencouraginggrowth,butit's

easiesttodowithincrementalprogress,notgiantjumps.You'rebetteroff

addingafewmorepushupseachweek,ratherthangoingamonthwithout

exerciseandtryingtomakeupforitbydoingamonthworthofworkoutsinone

session.You'llbesosorethatyou'llneverwanttoworkoutagain.

Thereareabunchofeasychangesyoucanmakesothataworkoutwon'tleave

youoverlysore:

Youcandecreasethenumberofrepetitionsperset.Forexample,

ifyounormallydo10reps,stopshortat8.

Youcandofewertotalsets.Ifyouwouldnormallydo5setsof

10repetitions,thistimejustdo3setsof10repetitions.

Takinglongerrestsbetweensetsgivesyourmusclesmoretimeto

recuperate.Ifyounormallytake1minutebetweensets,try

taking2minutes.

Finally,switchingtolessintenseexerciseswillmakeyouless

sore.Ifclappingone-handedpushupsleftyoutoosoretocrawl

outofbed,dothesameworkoutnexttimebutwithstandard

pushups.Ifstandardpushupscrushedyou,dothesameworkout

butoffyourkneesinordertodecreasetheintensity.

Youwillstillgainstrengthfromtheworkout,butthiswayyoucanampupyour

strengthwithsteadygains,ratherthantryinghugeleapsthatyourbodyisn't

readyfor.

NeverBeSoreAgain:Post-WorkoutSecretsYoucanmassivelydecreaseyourpost-workoutsorenesswithoutchangingyour

workoutbyusingthefollowingtricks:

Docardiofor10-20minutesafterlifting.Thiswillhelp

oxygenateyourworkedmuscles.Afteraworkout,lightcardio,

suchasjoggingordoingjumpingjacksfor20minutes,can

reducesorenessbyasmuchas50%.

Stretchfor10-20minutesafterlifting.Yourmusclescontract

andtightenwhenyouchallengethem.Ittookmorethan5

secondstogetthemsore,soitwilltakemorethan5secondsto

stretchthem.Togetthebestresults,holdeachstretchforatleast

1-2minutesinordertorelaxthemusclefully.

Forpushups,themostimportantstretchesareyourchest

(pectorals),shoulders(deltoids)andarms(triceps).

Tostretchyourchest,standbyawallordoorway.Placethe

insideofyourbentarmagainstthesurface.Beginwithyour

elbowatshoulderheight.Loweryourelbowtostretchyour

upperchestorraiseyourelbowtostretchyourlowerchest.The

picturebelowshowshowtostretchyourrightarmagainstawall.

Dothisforbotharms.Holdthestretchfor30-90secondsand

repeatuntilyourchestloosensup.

Tostretchyourshoulder,stickyourarmoutandcrossit

horizontallyacrossyourchest,andpullyourarmtowardsyou

withyourfreehand,holdingitbetweenyourelbowandtricep.

Thefollowingpicturesshowshowtostretchyourright

shoulder.Dothisforbotharms.Holdthestretchfor30-90

secondsandrepeatuntiltheyloosenup.

Tostretchyourtricep,takeyourhandandtouchyouropposite

shoulderblade.

Nowleanbackagainstthearmwithyourheadandstabilizedthestretchedarmat

theelbowwithyourfreehand.Thepicturesbelowshowshowtostretchyour

righttricep.Dothisforbotharms.Holdthestretchfor30-90secondsand

repeatuntiltheyloosenup.

HairoftheDog

thatBitYouAccordingtoScottishfolklore,ifarabiddogbitesyou,youcanplaceafew

hairsfromthatdoginthewoundtopreventrabiesandgrantyouaswift

recovery.Likewise,ifaworkoutmakesyousore,gettingasmallamountofthe

sameexercisewillactuallyhelpyourecoverfaster!

Thisisnotfolklore,lightrepetitionsoftheexercisethatmadeyousorewillflush

themusclewithnutrientandoxygenrichblood.

Ifyoudidtoomanyclappingonehandedpushupsorhitthebenchpresstoohard

yesterday,andyourchestfeelslikeitwastrampledbywildhorses,doafewsets

(10repetitionsperset)ofpushupsoffyourknees.Youcandolightversionsof

anydifficultexercisetoaidinyourrecovery.

KillYourCortisolDuringaworkout,youuseupyourenergystores,leavingyourbodyina

depletedstate.Whenunderphysicalormentalstress,yourbodysecretesa

hormonecalledcortisol.Cortisolbreaksdownmuscleandlowersyour

testosteronelevels.Todropyourcortisollevelsafteraworkout,getahealthy,

well-roundedmealordrinkashakewithin20to60minutesofyourworkout.

RestforYourTestYoudon'tgetbiggerandstrongerfromyourworkout.Yourdiet,rest,and

recoveryarewhathelpyoucomebackstronger.It'simportanttogetafull

night'ssleepof8ormorehoursafteryouworkout.Ifyou'reonlygetting5or6

hoursofsleep,youwon'tbeabletopushyourselfashardinyourworkouts,and

itwilltakemuchlongerforyourbodytorecoverfromyourworkouts,andgrow

stronger.

Drinkatleast8-12glassesofwaterorelectrolyte(potassiumandsodium)

enrichedsportsdrinksduringandafteryourworkoutssoyoursystemstays

fresh,balanced,andwellhydrated.

IfyouhaveafitnesstestFriday,youdon'twanttostarttrainingThursdaynight.

Startweeksormonthsbeforeyourtestandthentakeafewdaysoffbeforethe

test.Trytoleaveatleast3-5daysbetweenyourlastworkoutandthetimeof

yourpushuptest.

Afterthatpoint,anythingyoudowillbreakdownthemusclewithoutleaving

youtimetofullyrecover,soyou'llbegoingintothetestweaker,notstronger.

You'rebetteroffskippinglastminuteworkoutsandgoingincompletelyfresh.

Alcoholvs.Athlete

Whilealcoholwillnothelpyourmusclegaininggoals,anoccasionaldrinkin

moderationwon'tsabotageyourresults.Plentyofworldclassathletesstill

enjoyhavingabeerorglassofwinenowandthen.

Justtrytoavoidbingedrinkingastheoverconsumptionofalcoholhasbeen

showntoreducetestosterone,reducegrowthhormone,increasecortisol,

increasethestorageoffat,andslowmusclegrowthandrepair.

Ifyoudodrinkalcohol,consumeplentyofwaterandelectrolytesbeforeyougo

tosleepsoyoucanhelpyourbodyflushoutthealcoholandrestorethefluids

thatyoulostfromthediuretic,dehydratingeffectofalcohol.

PracticePerfectionThereisnosingle,universallyagreedupondefinitionofperfectpushupform.If

you'retrainingtomeetspecifictestingrequirements,gettheexactexpectations

thattheydemandandtrainexactlythewayyou'llbetested.

TheGuinnessBookofWorldRecordsrequirementforpushupsistobendyour

armsandgodownuntilyourelbowsarebent90degrees.Manymilitaryandlaw

enforcementphysicaltestsdemandthatyougodownuntilyourchesthitsthe

instructor'sfistonthegroundbeneathyou.Somefitnesstestsrequirethatyouto

bringyourchestoryournosetotheground.

Ifyoumissthegroundorinstructor'sfistbyahair,thatrepetitionisn'tcounted

andthattimeandenergywaswasted.Whateverthetestrequires,findoutand

trainforitsothatyougetinthephysicalandmentalhabitofdoingpushupsthat

way.

Youcanalsousepropslikeabaseball,orafewbooksunderyourchestto

simulatebringingyourchestdowntothetestinstructor'sfist,so,whenthetest

comes,you'llbementallyandphysicallypreparedwithnosurprises.

Visualize"Youbecomewhatyouthinkabout."-EarlNightingale

Afteryearsofhardtraininga150poundpowerliftercansquat500pounds,

whichismuchmorethanmostpeopletwicetheirweight.

Evenwithoutgainingweight,youcanliftmorebyhavingbettermentalcontrol

ofyourmuscles.Everyphysicalmovementthatyoumakeiscontrolledby

electricalsignalsfromyourbrain.

Whenyouintenselyvisualizeyourselfgoingthroughanexerciseormovement,

youactivatethesamepartsofyourbrainaswhenyouactuallydothemotion.

Thestrongeryourmentalsignalforthemovementis,themoreeasilyyourbody

willbeabletodoit.

Visualizingworksbestonmovesthatyouknowsomewhatbutwanttoimprove

onanddomoreeasilywithmoreenergy.Beforeyoudoanexercise,closeyour

eyesandpictureyourselfdoingitperfectly.Thinkabouthoweverybodypart

movesandfeelsasyoucompletethemovement.

“Allthatweareistheresultofwhatwehavethought.Themindiseverything.

Whatwethinkwebecome.”-Buddha

Youcandothistopracticeanymoveanytime,anywhere.Whenyouvisualize,

younevergettired,youalwaysdothemoveperfectlyandyoudon'tevenbreaka

sweat.

Youcanvisualizewhileyou'reinstudyhall,waitingforabusorgettingreadyto

fallasleep.Themorevividlyyoucanvisualizethemovement,andthemore

oftenyouvisualizethemovementbetweentrainingsessionsorduringapractice

beforeyouactuallydothemove,theeasieractuallydoingitwillbecomefor

you!

Manyofthebestathletes,gymnasts,powerlifters,anddancersthatIknow

practicemovementsintheirheadthroughoutthedayandbeforetheygoto

sleep.Whentheygotoactuallydoamoveinpractice,theyhavealready

visualizedthemselvesdoingitperfectlyhundredsoftimessincetheirlast

trainingsession.

Thesementalrehearsalshowsincreasetheirprogressinlearningnewmovesand

allowthemtofeelcompleteconfidencewhentheyareperforming.

“IfIcan'tpictureit,thenIcan'tunderstandit.”-AlbertEinstein

Ifyoudon'tunderstandamovementally,thenyoucan'tdoitphysically.

Watchingvideosofthemovementinslowmotionrepeatedlywillhelpyou

understandthemovement.Afterthat,you'llneedtopictureyourselfdoingthe

moveinyourhead.

Focusoneveryaspectofthemoveandwhereeachofyourlimbsareateachpart

ofthemove.Next,speedupandslowdownthemoveinyourheadandfocuson

howeachpartfeels.Afteryoumakeamistakeinreallife,visualizeyourself

doingthemoveperfectlytorecalibrate.

Withmentalfamiliaritywiththemove,you'llbeabletodoitphysicallywitha

fractionofthetimeandeffort.Unlikereallife,yourbrainnevergetstiredor

injured,andyoucanpracticeanytime,anywhere!

#3PushupWorkouts“BeforeIgetinthering,I’dhavealreadywonorlostitoutontheroad.The

realpartiswonorlostsomewherefarawayfromwitnesses-behindthelines,in

thegymandoutthereontheroadlongbeforeIdanceunderthoselights.”–

MuhammadAliGetreadyforaindepthcollectionofthemosteffectivepushup

workouts!Findyourfavorite,orthrownewchallengesatyourbodyforfresh

gainseveryworkout!

21s21sareagreatwaytoemphasizethemusclesusedatdifferentphasesofa

movement.Startoutbydoing7repetitionsofthebottomhalfofapushup,

followedby7repetitionsofthe2ndrepetitionsofthetophalfofapushup,and

finishitoffwith7repetitionsofthecompletemovement.

Thisfirstworksyourchest,thenyourtriceps.

Besidessinglingoutthosemuscles,thisalsoforcesyoutouseexcellentform,

sinceyoucan'tletmomentumhelpyouoversuchalimitedrangeofmotion.21s

canbeextendedtoalmostanyexerciseandareasimpleandsurprisingly

challengingwaytovaryyourroutine.

BeattheClockFirst,timehowlongittakesyoutodoasetamountofreps,like100pushups.

Next,timeyourselfrushingtoreachthesamenumberinlesstime.So,iflast

timeyoudid100pushupsinahalfhour,thistimetrytodoitin28minutes,and

nexttimein26minutes.

Foreveryworkoutthatyoucutyourtime,you'redecreasingyourresttimeand

increasingthemuscularandconditioningintensityoftheworkout.

MaketheMostofYourTimeSettheclockforagivenamountoftime,say30minutes,anddoasmanyrepsas

youcaninthattime.Trytodoafewmorerepsinthesameamountoftime

everyworkout.So,iflasttimeyoudid100pushupsin30minutes,thistimeaim

for105pushups,andthen110pushupsnexttime.Keepuppingyourgoal

repetitionsandyourstrengthandendurancewillincreasesteadilyasyour

workoutsprogress.

MoreReps-Recordhowmanyrepetitionsyoudidinthatamountoftimeand

trytosetanewrecordnexttime.So,ifyoudid500inanhourlastworkout,this

timetryfor510pushups,and520pushupsthetimeafterthat.Evenifyoujust

addasinglepushupeveryworkout,yourendurancewillimproveveryquickly.

LessTime-Foreveryworkout,trytohitthesamenumberofrepetitionsbutin

lesstime.So,ifyoudid500pushupsin60minuteslastworkout,trytohit500

pushupsinjust57minutesthistime.Thatmightnotsoundlikemuchofa

challenge,butitwouldonlytake10timesadjustingyourworkoutslikethatto

getyoufromdoing500pushupsin60minutestodoing500pushupsinjust30

minutes,doublingyourstrength,speed,andendurance.Smallertime

adjustmentsarefine,evencuttingaminuteeachworkoutwillgetyoufast

results.

LessSets-Trytohitthesametotalnumberofrepetitionsinfewersets.Even

doingthesameexactnumberofrepetitionscanbemuchmorechallengingifyou

doitinfewersets.Afterall,whichisharderdoing1uninterruptedsetof100

pushupsinarow,or5setsof20pushupswithlongrestsinbetween?

So,iflasttime,youdid500pushupsin50setsof10repetitionseach,thistime

trytodo500pushupsinsetsof11repetitionseach.Addingasinglerepmight

notsoundlikemuch,but,whenit'smultipliedacrossover45sets,itcatchesup

toyou!

LessRest-Cuttherestbetweensets.Iflasttimeyousetatimertoringevery

120secondsanddidaset,thistimesetatimerandtrytodoasetofpushups

every110seconds.It'samazinghowmuchmoredifficulttheworkoutbecomes

asyoureduceyourresttime!Youcanfinetunethespeedandincreasethe

difficultyofthesemethodstosuityourneeds,butthesegeneralexamplesshould

helpyougetstarted!

PyramidsUsingthepyramidmethod,youwilldoalongseriesofsetsthatwill

progressivelyincreaseanddecreaseovertime.Youwillgraduallyincreasethe

quantityofrepetitionsthatyoudooneachset,untilyoucan'tdoanymore.Then,

afteryou'vemaxedoutandcan'tincreaseyourrepetitionsfurther,you'll

graduallyreducerepetitionsoneachset.

Forexample,you'ddo5pushupsthenrestaminute;do10pushupsandresta

minute;maxoutat15pushupsandrestaminute;do10pushups,restaminute,

andthenfinishoffwith5finalpushups.Thisisagreatwaytobuildmuscular

endurance,getaseriouspump,andpushyourbodyfullythroughahighvolume

workloadofstrengthbuildingrepetitions.

RelaysIfyou'vegotover15feetofopenspacetoworkwithandatrainingpartner,

relaysareagreatwaytoimproveyourmuscularenduranceandstimulateyour

testosterone.Motivationfromapartnerwillhelpyoustaymotivatedandgiving

iteverythingyou'vegot.Don'tworryaboutcountingthenumberofrepetitions

ofthemovementyoudo,justfocusontravelingfromonesideoftheroomtothe

otherasquicklyandexplosivelyasyoucan.Takeanytravelingpushup,suchas

clappingpushups,andstartingatonewalltravelforwardacrossthefloor,doing

themovementuntilyoureachtheoppositewall.Immediatelyturnaroundand

headback,continuingtotravelwhiledoingpushups.

Assoonasyoureturntoyourpartner,slaptheirhandandrestwhiletheyhead

outandcomebackagaintoslapyourhand,andthanyoustartoffagain.Relays

selfadjust,theyautomaticallygiveyoumorerestthelongerdistanceyoutravel,

sinceitwilltakelongerforyourpartnertotraveloutandback.

Ifyouwouldlikemorerest,justaddmorepartners,sothat,insteadofrestingfor

onerelayandmovingforonerelay,yourestwhileyouwaitfor2or3partnersto

completetheirrelaybeforeit'syourturntodotherelayagain.

Ifyouwanttohaveacontest,getafewteamstogether,setatimer,andsee

whichteamcancompletethemostrelaysbeforethetimergoesoff.This

workoutworksforanytravelingmovement,includingjumpsquats,crapwalks,

burpiesorlunges.

RepTargeting

Thisisagreatworkouttodowhilewatchingamovieortelevisionshow.Picka

largetotalnumberoftimestoperformanystrengthtrainingexerciseandyour

workoutisn'toveruntilyouhitthatnumber!Someofthemostpopularexercises

forreptargetingarepushups,squats,jumpsquats,clappingpushups,andsit

ups.

Youwanttochooseanumberthatischallenging,butrealisticforyouto

completein20-60minutes.Forexample,ifyoucando25pushupsinarow,

youcouldmake200pushupsyourreptargetforyourworkout.

Ifyoumainlywanttofocusoncardiovascularhealthandfatloss,youcan

consistentlybangoutafewrepswithshort30-60secondsrestsinbetweento

keepyourheartrateup.Ifyoumainlywanttofocusonimprovingyourstrength

takelonger2-5minuterestsinbetweensetsanddoahighernumbersof

repetitions.

Asyoumakeprogress,youcangoforahighernumberofreps,ortrytoreach

thesamenumberinanewrecordtime.Thisisagreattechniquetobuild

endurance,stimulatetestosterone,breakthroughplateausonstubbornbody

parts,andgiveyouahugepump.

However,beawarethat,ifyoutargetanunusuallyhighvolumeofreps,youare

likelytobeextremelysorefor1-3daysafter.Youcanminimizethisbysipping

acarbandproteinshakeduringandafteryourworkout.Finishingyourworkout

with10-20minutesoflightcardioandstretchingwillhelpbringmorenutrient

richbloodtoyourmusclestohelpthemgrowthandrepair.

RestReductionAnyonecandoanyamountofpushupsiftheyhaveenoughtime.Aslongas

youcandoasinglepushup,youcando100pushups,ifyoutakeenoughbreaks

andgiveyourselfenoughtime.Thisisthekeytorestreduction,you'regoingto

findanumberofrepswithapacethatyoucansustainandslowlydecreaseyour

resttimetoincreasethechallenge.

Forexample,you'dstartoutbysettingatimeranddoing10pushups,then

resting120secondsbetweensets.Nextworkout,dothesame10pushupsper

set,butonlyrest110secondsbetweensets.Nextworkout,godownto100

seconds.Eventhoughyou'redoingthesamenumberofpushups,everytimethat

youcuttherestperioddown,you'reincreasingyourchallengeandyour

endurance.

TabataDrillsTabatadrillsuseincrediblyintense,fastintervaltrainingtobuildcardiovascular

endurance,burnfat,andgiveyouagreatworkoutinaminimumamountof

time.YoucanuseanycontinuousmovementforTabata,includingpushups,

squats,running,biking,orjumpingrope.Youfollowaspecificstructureof20

secondsofexercise,followedbya10secondrest,andrepeatthisforatotalof8

cyclesin4minutes.

YourTabatascoreforthatexerciseisthelowestnumberofrepetitionsyoucould

doforanyset.So,ifyoudoaTabatadrillforpushups,you'lldoasmany

pushupsasyoucanin20seconds,restfor10seconds,andrepeatthatsequence

8times.Yourscoreisthelowestnumberofpushupsyoudidinanyofthe8

sets,andyoucantrytobeatyourscoreeverytime.Nowadays,TabataTimers

andsmartphoneappsareeasytofind.Whiletheymaysoundsimple,Tabata

Drillsareproventobeoneofthemosteffectivewaystoquicklydropfat,

improveconditioning,andbuildmuscularendurance.

TagTeamTagTeamingisoneofthemostintensetrainingtechniquesknowntohumankind

becauseittellsyourmusclestoeithergetbiggerorfalloffthebone.It'snotfor

thefaintofheart,orforinexperiencedathletes.

Youpickoneexerciseandperformitnon-stopwithonepartner,sowhenever

oneofyoustops,thenextonestarts.Thisstyleoftrainingisgenerallydone

with10-20sets,and,evenifyouaredoinganexercisethatyoucanusually

performeasily,byyour10thsetyouwillbegaspingforbreath.

Ifyouandyourpartnerhavesimilarlevelsofendurance,thatwillworkwell;

however,ifyouareatverydifferenttraininglevels,thatwillevenouttoo.For

instance,thelessrepsthatyoucando,theshortertheirrestwillbe,andthemore

repsthatyourpartnercando,thelongeryourrepswillbe,so,withinafewsets

asyourrestsarelongerandtheirsareshorter,youwillnaturallyequalize.

Asyouandyourpartnergettiredandyoursetsgetshorterandshorter,that

makesyourrestsshorterandshorteraswell,sothisformatisgreatforbuilding

endurance,burningfat,andimprovingyourcardiovascularhealth.

Forexample,thefirstpersonwoulddo25pushupswhiletheotherrests.Now

his/herpartnergoesanddoes25whilethefirstonerests.Forthenextset,trainee

#1canonlydo18,and,assoonashestops,#2startsanddoes17,assoonas#2

stops#1isbackupanddoes15,andsoon.

Oneofyouisalwaysrestingwhiletheothertrains,andyoukeepalternating

backandforth,sotrainingisbeingcontinuouslyperformedthroughoutyour

session.Youcanalsomakeiteasierbydoingthisrotatingaround3or4

partners,so,assoonas1stops,2startsand,assoonas2stops,3startsandso

on.

Morepartnersallowsformoreresttimeforeachpersonandisrecommendedfor

beginnersandforextremelychallengingexercises,whichwillrequiremore

recoverytimebetweensets.

VolumeTraining

Withvolumetraining,yourgoalistodothemostpossiblerepetitionsofthe

movementintheworkoutbydoingahugenumberofsetswithasmallnumber

ofrepetitionsperset.Doing30%ofyournormalmaximumrepetitionsisagood

placetostart.

So,ifyoucando100straightpushups,forvolumetrainingjustdosetsof30

pushupsbutdo10setsofthem.Therefore,bytheendofyourworkout,instead

ofyournormal100pushups,you'llhavedone300totalpushups—triplethe

workloadyourbodyisusedto!

Thelowerrepsetsallowyoutostaymentallyandphysicallyfresheranddo

manymoretotalrepetitionsthanjustdoing1or2setsuntilmuscularfailure.It

alsotrainsyouforsuccessinsteadoffailurebecause,sinceyouaren'tforcing

yourselftogountilyoudrop,yourbodygetsusedtocompletingeveryrepit

attempts.Volumetrainingwithlowrepsandhighsetsisagreatwayto

stimulategrowth,increaseyourmuscularendurance,andtrainyourbodytodo

morerepswithgoodformbecauseplacingalargerworkloadonyourmuscles

encouragesgrowth.

#4PlateauBusters“Whatdoesnotkillme,makesmestronger.”-FriedrichNietzsche

Ourbodiesquicklyadapttoourworkoutsandthriveoffnewchallenges.These

methodswillletyoublastthroughanyplateau!

2-Up1-DownNegatives

Slowlyloweringyourbodyweightoraweightisagreatwaytobuildstrength

andloseweight—thisiscallednegativetrainingornegatives.Itallowsyouto

pushthemusclefarpastthepointofpositivefailurewhenyoucouldnot

completeanothernormalrepetition.

Theproblemisthat,unlessyouhaveaspotter,asyoutireyourmusclewiththis

exercise,youwon'tbeabletopickuptheweight,oryourbodyweightagainto

lowerit.Thewayaroundthisis2-Up/1Downnegatives.

Usebothlimbstopushandjustonelimbtoslowlyloweryourselfdown.For

example,getintoaone-handedpushuppositionwithyourarmfullyextended

andloweryourselfdownasslowlyasyoupossiblycan,onceyoureachthe

bottomofthemovement,pushyourselfbackupwithbothhands.

Nowyou'rebackwhereyoustartedandyoucangobackthroughthecycle,

loweringyourselfdownagain.Dothisasmanytimesasyoucanuntilyoustop

beingabletoloweryourselfwithcontrol,thenswitcharms.

Youcandosquatsthesameway,loweryourselfononeleg,standbackupusing

bothlegsandrepeat.Youalsodoamodifiedversionofnegativesforpullups,

chinups,anddips.You'duseyourlegstojumpuptothetopofthemovement,

thenslowlyloweryourselfdownwithyourupperbody,jumpuptothetopofthe

movementwithyourlegs,andrepeat.

Ifyouwanttoputyourselfthroughthemostpunishingworkoutofyourlife,doa

combinedNegativeDropSet:Afteryoucannolongerloweryourselfwith

control,immediatelyswitchtoaneasierexerciseandsqueezeoutmorereps.

Forexample,getintoaone-handedpushuppositionwithyourarmfully

extendedandloweryourselfdownasslowlyasyoupossiblycan.Onceyou

reachthebottomofthemovement,pushyourselfbackupwithbothhands,and

loweryourselfagainwiththeonearm.Dothisasmanytimesasyoucan,until

youstopbeingabletoloweryourselfwithcontrol,thenswitchtodoingthem

withyourhandsonapieceoffurnituretotakemoreweightoffyourarms.

Then,whenyoucan'tdothatanymore,switchtodoingthemflatontheground

offyourknees.Afewdropsetnegativesequencesareatruetestofwill.They

areenoughtoleaveanyonesorefordays,buttheyarealsooneofthebest

challengesyoucangiveyourbodytoencouragefreshgrowth.

AftershockAfteryou'redonewithyourprimaryworkout,youcandoafinaleasysequence

tofillyourmuscleswithnutrientrichblood.Forexample,after3setsof20

clappingpushups,youcoulddo3setsof10pushupsoffyourknees.

Thelightexercisewillpumpbloodintothemuscleandprimeitforrecoveryand

growth.Besuretostopshortoffailure,thegoalwiththistechniqueistodeliver

nutrientstoyourmusclestohelpthemrecover,nottofurthertearthemuscle

down.

FailureIsOnly

theBeginningAfteryouhitmuscularfailure,aspottercanhelptakesomeoftheweightoff

yourmuscletohelpyouforceoutafewmorerepetitions.Forexample,ifyou're

doingchinupsandyoucan'tdoanymore,aspottercouldhelpliftupyourfeetto

allowyoutocompleteafewmorereps.

Alternatelyyoucandoassistedreps,placeachairbeneathyourchinupbar,and

pushoffwithyourfeettohelpyoufinishmorereps.

Anotherpopularmethodisselfspottingwithsinglelimbexercises.For

example,ifyourdoingone-armedpushups,andyoucan'tdoanymore,youcan

takeyourfreehandandpushoffthegroundveryslightly,justenoughsothat

youcantakesomeoftheweightoffandfinishafewmorerepetitionsofone-

armedpushups.

Youcangentlytakesomeweightoffthehanddoingmostoftheworktopushit

wellpastnormalmuscularfailure.Thisworksgreatforone-leggedsquats,one-

armpushups,one-armchinups,one-armdumbbellbicepcurls,one-arm

dumbbellshoulderpress,one-armdumbbellbenchpress,one-armdumbbellrow,

andvirtuallyanysinglelimbexercise,andyoudon'tneedaspottertosafely

pushyourselfpastthepointofmuscularfailureintofreshgains.

HandsOffInmanypushuptests,youhavetobringyourchestallthewaytothegroundorit

doesn'tcount.Asyougettired,it'stemptingtocheat.Peopleoftenfailtogo

throughthecompleterangeofmotionanddon'tevenrealizeit.I'vefounda

greattechniquetokeepyourselfhonest.

Betweeneverypushup,pickyourhandsupcompletelyofftheground.That

meansyouliterallyhavetotouchyourchesttotheground,putallyourweight

onyourchest,takeyourhandscompletelyofftheground,andpressbackintoa

newpushup.

Thiscompletelyeliminatestheriskofcheating,shallowrepetitions,andrelying

onmomentumbecauseitforcesyoutodoeverypushupwithafullrangeof

motion.

InUSmilitarypushuptestsyourhandsareneverallowedtocomeupoffthe

ground,sothismethodshouldbereservedstrictlyasanintensetraining

technique,notanin-testhabit.Butyouwouldn'twanttodothisduringatest

anyhowsinceitmakesyourrangeofmotionandworkloadsomuchharderthan

normalpushups.

MuscularOverloadWeallknowworkoutsmakeusstronger,butmostofusdon'tknowexactlyhow

orwhy.Whenwecontractourmusclesagainstresistance,thestrainputsmicro-

tearsinthemuscletissue.Themorethemuscleischallenged,themoremicro-

tearsitgets.

Themusclerespondstothepunishmentbyhealing,andcomingbackstrongerto

protectitselffromfutureabuse.Afteryourecover,themicro-tearswillbe

patchedwithfreshlyaddedmusclesothatyoucanliftalittlemorealittlelonger.

Onewaytocreatethesemicro-tearsistosimplydomorepushupssothatyour

musclesspendmoretimeundertension.Anotherwayistoincreasetheamount

ofresistancethemusclefibershavetopushagainstsothattheygetmoremicro-

tearsduringthesamenumberofpushups.

Byhavingatrainingpartnerputaweightplateonyourback,pushonyourback,

sitonyourback,orbyusingaresistanceband,aweightvest,orasturdy

backpackloadedwithbooksorweights,youcandramaticallyincreasethe

resistancethatyourmuscleshavetopushagainst.

Getyourbodyusedtodoingpushupswithmorethanyouractualbodyweight.

Then,whenyouswitchtodoingpushupswithjustyourbodyandnoadded

resistance,youwillfeellightandyou'llbeabletodomanymorerepetitionsthan

before.

Odds&EvensStewSmithisaformerNavySEALandcertifiedstrengthandconditioning

specialist.Myselfandmanyothershaveseenrapidincreasestoourpushup

numbersbyfollowingSmith's10-daybootcamppushupplan.

Unlikemostplansthatgiveyoubreakstorecoverbetweenworkouts,withthis

oneyou'regoingtobedoingpushupseverysingledayfor10straightdays.This

worksonthesameprincipleasthe“GreasetheGroove”methodinChapter2.

Yourtargetnumberofpushupseachdaywilldependonyourcurrentlevelof

endurance.Ifyoucandounder75pushupswithoutstopping,yourtargetis200

pushupsaday.Ifyoucandoover75pushupsinarow,yourtargetis300

pushupsaday.

Onodddays(1,3,5,7,9)doyourtargetnumberofpushupsinasfewsetsas

possible.Ifyoucando40pushups,trytohit200pushupsinalownumberof

maximumrepetitionsets.Forexample,youcoulddo200pushupsin4setsof

50repetitions.

Onevendays(2,4,6,8,10)you'lldotheopposite.Doyourtargetnumberof

pushupsinahighnumberoflowrepetitionsetsevenlyspreadoutthroughout

theday.Ifyoucando40pushups,youcouldhityour200pushuptotalwith20

setsof10pushupsthroughouttheday.Ifyoucando80pushups,youcouldhit

your300pushuptotalwith20setsof15throughouttheday.Youcanincrease

ordecreasethesizeofyoursets,juststayunder50%ofyourmaximumpushups

(themostpushupsyoucandocontinuouslywithoutstopping.)Thisaccelerated

workoutplanwillbreakyourbodydownfasterthanitcanrecover,soattheend

ofthe10daysyou'llneedtogiveyourupperbody3-5daysofcompleterestin

ordertofullyheal.Afterrecovery,manypeoplecanperform10%-50%more

maximumpushupsthanwhentheystarted.Becauseofthisplan'sintensity,it's

onlyrecommendedonceevery6months.But,ifyouwantfastresults,thisisa

powerfulwaytomakethemaximumprogressintheminimumtime!

Partials/BurnsAfteryoucan'tdoanymoreofpushupswithgoodform,squeezeoutsome

pushupsjustworkingthroughafewinchesofthemovement.Forexample,after

youcan'tdoanymorecompletepushupswithgoodform,you'dloweryourself

half-waydownandsqueezeoutafewmorepartialrepetitionswithalimited

rangeofmotiontosqueezeeverythingoutofthemuscle.

PlyometricsPlyometricsaregreatforimprovingyourexplosivepower.Ifyouwanttotrain

forasingleexplosivemovementlikeahighjumporlongjump,youshouldtrain

differentlythansomeonewhoneedstorunalongsteadyseriesofchallengeslike

amarathonorhurdles.Youcanuseplyometricstomakeyourupperbodymore

explosivetoo.

Ifplyometricsinastandardpushuppositionaretoohard,youcanstartoutby

doingthemleaningforwardagainstawallorflatonthegroundoffyourknees.

Youstartbypushingyourselfoffthegroundhardenoughtoclapyourhands

togetherbetweenrepetitions.Whenthatgetstooeasy,youcanclapfurtherand

furtherawayfromthegroundtoincreasethechallenge.Tryclappingbehind

yourback,overyourhead,andslappingyourkneesifyouneedmoreofa

challengeasyourexplosivenessincreases.Useplyometricschallengingenough

thatyoucanworkwithintheserepranges:ExplosiveEndurance-4setsof12

repsetswith60-90secondrests.

ExplosiveStrength-4setsof8Repswith60-120secondrests.

ExplosivePower-5setof1-5reps,with2-5minuterests.

Pre-Exhaust

Thisisparticularlygoodforblastingaspecificproblemarea.Let'ssayyour

armstendtogiveout,andyou'vebeenhavingtroublelockingoutyourpushups

atthetopofthemovement.Youwanttoreallyfocusonforcingyourarmsto

grow,sostartbydoingasetofdiamondpushupstopre-exhaustyourtriceps,

thenfollowitupwithasetofstandardpushups.

Yourfreshchestwillallowyoufurtherworkyouralreadytiredtricepsandpush

thempastthepointthattheycouldnotdoanymorestandardpushups.

Likewise,youcoulddoasetofbicepcurls,thendochinupstofurtherchallenge

them.Thistechniqueworksforanycompoundexercisethatinvolvesmultiple

musclegroupsworkingtogether.

Rest-PauseThegoalofrest-pauseistogiveyourselfjustenoughrecoverytimetosqueeze

outanotherfewextrareps.Forinstance,ifyourdoingclappingpushupsandyou

can'tdoanymorewithgoodform,wait5-10seconds,catchyourbreath,andthen

squeezeoutafewmore.Finally,takeanothershortrestandrepeatmorereps.

Thisgetshardfast,butyoucanalwayssqueezeoutanotherreportwoaftera

shortbreak.Notallowingyourselfacompleterestwillhelpstimulate

testosteroneandforcesyourmusclestoincreasetheirenergyreservesand

endurance.

DotheTwistIfyouthrowapunchforward,you'llnoticethatyourwristandknuckles

naturallytwistintowardyourbodyasyoufullyextendyourarm.Whenyou

twistyourwrist,youshouldalsotwistyourshouldersintowardsyourchestand

reverseshrugyourshouldersdowntowardsyourchesttohelpstabilizeyour

body.

Todoareverseshrug,shrugyourshouldersup,likeyou'retryingtotouchyour

earswithyourshoulders.Nowdotheoppositeandpushyourshouldersdownas

farasyoucan.Thisletsyourshoulderslockyourupperbodyintoplacesoyour

chestandtricepsdon'thavetoworkashardtokeepyourbodysteady.

Pushupsdon'tnormallyletyoumaintainthisnaturalturningmovementbecause

yourhandsarefirmlylockedintoplaceonthegroundandcan'tturn.

Lockingtheirhandsinplacecausesmanypeopletoexperiencewrist,elbowand

shoulderpainwhentheydopushupsandseverelyrestrictstheirtrainingvolume.

Fortunately,thereisaneasywayaroundthisproblem.Getyourselfapairof

PerfectPushups™.Theyarelow-frictionturningplatformsthatallowyourarms

toturnthroughtheirnaturalrangeofmotionasyoudoyourpushups.

Rotatingyourhandsiseasierifyouhaveaccesstoalow-frictiontile,stone,

wood,vinyl,orlinoleumfloor.Orifyou'reonabudgetyoucandorotating

pushupswithyourhandsinsocksorplacedonhandtowels.

Whenyoutrainwithtwistingpushups,you'llbeabletorotateyourhandsinand

outandfollowyourbodiesnaturalmovements.Ifjointpainhasbeenholding

youback,nowyoucanfinallypushyourlimits,makefastprogress,andshatter

youroldpushuprecord!

Evenifyouhavetotakeyourtestorcontestwithoutwristrotation,thestrength

andenduranceyoubuildupwithtwistingpushupswilltransferovertostandard

pushups.

Infact,evenifyoudon'texperienceanyjointpainfrompushups,therotating

movementgivesyourstabilizingmusclesanextrachallengeholdingyourbody

steadyasyouturn.Whenyoutrainwithatwistandthenswitchbacktonormal

pushups,youwillfeellightandyourdevelopedstabilizingmuscleswillkeep

yourbodytightandstrong.

#5Pre-TestPreparation“Wellbegunishalfdone.”-Aristotle

Beforeyourpushuptestorcontestbegins,prepareyourmindandbodytogive

theirbestpossibleperformance!

BreakaSweatYourheartandbodycan'tgofromrestingtoamaximumoutputinstantly.It

takesyourheart,veinsandmusclestimetofullydilateandgraduallyprepare

themselvesforbattle.Bydoinglightcardioandgettingyourbloodpumping,

youslowlyprepareyourbodytogiveitsallandreleaseadrenaline,speedingup

yourheartratetoprovideyouwithmoreenergy.

Don'twalkintoapushuptestcold,itwillcatchyourbodyoffguardandyou'll

runoutofenergyquickly.Warmupwithjumpingjacks,jumproping,or

joggingonthesidefor5-15minutes.Onceyoubreakagoodsweatandyour

bodyandmindareready,you'llbefullypreparedforyourbestpossible

performanceonyourtest.

FightorFlight?Adrenalineisapowerfulstimulantsimilartocaffeineanditcanmakeyoufeel

edgyandnervous.Whenyourmindtellsyourbodythatit'sgotademanding

physicaltaskcomingup,yourbodyreleasesadrenaline,whichincreasesyour

bloodflowandswitchesyourpoundinghearttoturbomode.Yourbodycrosses

overtoitsprimitivecavemansurvivalinstinctsandassumesthatitisgetting

readyforafightortorunawayfromapredator.

Youknowyou'rereallyjustgettingreadyforyourpushuptest,butit'seasyto

interpretyourlightheadednessandthumpingheartbeatasnervousnessorfear.

Whenyouthinkthatyouarestressedornervous,youwillfeelevenmore

nervous,whichisaviciouscyclethatgetsworseandworse.

Youcanbreakthecyclesimplybybeingawarethatwhatyou'refeelingis

naturalandthateveryoneexperiencesit.Thisisnotcausedbynervousness,it's

justyourbodygettingreadytoperform.Remindyourselfthatwhatyou're

feelingissimplypent-upexcitementandenergythatyou'regoingtorelease

duringyourpushuptest.

Yourheart'sbeatinghard,youradrenalineisrushingthroughyourveins,and

yourbodyisgettingreadytogiveitsall.Yourbody'spreparingitselffora

physicalencounter,whichisexactlywhatyouwant.

Remindyourselfthatthesefeelingsarejustyourbodygettingreadyforyour

bestpossibleperformance.Thisexcitementandenergyisagoodsignthatyou'll

havetonsofenergy,notabadsignofnervousnessorstress.Focusingontaking

slow,deepbreathswillhelpyouslowyourheartratedownandcalmyour

nerves.

Withasuddenspikeofadrenalinefromstressorexercise,yourheartcanjump

from60beatsperminuteto200inlessthanahalfsecond.Atjust145heart

beatsperminute,mostpeoplebegintolosetheircomplexmotorskills,suchas

hand-eyecoordinationandtiming,makingefficientpushupsdifficultor

completelyimpossible.

Breathingcontroltechniquescanhelpyourecoverfromtheeffectsofadrenaline

andslowyourheartratedown.Breatheinthroughyournose,holdtheairin,

andthenbreathoutthroughyourmouth.Breakyourbreathingintothree

parts―inhaling,holding,andexhaling―withafourcountpauseforeachstep.

Toslowyourheartratedown,realizethatyourexcitementandracingheartrate

arecompletelynaturalanddothefollowingfortwototenminutestogetyour

bodybackinacalmer,morefocusedstate:Inhaleforafourcount.

Holdyourbreathforafourcount.

Exhaleforafourcount.

Thesetipswillhelpyouslowyourheartratedownandfocusyourmindon

success.

MeditateIfyouhaveapushuptestorapushupcontest,takesometimebeforehandto

focus.Takeafewquietminutestoquietlymeditatebyyourselfandvisualize

yourselfgivingyourbestperformance.

Youcan'twineverycontest,butyoucanalwaysgive100%ofwhatyouhaveto

giveatthatmoment.Tuneouteverythingaroundyou,andjustfocusongiving

iteverythingyou'vegot.

Ifyouarejustouttowin,youmightgetintimidatedifsomeoneelseperforms

well.Don'tworryaboutwinning,youcan'tcontrolthat.Justfocusongivingit

everythingyouhave.

That'sallanybodycouldeveraskofyou,andthat'sinyourpowertogive.Not

onlywillyoualwayshaveyourpride,yourfocusandmindsetwilloftenbring

youvictory!

WorktoRestOpposingmusclegroupscontroloppositemotions.Forexample,inapushup,

yourchestmusclespushyourarmsforwardinfrontofyou,whileinarowing

motionyourbackmusclespullyourarmsbacktowardyou.

Whenyouworkamuscleinonedirection,yourbodyautomaticallyforcesthe

oppositemusclegrouptoreleasetension,relax,andrechargesothatthemuscles

don'tfighteachother.Youcanusethisknowledgeandworkopposingmuscle

groupstorecoverfasterforpushups.

Youjustwanttopushyourselftothelimitoryoumaydepleteyourendurance

andenergystores.Byworkingyourback,yourgoalispurelytohelpyourchest

andtricepsfullyrelaxduringthebreaksothatyoucansqueezeoutevenmore

repsafterward.

Forexample,whenyou'retrainingpushups,betweensets,orbeforeyoustart

doingpushupsforyourtestorcontest,youcandosomepullups,Australian

pullups,ordumbbellrows,whichworkyourbackmusclesandforceyourchest

musclestorelax.

Whenyoucomebacktodomorepushups,yourchestandtricepmuscleswill

actuallybefresherandmorerelaxedthanifyou'djustrested,andtheextra

exercisewillimproveyourcardiovascularfitnessandburnextracalories.

Post-ActivationPotentiationYourbodydoesn'tnormallyenlistallofitsmusclefibersatonce.Ifitdid,when

youwenttoliftupafork,you'dautomaticallyengageeverymuscleandthrow

theforkoveryourhead.Yourbodyonlyenlistsasmanymusclefibersasit

thinksitneeds,butyoucantrickitintoactivatingmoremusclefibersthan

necessarytomakeanexercisefeellight.

Ifyouliftapieceofpaperandthenlifta1poundweight,the1poundweight

willfeelheavy.Ifyoulifta10poundweightandthenlifta1poundweight,the

1poundweightwillfeellight.

Byprimingyoursystemtoliftaheavyweight,doinganexercisewithalighter

weightfeelseasy.Thisphenomenoniscalledpostactivationpotentiation.You

cantakeadvantageofthisbydoingaheavybenchpressorachallengingpushup

likeaone-armedpushupafewminutesbeforeyourworkout.

Whenyougotodoyourpushups,becauseyournervoussystemhasbeenprimed

toengageextramusclefibersagainstaheavyresistance,suddenlyjustdoing

ordinarypushupswillfeelmucheasierthannormalandyou'llbeabletodo

manymoreofthem.

Remember,thegoalisnottoexhaustyourselfbuttoprimeyourbodytobeas

freshandpowerfulaspossible.So,despitethetemptationtodomore,justdo

oneheavyrepetition.Don'tgotomuscularfailure,oryouwon'tbementallyor

physicallyfreshtobreakyouroldpushuprecord.

Ifyoudon'thaveanyweightsaroundanddon'twanttodoone-armedpushups,

that'sokaybecauseyoucanstillprimeyoursystemforamaximumeffort.

Flexandcontracteverymuscleinyourbodyashardasyoucanfor10seconds.

Makesuretoespeciallyfocusonflexingyourchestandtriceps.Trytoflex

harderandhardercontinuously,then,attheendofthe10seconds,relaxfully.

Yourbodyandmindhavebeenchargedupandpreparedtofullyengage.When

youdiveintoyourpushups,theywillfeelmucheasierthannormal.

Thisisalsoagreattrickforarmwrestling.Alwayschargeupyourarm,flexing

itbeforethematchstartssothatyourarmisreadytoexplodeintoapeak

contractioninstantlybyengagingeverymusclefiberyou'vegot!

#6TestTakingTechniques

"Ifwedidallthethingswearecapableof,wewouldastoundourselves."-ThomasEdison

Youcandomorepushupsbyimprovingtheefficiencyofyourform,increasing

yourstabilityandminimizingwastedenergy.Whilethesetechniquescantake

timetomaster,youwillseethedifferencetheveryfirsttimeyoutrythem.Even

ifyourphysicalfitnesstestorpushupconteststartsinafewminutes,there'sstill

timetodramaticallyimproveyourperformancebyapplyingthesetechniques!

BareFootIt'smuchhardertodopushupswithyourhandsonanunstableplatformlikea

yogaballoramattress,becauseyourmuscleshavetoworkagainsttheunsteady

surfacetostabilizeyou.Likewise,it'shardertodopushupswithyourfeetonan

unevensurfaceforthesamereason!

Despitethis,mostpeopleunknowinglysabotagethemselvesbychoosingtoput

theirfeetonunstableplatformsduringtheirpushuptest!

Mostathleticshoeshavethickcushioningthroughouttheshoetopadandprotect

yourfootagainstimpact.Thisisgreattopreventlong-terminjuriesfrom

constantpounding,butit'stheexactoppositeofwhatyouwantwhenyou're

doingpushups.Thispaddingislikedoingpushupswithyourfeetonamattress,

anditforcesyourbodytoworkovertimeinordertostabilizeyouagainstthe

unstablecushioningofyourshoes.

Youdon'twantyourshoestoabsorbforce.Youwanttomakesurethatevery

ounceofforcethatyourbodyisputtingoutisgoingdirectlyintothefloorand

nothingisbeingabsorbedbythecushioninginyourfootwear.

Unlessthetestspecificallybansit,alwaysdoyourpushupsbarefoot.Thiskeeps

yourbodyasstableaspossible,soyourmusclesdon'thavetowasteenergy

stabilizingyou.Italsomakessurealltheforceyouputoutgoesdirectlyintothe

floor.Togetthemostoutofit,gripthefloorwithyourtoestofullylockyour

bodyinplacewiththemoststabilitypossible.

Evenifyourpushuptestrequiresthatyouwearshoes,youcanstillincreaseyour

stability.Thelesspaddingyourshoehasthelessforcewillbewastedand

absorbedbyyourfootwear.Weightliftingshoesworkwell,buttheycanbe

expensiveandhardtofind.Anythinsoled,unpaddedshoewillworkwell.

Forstrengthtraining,I'mafanofChuckTaylorConverseAllStars™.Theyare

inexpensive,easytofindshoeswiththin,densesoles,andtheyensurethat

almostallyourforcewillgostraightintothefloor.

Keepinmindthatthebetteryourshoesareforstrengthtraining,theless

comfortabletheywillbeforrunning.So,ifyou'redoingafullphysicaltest

includingpushupsandrunning,makesurethatyoubringachangeofshoesso

thatyou'rereadyforthedifferentevents.

Allthesesameprinciplesalsoworkforweightlifting.Ifyounormallyhitthe

squatrackinsneakers,nexttimethrowonapairofChucks.Watchyoursquat,

legpress,anddeadliftincreaseinstantlywithoutthecushioningofyoursneakers

destabilizingyouandsoakinguptheforceyourmusclesareputtingout!

NoRestrictionsPushingyourmusclesuntilfailureisstrenuous,andI'lloftenseepeoplestraining

theirnecksupintheairastheytrytoforcetherestoftheirbodyup.It'salso

commonforpeopletoslouchandlettheirheadhangdown.Don'tcraneyour

neckupordown.It'sokaytogetaquicksidewaysglanceinthemirrortocheck

yourform,butcontinuouslylookingsidewayscanstrainyourneckandback

musclesaswellasrestrictingyourairflow.

Thisisespeciallytrueifyoustrainyourheadupwiththeeffortofyourexertion.

Ifyouleanyourheadback,youcanfeelyourskinpullingtightlyagainstyour

windpipe.Thiscausesyoutounintentionallytakeshallowbreathsandget

windedandtiredfasterduringyourworkout.Forbestresults,keepyourheadin

linewiththerestofyourbodysothatyoucanbreathdeeply,stayenergized,and

avoidstrainingyourneckorback.

BreatheEasyDuringyourpushup,asyouloweryourchestdowntotheground,breathin

gradually.Letyourbellyandchestexpandandfillwithair.Asyoupushupoff

theground,exhaletheairandletyourstomachandchestdeflate.

Thisbreathingpatternaccomplishes3importantgoals:1)Ithelpskeepyour

breathingregularsothatyourmusclesgetasteadyenergysupply;2)Itletsyou

breathemoredeeplysothatyoupullinmoreoxygenwitheachbreath3)Asyou

inhalefully,you'llnoticethatyourchestwillexpandoutbyafewinchesasyour

ribcagefillswithair.

Byexpandingyourchest,youwillhaveashorterdistancetotraveltotouchthe

ground.Savingafewinchesmaynotsoundlikemuch,butthatdistanceand

musculardemandismultipliedbyeverysinglepushupthatyoudo.

Ifyoucando50pushupsnormallyandcanmake10%ofthemeasier,thenyou

justaddedanother5pushupstoyourmaximuminstantly,justbymakingyour

formmoreefficient.So,timeyourbreathingsothatyourchestisfullyexpanded

withairatthebottomofthemovementtostrategicallyminimizeyourrangeof

motionandmaximizethenumberofpushupsthatyoucancomplete.

ValsalvaManeuverIfyouaredoingasinglerepetitionofadifficultpushup,itcanhelptotakea

deepinhale,fillyourlungs,andholdyourbreaththroughouttherepetition.

FillingyourchestwithairstabilizesyourbodyandisknownastheValsalva

maneuver.

Breathingoutdeflatesyourchestanddecreasesyourstabilityduringtherangeof

motion.Byholdingyourbreath,yourbodywillbemorerigidsothatyourchest

andarmswon'thavetoworkashardtostabilizeyou,andyoucanjustfocuson

thelift.Evenholdingyourbreath,youwillstillhaveenoughoxygenforasingle

rep.

Ifyou'regoingforalownumberofreps,youcanalsobreathinatthetopofeach

repandholditthroughoutthemovement,thenpausetocatchyourbreathagain

atthetopbeforeyoustartyournextrepetition.Thispower-liftingtechniqueis

effective,butitdoesincreaseyourbloodpressure,soit'snotrecommendedfor

anyonepronetohighbloodpressureorheartdisease.

Also,thistechniqueisnotrecommendedwhencompletinghighnumbersof

reps.It'sidealfordifficultpushupslikeone-armedpushups,liftingheavy

weights,andtohelpyoutosqueezeoutthoselastfewfinalpushupsby

stabilizingyourtorsoattheendofyoursetwhenyourchestandarmsarealmost

exhausted.

ChestOutDifferenttypesofbenchpressesemphasizedifferentmusclegroups.Incline

benchpressemphasizestheshouldersandupperchest,flatbenchpress

emphasizesthemiddlechestandthedeclinebenchpressemphasizesthelower

chestandtriceps.Virtuallyeveryonecandeclinebenchpressmuchmorethan

theycanflatorinclinebenchpressbecausethelowerchestmusclesarenaturally

strongerthantheupperchestandshoulders.

Hunchingyourshouldersandleaningforwardplacesmoreweightonyour

weakerupperchestandshouldersandlimitsthenumberofpushupsyoucan

complete.Instead,stickyourchestasfarforwardasyoucantoreplicatea

declinepress.

Thisiskeyfortworeasons:1)Stickingyourchestoutletsyouuseyour

strongestmusclegroupsforthepushupand2)Stickingyourchestoutasfaras

youcanalsoreducesthetotaldistanceyourchesthastotraveltotouchthe

groundbetweenrepetitions.Increasingtheefficiencyofyourrangeofmotion

meansthatyoudon'twastestrengthorenergy,allowingyoutodomorepushups

evenwiththesameamountofstrengthyouhavetoday.

ExplodeEveryonedoingpushupswillfailatoneoftwopoints,eitheratthebottomofthe

movement,whichemphasizesthechest,orintryingtostraightenandlockout

theirarms,whichstrainsthearms/triceps.Ifyoutendtofailonlockout,thereis

atrickthatbenchpresspowerliftersusethatwillletyousqueezeoutafewmore

repspastthepointwhenyouwouldnormallyfail.

Momentumisyourbestfriend.It'shardtopushacarfromadeadstop,but,

onceyougetitmoving,it'seasytokeepitgoing.Forinstance,youmaynotbe

abletoslowlyforceyourarmstolockoutonanotherpushup.But,ifyoufocus

onpushingexplosivelywithasmuchforceasfastasyoucanatthebottomofthe

pushupmovement,yourtricepswillonlyneedtoputoutasmallamountofforce

tokeepthemotiongoingandtogetyoutoafulllockout.

Thisexplosiveforcewillwearoutyourchest,but,ifyourtricepsareyourweak

point,youneedyourchesttostepupandpickuptheslacksothatyoucanget

thoselastfewrepswhenitcounts.

MuscularActivation

Normally,whenwedoanexercise,wedon'tenlisteveryavailablemuscleto

helpus.Forinstance,youdon'tjustusethefrontofyourchestmusclesfor

pushups,yourchestmusclesextendouttothebottomandsidesofyourchest

fromunderneathyourarmpits.Ifyouwanttouseyourmusclesfully,youneed

tofocusonactivatingthemandusingthemtopush.

Toseewhatcontractingthosemusclesfeelslike,takeyourhandandputiton

yourchestwithyourfingersunderyourarmpit.

Now,fullyextendyourfreehandforwardanddown.Doyoufeelyourchestand

armpitmusclescontracting?Practicethatmotionuntilyouareintouchwith

thosemusclesandcanflexthem.Feelyourselfpushingoutfromyourarmpits

whenyoudopushups,andyouwillfullyengageeverymuscleinyourchestto

push.Thisisapower-liftingtrickthatwillalsotranslatetoabiggerbenchpress

andhelpgetthemostoutofeverychestworkout.

GrabtheFloorIfyou'veeverstoodonaskateboard,trampoline,orsurfboard,youknowhow

difficultitistobalanceonanunsteadyplatform.Thelessstabletheplatformis,

theharderyourmuscleshavetoworktostayupright.Youareonlyasstrongas

thesurfaceonwhichyouaredoingpushups.Tryandseehowmanypushups

youcandowithyourhandsonayogaballorthickcouchcushion,andyou'llsee

whatImean!

Bytensingyourfingersandgrippingthefloor,youwillgiveyourupperbodya

morestablefoundationsothateachrepetitionislessdemanding,enablingyouto

domoreofthem.Anyworkthatyourfingersdotostabilizeyouisworkthat

yourchestandarmswon'thavetodo,whichtheycansaveformorepushups.

So,togetthemostpushupsyoucan,gripthefloor!

IrradiationTryanexperiment,placeonehandontheforearmoftheoppositehand.Grip

yourforearmtightlybelowtheelbow.Now,flexthebicepofthearmyouare

grabbing.You'llnoticethatwhenyouflexyourbicep,yourforearmmuscles

alsocontract.Thisphenomenoniscalledirradiation—muscularcontractionsin

onebodypartcausearippleeffecttoflowtoothernearbyparts.Remember,

everythinginourbodiesisconnected.

Thisisimportantfortworeasons:

1)Ifyouarestrugglingtocompleteaparticularlydifficultexerciselikeaone

armedpushuportogetafewfinalrepsoutattheendofyourset,youcanflex

allthemusclesinyourupperbody.Whenyouflexyourhands,forearms,and

shoulders,theywillforceextrabloodintoyourchestandtriceps,helpingthem

contracthardertosqueezeoutafewmorerepetitions.

2)Byflexingtherestofyourbody,youstabilizeyourbodywithyourcore.The

morestableyourbodyis,thelessworkyourchestandarmswasteholdingyour

bodyinplace.That'sextraenergythattheycansaveanduseformorepushups.

So,keepyourcore,butt,legs,andbackcontractedandtight.Asyouflexone

musclegroup,itwillhelpeverythingarounditcontract;themorerigidand

stableyourbodyisthelessworkyourchestandarmswillhavetodostabilizing

youforeachpushups.

EfficientRangeofMotionPushupsarethesameasrunninghurdlesintheOlympics.Ifyouhavealineof

20inchhurdles,andyoujump20inchesintheair,youclearthem.You're

good.Jumping25inchesisanunnecessarywasteofwasteoftimeandenergy

thatcouldbespentgoingfurtherorfaster.Evenwiththesameamountof

strengthandenduranceyouhavetoday,you'llbeabletodomorepushupswith

better,moreefficientpushuptechniquethatdoesn'twasteanyunnecessaryeffort

ortimeinthemotion.

Ittakesmoreenergytowalkamilethantowalkablock.Thefurtherdistance

youtravel,themoreenergyyouuse,andthemoredemandingitisonyour

body.Thisisjustastrueforpushupsasitisforanythingelse.

Usingthesametechniquethatchampionpowerliftersuseonthebenchpress,we

canseverelyrestrictourrangeofmotiononpushupssothatwehaveless

distancetocover,whilestillmaintainingthegoodformthatmeetsthe

requirementsofmostpushuptests.

Stickbotharmsstraightoutinfrontofyou.Reachonepalmoutinfrontofyou

asfarasyoucan,nowworktheotherarmsshoulderbladebacktobringyour

palmasfarbackasyoucanwhilekeepingyourarmstraight.

Yougenerallyhavetotouchyourchesttothegroundforeachpushup,butby

tuckingyourshouldersback,youcanbringyourchestmuchclosertothe

groundandlimityourrangeofmotion.

Thiswillhelpeveryonedomorepushups,andthelongeryourarmsarethemore

itwillhelpyou.Pushbothofyourshouldersback,likeyou'retryingtosqueeze

aquarterbetweenyourshoulderblades.

Bringingyourshoulderbladesbackandtogetherstabilizesyouandletsyoulimit

yourrangeofmotionbyasmuchas6-12inches,whichcaneasilybe15%-25%

ofthetotalrangeofmotionofyourpushup!

Asmentionedabove,whenyougoforarun,it'sharderforyourlegstocarryyou

3milesthan2miles.Likewise,it'sharderforyourmusclestopushyouup30

inchesthan20inches.Byintentionallyrestrictingyourrangeofmotionyoucan

dramaticallyincreasethenumberofpushupsyoucando.

Thistechniqueisalsoessentialforbenchpressing,andI'veseenliftersadd25%

totheirmaximumbenchpressweightthethefirsttimetheytrythistechnique!

Mostotherpeoplewillbetravelinganunnecessaryextradistanceandwasting

timeandenergyoneverypushup.Yourpushupswillbecompletelyefficient,

travelingonlytheminimumrequireddistancewhileyourshouldershelpstabilize

yourchestandarms.

MixItUpAslongasyoumaintainthetestorcontestsrequirements,youwillhavesome

flexibilitytoadjustyourformduringthetest.Standardpushupsworkseveral

muscles,butthemajorityofthestrainisplacedonyourchestandtriceps.When

youstarttogetexhausted,payattentiontoexactlywhichmusclesaregivingout.

Ifyourtricepsgettiredandcan'tlockoutyourstraightarmstocompletethe

pushup,switchovertodoingsomewidepushups,whichemphasizeyourchest

andpectoralsandgiveyourtricepsabreak.

Whenyourcheststartstogiveoutandyou'restrugglingtopushyourchestoff

thegroundatthebottomofthepushupmovement,switchovertodoingdiamond

pushupswithyourhandstogetherinthecenterofyourchesttoemphasizeyour

triceps,givingyourchestabreak.

Youcankeepbouncingbackandforthlikethis,lettingonesetofmusclesrest

whileyouusetheother.Youwilleventuallyexhaustbothmusclegroups

completely,butthismethodwillcanbuyyouagoodamountoftimeandextra

repetitions,particularlywhenyou'reatapointwhenyoucannotdoanymore

standardpushupswithoutstopping.

USmilitarypushuptestsrequirethatyoukeepbothyourhandsontheground

throughoutthetest.Soyoushouldnotpickyourhandscompletelyoffthe

groundtorepositionyourself.Instead,slideyourhandsintothewideornarrow

pushupstanceyouwant.

RestBetweenRepsYourbodyissmart.Whenyoumoveyourbodyinonedirection,themuscles

thatgointheoppositedirectionautomaticallyrelaxsothattheydon'tfightyour

motion.Whenyoupushyourhandsinfrontofyouinapushupmovement,you

engageyourchestandtricepsandforceyourbackandbicepstorelax.

Whenyoupullyourarmsbacktowardyouinarowingmotion,youengageyour

backandbicepsandforceyourchestandtricepstorelax.Themoreamuscle

relaxesandstretchesout,themoreenergyitconservesandtheharderitcan

contractthenexttimeyouuseit.

Mostpeoplemissoutbylettinggravitydotheworkofpullingthemdown

betweenpushups.Don'tmisstheopportunitytorelaxyourchestandtriceps

betweeneverypushup.Insteadofjustlettinggravityforceyoudown,engage

yourbackandbicepsandactivelypullyourselfdowntowardtheground.This

givesyourchestandtricepsamomentarybreak,helpingthemtorelaxsothat

theycanfullycontractonthenextrepetition.

Thistechniqueworksjustaswelloneveryotherexercise.Afteryoudoa

pullup,insteadoflettinggravitypullyoudownfromthebar,youcanpush

yourselfdownandgiveyourbackandbicepsabreak.Youcanpullthebar

towardyourchestwhenyoudothebenchpressandrelaxyourchestandtriceps.

Whenyouworkyouropposingmusclegroups,youdon'twanttoexplosively

bouncethem,justengagethemenoughtogiveyourprimarymusclegroupsome

quickrestbetweeneachrepetition.

PaceYourselfManypushuptestsareameasureofthemaximumnumberyoucandoina

limitedperiodoftimelike1or2minutes.Thatmaynotsoundlikealongtime,

butlessthan1%ofthepopulationcando2fullminutesofpushupswithout

stopping.Sprintingtakesmoreoutofyouthanwalkingdoes.Ifyoutryto

explosivelybangoutpushupsasquicklyaspossibleyouwillinefficientlywaste

agreatdealofenergyandburnyourselfoutearlyinthetest.

Youcandomorepushups,moreefficientlyifyoudopushupsataconsistently

pacethroughoutthetest.Youcanstillpausetorest,butyoushouldn'tpushso

hardthatyouhavetocompletelystopduetoexhaustionhalfwaythroughyour

test.

Beforeyoustartyourpushuptestorcontest,youneedtohaveanideaofhow

manypushupsyoucandowithinthetimelimit.Youwanttopaceyourself

accordinglybecauseittakesmuchlongerforyourmusclestorecoverfromanall

outeffort,thanfrommildexertion.

Goingupaflightofstepsmightnotevenmakeyoubreathheavily,butsprinting

afewblocksafteryourmissedbuscanleaveyoupantingforairforaminuteor

longer.Sodon'tpushyourselftoexhaustionuntiltheendofyourtest.Aimfor

quicksetsthatyoucanquicklyrecoverfrom.

Forexample,ifyoudosetsof15easilyandasetof30ifyoureallypush,often

you'rebetterstickingtosetsof15betweenrests.Thisway,youcanminimize

yourrestbreaks,andyouwon'tfullyexhaustyourselfuntiltheveryendofthe

test.

Ifyougoforanallouteffortatthebeginning,you'llburnyourselfoutandeither

haveyourarmsgiveoutfromunderyouorbesoexhaustedthatyoucanonly

squeezesetsofafewrepsinfortherestofyourtest.Also,asyourmusclesget

tired,forcingouteachpushupcanbecomeagonizinglyslow.It'sbettertorest

whileyoucatchyourbreath,refocusandletyourmusclesre-energize.

Don'tgoforbrokeuntiltheveryendofyourtest,unlessyoucanrealisticallydo

pushupstheentiretimewithoutstopping.Beforeyourpushuptest,practiceand

findapacethatyoucanmaintainconsistentlythroughoutthetestwithjustafew

evenlyspacedbreaks.

RestRightInmostpushuptests,they'llletyouadjustyourpositiontorestbrieflybetween

repetitions.Alwaysfindoutbeforehandwhattheexactrestpoliciesare.That

way,youcangetthemostoutofthem,andyouwillnotinadvertentlydisqualify

yourselfonatechnicality.Moreover,ifyoucansitonthegroundandtakeall

theweightoffyourupperbody,you'llrecoverfasterthanifyouarerequiredto

maintainapushuppositionthroughoutthetest.

InUSmilitarypushuptests,nothingotherthanyourfeetandhandscantouchthe

groundatanypointduringthetest.Evenifthisisthecase,whenyoucanno

longercompleteanotherpushup,youcanstillgiveyourselfsomequality

recoverytime.

Leanforwardandshiftyourbodyweightontoyourshoulderstogiveyour

primarypushupmuscles—yourchestandtriceps—aquickbreak.Asyouwear

outyoucangetthemostoutofyourrestbyleaningforwardandrestingonyour

shouldersatthetopofyourpushup,betweenreps.

SideFootIfyoustandadeckofcardsuponitsside,justnudgingitwithyourfingeris

enoughtopushitover.Itdoesn'thavemuchsurfacearea,soitsbaseis

unstable.Ontheotherhand,ifyousetthesamedeckofcardsflatonatableand

nudgeitwithyourfinger,it'salmostimpossibletotipoverontoitsside.The

widerthebaseis,themorestableitis.

Youcantakeadvantageofthisconceptwithyourfootplacementwhenyoudo

pushups.Themorestableyourfeetare,thelessstrengthandenergyyouwill

wastesteadyingyourselfoneverypushup.

Unlessthepushuptestorcontestspecificallyrequiresit,don'tdopushupsoff

yourtoes.

Setthesidesofyourfeetflatonthegroundsoyourleftandrightfeetarepointed

outinoppositedirections.Insteadofjusthavingyourtoesontheground,the

wholesideofyourfoothascontactwiththeground.

Thisstancegivesyouamuchwider,morestableplatformandbringsyourbody

closertothegroundsothatyoudon'thavetogoasfartotouchyourchesttothe

ground.Dependingonyourflexibility,thistechniquecanstrainyourankles,so

don'tusethisstanceifitcausesyoudiscomfort.

Ifyourfeetslideatall,youmaywanttowearshoesthataredesignedsothatthe

sidesofthesolesaren'tsmoothandhaveplentyofgrip.Youcanalsogripthe

floorwiththesideofyourtoesandfeetformorestability.Themorestableand

wideryourbase,thelessefforteachpushupwilltakeandthemoreyouwillbe

abletodo!

WideLegsWhenyoudoanormalpushupwithyourfeettogether,youhavegravitypushing

againstyourfullheightfromheadtotoe.Byshorteningthatlength,youreduce

theleverageworkingagainstyouandyoudon'thavetoapplyasmuchforceor

exhaustyourmusclesasmuchwitheachpushup.

Thelongerasurfaceis,themoretheleveragepushesdownagainstit.That's

whystandardpushupsaresomuchharderthandoingpushupsoffyourknees.

Pushupsoffyourkneesshortenthelengthofyourbodythatyouhavetopush,

minimizingtheleverageworkingagainstyou.Whatifyoucouldgetthissame

leveragebenefitwhiledoingstandard,fullyextendedpushups?

Aslongasyourpushuptestorcontestdoesn'thavespecificrestrictionsonfoot

placement,youshouldalwaysspreadyourfeetaswideaspossibleforyour

pushups.Thisishelpfulfor2reasons:

1)Thiswillgiveyouawiderandmorestablebasesothatyoudon't

havetowasteupperbodystrengthandenergystabilizingyourself.

2)Byspreadingyourfeetwide,youdecreasethedistancefrom

yourhandstoyourfeet,therebyreducingtheleverageworking

againstyourchest.Evenifyou'renotparticularlyflexible,thiswill

deeplyreducethedistancefromyourhandstoyourfeetandgreatly

reducetheforceandenergyrequiredtodoeverypushupsothatyou

candomanymore.

#7Conclusion“Thereisnothingnobleaboutbeingsuperiortosomeotherman.Thetruenobilityisinbeingsuperiortoyourpreviousself.”-HinduProverb

Strengthisn'tjusthowmanypushupsyoucando.Strengthishowyou

approachalltheopportunitiesforimprovementinyourlife.Keepworkinghard,

keepgettingknockeddown,keepgettingbackup.Wakeupstrongerthanyou

wenttosleep,everyday!

IhopethetechniquesI'vecoveredhelpyouasmuchasthey'vehelpedme.

Whetheryourgoalsaregeneralfitness,challengingfriendstocontests,oracing

yourphysicaltestrequirements,youhaveeverythingthatyouneedtoachieve

yourobjectives.

Ifyou'vefoundthemethodsI'vesharedtobevaluable,pleaseteachthemto

others.Goodluck,Iwishyoueverysuccessintrainingandinlife.

-BarryRabkin