Posts Tagged ‘push-ups’
As I’ve mentioned in other articles, the push up is most likely the first exercise that you learned and the one lay-people do almost instinctively when they try to work out. Yet, the Push Up still remains one of the most valuable and effective movements, provided you know how to use it to its fullest potential.
It’s my goal to give you a new appreciation for the push up and how to use creative push up variations to develop incredible upper body strength.
When it comes to building strength, I have not heard many coaches incorporating the push up. This is most likely because they don’t feel it provides enough overload. In general I would have to agree. However, there a few style of the push-up that can humble even the strongest athlete.
The One Arm Push-Up
The one arm push-up is by far one of the best exercises for developing incredible upper body strength and torso stability, yet it has basically been forgotten.
I feel that the one arm push up is the king of all push-ups and therefore it’s a staple exercise at our facility among our advanced athletes.
Because of its difficulty we use a specific progression strategy to help our athletes accomplish the one arm push up.
Click here to see pictures of this push up progression
Stage 1- One Arm Plank
The one arm plank develops the body awareness and torso control required to perform the one arm push up successfully.
The goal is to maintain a flat pelvis and avoid rotation at the pelvis and lumbar spine.
The one arm plank actually has its own mini-progression.
We start with a wide base of support and gradually progress to a closer base which requires more torso stability.
Stage 2- Lock offs
This exercise builds off of the stability developed in stage 1 and starts to add some single arm strength. This stage also develops the ability to “lock off” at the top position, hence the name.
Stage 3- Roll Over’s
Now that a solid foundation of torso stability and lock off strength has been achieved, we can add the roll over push up. The roll over push up can be done in alternating fashion or one side at time.
This exercise teaches correct body positioning and builds the strength required to push out from the bottom of the one arm push up while still allowing some assistance from the other arm.
In order to ensure proper strength progression, make sure to gradually use the arm on the side you’re leaning toward (the working side) more and more and the opposite arm (the non working side) less and less.
Example;
The percentages are how to distribute your bodyweight from arm to arm on the roll over push-up
70% – 30%
80% – 20%
90% – 10%
Once you’re able to achieve a 90% -10% weight distribution from both arms for at least 6 reps, you will be more than ready to start performing the full 1 arm push up.
Feet Elevated Push-Up w/Plate
If one arm push-ups aren’t your style then you might want to try this variation. This style push up can actually work to develop hypertrophy or strength depending on the weight, tempo, reps and rest used. Use a heavy enough plate and your abs will be talking to you as well.
Click here to see pictures of each exercise listed above
By: Nick Tumminello
About the Author:
The director of Performance University, Nick Tumminello is a highly sought after coach and educator in the field of human performance enhancement. He is the developer of the Core Bar™ and has authored numerous best selling DVD’s which can be purchased at www.PerformanceU.net .
Nick also serves as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for Team Ground Control MMA. Nick lives in Baltimore MD where he regularly trains his athletes.
As we all are aware, the exercise is very simple. However, we have also to admit that it is very effective. It is great because you can perform it virtually anywhere and anytime you want. Basically you lie face down on the floor and then you will raise and lower you body. You can only use your arms to do so. Push ups are excellent to train your pectorals and triceps. It can also train your deltoids.
Some people will go further in order to train the shoulder and chest muscles. In this case they will do perform the press ups exercise. You can consider press ups as an athletic version of the push ups exercise. Performing press ups is basically the similar to push ups. However, in the case of press ups you will your back and legs straight and off the floor.
In the case that you are performing press ups at home, you can put your feet on a chair. As an essential tip he chair should not be too high. You may put your feet on a bench if you are performing it in a park. In both case you should never raise your legs above your shoulder line.
Interestingly, there are a lot of variations of push ups. For example, there are people who will use only use four fingers at each hand when they are performing push ups. Some may even use only one hand when they are performing the exercise. In some cases people will try to clapping the hands when doing the exercise. Of course you will need to raise the body higher than usual in this case. No matter what kind of variations you will take, you should be very carefully when you are doing that. Safety is always the first priority. You should never hurt yourself when you are performing exercise. It will be totally nonsense to injure yourself!
For people who are overweight, push ups exercise is just perfect in order to lose weight or get back into shape. It helps you to lose fat and at the same time train your muscles. It will be even better if you can combine push ups with other exercises such as sit-ups.
By: Jerry Leung
About the Author:
The Author has a website on Keeping Fit and Healthy. Be sure to check Thyroid Health and Yoga and Studies on Super CitriMax Weight Loss Tablet.
Both men and women can follow body weight workouts and get great results that are in line with fitness goals ranging from slimming, shaping and toning to strengthening and lean muscle building.
A big hurdle for most people to get over when considering body weight workouts for fitness is the question of, “How can a body weight workout routine replace one that uses weight training and machines?”
It is easy to see how psychology can be an obstacle in trying to help people understand that properly structured bodyweight workouts can be better than traditional weight-lifting and exercise machine workouts. Traditional workouts offer many variations, almost endless actually. Where as bodyweight workouts rely on creativity mixed with a good understanding of how the body functions and what exercises stimulate healthy and safe fitness progress.
Many fitness pros believe that body-weight workouts offer just a limited amount of exercise options and are very general at best, meaning that there is no ability to target and isolate specific muscle groups during a bodyweight workout. This is a big mis-perception that prevents many fitness success stories from ever becoming a reality.
Here’s the reason why. When people get into the ‘health club mentality’ of only being able to workout with equipment, weights and machines, they set themselves up for many episodes of ‘falling off the program’ and failing. Bodyweight workouts eliminate this excuse.
Here’s an example where bodyweight workouts are a million times more effective than regular old gym workouts. You go on vacation or you go out of town on business, or maybe to visit family for several days. So many times these events become excuses for people not sticking to their fitness plan because they ‘couldn’t go to a gym’. With a well-rounded, bodyweight workout program this excuse is not valid.
The right body weight workouts can be done anywhere and anytime. They can be done at home, the office, a fiend’s house or even on a play-ground. And in terms of effectiveness – I can only say through personal experience with my own bodyweight workouts and those of the people who I have trained that when planned properly and followed consistently, bodyweight workouts can be even more effective than most weight lifting or machine based workout programs.
Body weight workouts offer ‘fitness veterans’ – a refreshing, eye-opening alternative to the those repetitive weight and machine training programs. Even more importantly, bodyweight workouts offer sedentary fitness beginners a safe, non-intimidating and effective method for starting a home based fitness program with a high probability for success.
Whether you are just beginning or you’ve been ‘pumping the weights’ for some time now, give some consideration to the benefits and advantages of properly structured body weight workouts and how they can help you move forward in your fitness and conditioning goals. Open up your mind to the possibility of a bodyweight workout being a part of your overall fitness plan and see what happens. You’ll be very pleased and maybe a bit surprised with the results you experience.
By: Joey Atlas
About the Author:
Exercise Physiologist, Joey Atlas, is the creator of the Top Body weight Workout Program for Full Body Fitness.
And also visit Leg Exercises for Leg Workout Advice.
Burpee exercise:
The Burpee exercise is the exercise which helps the person to enhance his potency and explosiveness. Burpee exercise is a kind of movements exercise. It helps to do proper movement of your body parts. It is a good body weight exercise. To maintain proper body weight some people like to do kettlebells exercise or Weight Vests exercise. The burpee exercise is to be done continuously without taking pause. You can do this exercise in comparatively smaller area also. The best way to do this exercise is to do push ups and then jumping forward to a bending position.
2. Dips:
Dip is another good body weight exercise which can help you to reduce your extra weight. The dip is the exercise which helps you to strengthen your body muscles. There are many ways to do dip exercise such as shoulder width dips, wide arm training and wide grip bench press. The dip exercise is done on dip bars by lifting your whole body weight. Dip exercise help you to strengthen your body muscles. Thus dip is one of the best body weight exercises.
Push ups:
A body weight exercise also includes push up exercise. Push up exercise is also known as press-up exercise. This exercise is generally used to strengthen your body muscles. The best way to do push ups is, lie down in horizontal position by keeping your face down, then slowly raise your body and then bring it back down with the help of your arms. Thus this exercise will help you to strengthen your body muscles.
Pull ups:
Another body weight exercise is pull ups exercise. In this exercise a person has to suspend his body by extending his arms and then the person has to pull up the entire body until his elbows are bent. This exercise helps a person to gain good height and body weight.
Crunches:
Crunches are also one of the body weight exercises. Crunches are the best exercise for strengthening your stomach muscles. There are two methods to do crunches one is upper crunches and other is lower crunches.
By: Jesse Miller
About the Author:
Finding the perfect Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer takes time and effort. This is A Great Resource For workout Instructions and a great place to start if a person is interested in getting in shape. The P90X is also another workout that will help develop flat abs.
In one of Winston Churchill’s legendary speeches, to a graduating class, he walked in to the Auditorium, cigar to the side of the mouth wearing his customary overcoat and top hat.
Moments later, he took off the coat and hat, laid down the smoking cigar on the lectern, and began -
“NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP!” And that was it, the shortest but clearest message they could possibly have received.
Things will always be happening (economy – blah, blah, blah), but what is much more important is what you’re gonna do, to hell with what’s happening!
Its not about excuses “the gym’s closed when I get home from work….It doesn’t open on a Sunday…” It doesn’t matter. There is always something that you can do. Take one of our students Brian. He’s committed to losing 20LBS, and has decided (note this word) that if he has to work late which he sometimes does that, in his own words – “I will not go to bed unless I have exercised or done a minimum of 30 push ups.” This goal works for him in that it is not an overwhelming task for him when he does have to work late, and it also keeps him on track – builds the habit.
Do you think he will succeed in achieving his goal? Well, I do. We all know someone who’s getting rich, getting fit, getting more right now. So become that person. It is ALWAYS mental/ belief.
Like training, the way that you get results in your life is in daily attention, consistency, dedication, and of course not quittin’. It doesn’t all happen in one training session, but if you keep it up, increase the intensity, give yourself something to aim for then holy **** you’ll get there!
The one exercise that has been used by winners and warriors down through the ages, and right up to today is body weight exercises for developing incredible strength, will and determination. Forget weights and get with the body weight training systems used by Michael Jordan, Floyd Mayweather and a long list of the most vital and extraordinary athletes of all time.
Bodyweight training programs typically comprise a sequence of exercises such as body weight or free squats, many variations of pull-ups and push-ups and a variety of exercises similarly designed to enhance and improve overall balance and body conditioning.
They are much safer than conventional weights exercises because you are working with your own body exclusively, and directly impact much more of your body through the particular movements. This is your life, and we believe that you deserve to live it at the highest possible level.
By: Stevey McGeown
About the Author:
If you want a strong and lean body, then go to http://www.truecorestrength.com for Stevey’s FREE Tips on Bodyweight Exercises For Strength and Endurance.
What’s known as stubborn weight loss occurs for a variety of reasons:
A. It may be that your body has adjusted to the changes you’ve made in your diet and you have reached equilibrium. This means you consume everything you gain from your food, but no more.
B. Your body does need more than you actually eat, but because the food it’s too scarce you have forced your body into a low activity mode where it consumes as little as possible trying to preserve your life.
C. You don’t exercise enough.
In case you aren’t eating enough, the best thing you can do is to stop immediately and see a nutritionists. He or she will be able to assist you in finding a proper diet. In case you have reached a plateau in healthy weight loss, then all is not lost and there are a couple of things you can do for yourself. The key here is exercise. You have to exercise smart.
If you are a couch potato and the only exercise you ever do is to walk from the kitchen to the living room, then you can start to add some cardio exercises. Cardio exercises will improve your overall health and will make a big difference in your energy level. You will be able to do more throughout the day and you will probably kick start the weight loss process all over again.
It’s an entirely different story, if you have lost weight with the help of both a healthy diet and a lot of exercises. If you run a couple of times a week and go to the gym too, then you probably need to diversify your activities. For weight loss, toning and shaping you really need to add some kind of resistance training. Resistance training (weights, machines or body-weight exercises like push-ups) has the added advantage of raising your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories at rest, a huge advantage in the weight-loss game.
So there you have it. At the end of the day all your body needs is a little variation. You don’t have to start rock climbing or anything extreme, just make some changes and offer yourself a little challenge. Athletes reach the same plateau when they are training for strength and endurance and savvy trainers know they have to alternate and always come up with new routines to help them get to the top and stay there for as long as possible.
If you have absolutely no clue on what you can change you can try asking your gym trainer. If you don’t like his or her ideas, change the gym and the trainer and you will certainly find variation in a new place surrounded by new people.
By: MN Nikk
About the Author:
To find out more about stubborn weight loss and how you can shift those stubborn lbs, visit Proactol.com for more information.
I believe many people have this same question. The push-up is a staple of any body weight exercise program. But the question is how much weight are you really pushing up when you do a push-up. In other words how can I compare it to what I might do in a weight room.
I am not sure of the source of the information that I am going to pass on to you but to the best of my knowledge it is accurate. If you are doing a standard push-up then a male will be pushing up about 75% of his weight. A woman on the other hand pushes up about 70% of her weight. Men push up more weight as a percentage of their body weight merely because they are normally bulkier through their upper bodies. They have larger chests, larger shoulders and unfortunately larger bellies in many cases. Since more of their body weight resides in their upper bodies their percentage will be slightly higher.
I weigh between 180 and 185 pounds. This means that while doing a push-up I should be pushing about 125 – 130 pounds. Now I can knock out about 50 push-ups without much problem. I have never tried bench pressing 125 pounds for 50 reps, however. I guess I will have to perform an experiment one day to see how accurate it is.
If you are performing cheat push-ups from your knees then both males and females are pushing up about 55% of their body weight. Simple math can tell you how much your are pushing.
I did not find a percentage for doing elevated push-ups but I would guess that it exceeds 80% of your body weight. It also most likely depends on how high the object is that you rest your feet on.
So their you have it. A quick simple way to determine how much weight you are lifting when doing a push-up. This can be especially helpful if you are doing an Escalating Density type program where you are trying to measure how much force you put out during a particular time period. So get out there and crank out some push-ups.
A couple of years ago I first heard about Crossfit. I made my way over to their site and within a short period of time I was in love with what I saw.
The thing that drew me in more than anything else is that they had a different opinion of what real fitness was all about. Most of us have imbalanced views of what fitness is. If you have a running background, you might think that being fit means you have the ability to run 10 miles at a 5 – 6 minute pace for each mile.
If you are a weightlifter you might believe that being fit means that you can bench press in excess of 400 pounds, squat nearly 600 pounds and deadlift about 500 pounds.
If you are a bodybuilder you might believe that being fit is easy to determine. If you have built large muscles and rippling abs, then you have arrived.
The point is that we have a tendency to define fitness by the standard defined by the fitness area that we gravitate towards the most. Although, all of the above things are positive and beneficial they don’t necessarily define fitness. What good is it if you can run 10 miles but struggle carrying two gallons of milk in from the store?
It is nice to be able to lift heavy weights but if you are tired after walking a couple of flights of stairs then I would venture to say that your overall fitness level is not too great.
Crossfit looked at this problem and developed a workout protocol that attempts to build proficiency in all areas of fitness. They focus on endurance, strength, and flexibility. They incorporate running, body weight exercise, olympic lifts, kettlebell training, medicine ball training, etc.
Here is Crossfit type workout that I have modified slightly. It will kick your butt and have your heart leaping out of your chest. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.
50 Body weight squats
40 Push-ups
30 Sit Ups
20 Pull-Ups
This list above is meant to be performed in succession without any rest in between the exercises. As soon as you are done with the squats fit the ground and move on to the push-ups. At the end of the entire set you can rest for 3 minutes. Repeat the set five times. At the end you will have done 150 body weight squats, 200 push-ups, 150 sit-ups and 100 pull-ups.
Good luck and let me know how it went and how long it took you to complete it.
