Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Drop and give me 20


When I hear those words "drop and give me 20" I literally want to fake an injury.  Push ups absolutely mortify me, honestly.  However as much as I experience that erratic scalding in my chest and deltoids, I couldn't promote a more functional movement.  I force myself on a daily basis through set after set, I struggle. I do not have the most incredible upper body strength but I persevere.

Why you may ask would I subject myself to something so backbreaking?  Because it is thee most paramount of all upper body exercises. It trains the upper body to work in synergy with the lower body, it breeds strength, evolves muscle, amplifies tendon strength and basically constructs a bulletproof ninja shell around your entire body.

Strength 'connoisseurs' consider the push up as a beginner exercise and promote the bench press instead.  So lets all stand around the bench and watch this 'oke' isolate his upper body in an artificial way, destroy his rotator cuffs and irritate his joints.  High Five!!

Push ups are one of the prime body weight exercises that when executed correctly develop raw strength and maximum power whilst protecting the joints and building functional potency. The military use push ups as a form of punishment, damn right, this is physical penance. Its retribution like this that drives people to the model machinery in the gym. Because its easy, the contraption is doing all the work for you.  How challenging.

Get off your bench and start building triceps of steel (all three heads), pecs of iron and abs of granite. Of course with strength training progression is the name of the game, so once you smashing out a hundred reps, whats next?  Adding more reps to your push ups will add stamina but little strength and muscle, so challenge yourself to closed push ups, unstable push ups and perhaps start working your way towards a one arm push up.

One arm push ups will definitely get people rubber necking, its a pure feat of real strength.Very few bodybuilders and athletes can master a one arm push up because again people like to stick to what they good at, specialize on a strong point as opposed to developing their entire bodies, its such an illusion.

Lets stop performing circus tricks on the pec dec and get on with it, do you really want to look like Tarzan and play like Jane?