Those that follow my emails/posts regularly know that pushups are one of my all time favorite exercises, bar none. I love doing them - and I do them on a daily basis. I'll do a 100 one day, 500 another day, or maybe just 30-50 on some days, but rarely does a day pass by without me banging out some pushups.

And what do I like so much about this seemingly "simple" (or so most people have been conditioned to think) exercise that brings such great results? What is the #1 reason that I rarely let a day pass by without doing pushups?

It's NOT the strength it builds all throughout your upper body, particularly the core and chest - althought that in itself is great.

It's NOT the deep breathing that is a MUST if your doing pushups correctly - and that if done correctly, cleanses your lungs and energizes your ENTIRE system like you won't believe it. See Fast and Furious Fitness for more on this.

It's NOT the flexibility some of the different types of pushups I do build - again, see the book for more on this - I love the flexibility benefits, and so will YOU if you do the pushups the way I tell you to - but thats not it either. 

So, what is it then?

Well, simply put, my favorite reason for doing pushups daily is this: - They can be done virtually ANYWHERE, without investing too much time into the exercise. Yes, that's right - that is what I love the most about the exercise. You can do pushups virtually anywhere, and you need NO equipment to do them - and most of all, investing 10-15 minutes of your mornings into doing pushups will have you sweating like a fat man at a free dance - and you'll feel super-charged and ready to dive headfirst into the rest of your day.

And no, you don't HAVE to do pushups in the morning - although that is when I do them, and when I believe you'll get best results from exercising. But if you really don't have time to spare in the morning, make some time in the evening - or afternoon, if that is when you have a few minutes to spare - that works as well.

And because pushups can be done anywhere, and require very little time (and NO equipment) - there's no more excuses to not get a good workout in regardless of where your at? Stuck at a hotel and can't get to the gym? Well, I bet you have a FLOOR - drop down, and start cranking the reps out. No time to exercise except for 15 minutes before lunch? Well, do some pushups before lunch and see how good you feel for the rest of the day. And so forth. 

So, the next time your feeling "down in the dumps", or "aren't in the mood to exercise", or "can't get to a gym" (insert excuse of choice), remember that you have a powerful exercise that you can use - anytime, anyplace, anywhere. No more excuses, my friend - and you'll be better off for it.

Have at!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: For those that'll rail against this and say pushups aren't a workout unto themselves - well, sorry, but they can be - and ARE. And if you still don't believe me, well, just do some of the different types of pushups I mention in my book and THEN come back and tell me!