Steel, because, well steel, rebar, because, strong and flexible - you get the photo, my friends and fellow fitness lovers / fanatics!
I happen to fall into the latter category i.e. fanatics.
But along with looking like a 14 year old (or was it 13, hehe) thats "not entirely a bad thing!"
Anyway, before I tell you what I really want to, pushups are well known for giving you a core of steel.
It could be any pushup, really.
If ALL you did was 25 regular slow and easy pushups with proper form and breathing DAILY, you would be in better shape than and have a stronger, leaner, tighter midsection than the majority of people in this world - more than 99%, I'd say - gym goers definitely included.
Or, if you could even do FIVE reps of the best darn exercise, essentially a pushup x 10.
But what I want to talk about today is a pushup many call "arms extended" or arms out pushups.
I call it the Jack La Lanne pushup - and a core blaster.
Yet more call it a "floor humper" pushup.
And THIS pushup is what I Really want to focus on today - because if there is one pushup that is mostly lats and CORE - and lower back - and shoulders, but especially core, it is this one.
What do I mean?
Well, take a gander at this link first.
Hell yes - this IS A PUSHUP! - YouTube
One of those shorts - a clip, in fact, from the 0 Excuses Fitness workout video - of exactly this pushup.
Most people - including seasoned fitness fanatics find it impossible to even get into position for these, let alone do them towards the fag end of a long ass workout. (250 x 2 pushups that day when I filmed, one in the afternoon, one in the evening. Had to get my "pump" on. Hehe. Nah, not really, bu tyou get my drift).
Today, I was going to do up a brief video on just this exercise, but it's a cold, dank, dark day out there - and I dont think I wanted mud all over me in the park.
Not to mention, other than a few giggly schoolgirls staring at me curiously, there was no-one out there - no Mr Tan, no friend, no-one. Hehe. And I wasn't going to walk up to the schoolgirls!
Anyway ...
You tube, even if you dont subscribe to my videos, does a fairly good job of showing you the videos anyway - if you see a video, naturally, these days, it'll do the subscribe for you without acutally doing it, and show you more of the same from the same creator - but you should definitely subscribe and like for all the updates.
Now, this pushup.
Most of you find it impossible to do. I know, I've had feedback on this.
So without further ado, a few steps to make it easier, maybe -
When you start, remember the arms should be AS far ahead of the body as they can go.
Not a shape where you make a triangle with the floor, the body should be parallel to the floor. Period.
Second, arms WIDER than shoulder width is a great way to start these.
Third, if you can't hold that position without quivering and shaking - work up to the isometric on it.
It's a GREAT way to build strength in the position, even those of you that can do 20 plus of these (like me) will find the isometric immensely useful.
Fourth, the closer your arms are, the tougher it gets, ultimate goal should be to bring them in as close to each other as you can.
And fifth, perhapst most important.
When you lower, the tendency, even for super fit studs out there, will be to touch the core to the floor, not the chest.
NO.
You touch the CHEST to the floor, slowly, exhale down, inhale all the way up - THAT is what gives you the armpit (lat) work - and lower back and core (especially upper abs) work.
You will take a long, long time to get good at these, my friend, but work them daily, they're that important, and that worth it.
The great Jack La Lanne did these on his fingertips, and I can think of few better grip builders than to simply hold the position like that.
In Pushup Central, I tell you to to be damn careful doing them on your fingertips because you WILL almost collapse on your face the first time you do 'em! IF you can do 'em - otherwise, hold the isometric.
The sky is the limit here, of course - you could take fingers away, or an arm away - but those while being real fun to do, and super hard - aren't even required.
Just get good - damn good - at the regular version, and believe me, your core will be POPPING before you know it.
In the tuture, it'll happen when it does, there will be a Youtube out on this - stay tuned.
And for now, remember the pushups tutorial video in 0 Excuses Fitness, a mammoth, detail packed behemoth in its own right explains this better than any written post ever could.
If you haven't yet got the System, you'll want to get it now.
Thats it from me.
Back SOON!
Best
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - While you do feel this pushup in the upper chest, the GOAL should be to feel it in the lats, lower back and CORE. More on that later.