A strange coincidence a few weeks ago sparked this…the last Fitness tip of 2008.

I was with a couple of the boys, having pre drinks and getting ready to hit the town, when one of the crew decided it would be a great idea to crank out some push ups to get themselves looking buff for the female specimen we would inevitably hit on that night.

As often happens when four testosterone fuelled lads are drinking…a competition ensued.

After a lot of heckling, and chest beating showmanship, I was slightly disappointed at my 75 but still managed to take their money.

They took the girl I was after that night, so we called it even.

The next night I was out for another mate’s birthday…one of my personal training clients from years back…who when we got onto the topic of how his training is going, said “I have been training for a long time, but by far the most effective program I ever did was the bodyweight training we used to do”.

Firstly, I was flattered, as he has trained with some of the best in the business.

Then I felt a strange sense of déjà vu…as I had been doing some body weight training the night before…although unintentionally…via our drunken push up competition…and I was still sore.

I was first inspired to develop bodyweight programs after watching the male gymnasts at the 2000 Olympics. Despite not lifting weights their physics were by far the most muscular and ripped.

It was also a great for training females who just wanted to tone, but were scared weights would make them look freaky, a wrong assumption but better not to argue.

My current fascination is with push ups, in particular http://www.hundredpushups.com/

I haven’t set foot in a gym for the last month or so because of this fascination.

Fitness First called yesterday to check I was still alive.

Or maybe it was to sell me something, or ask for 5 of my friends name? Most probably the latter.

Push ups work pretty much all of your upper body: chest, shoulders, arms, upper back, and abs/core. Combine them with chin ups and dips and you have an unbeatable upper body combination.

But the secret to the bodyweight program that my mate most fondly recalled was the variety of push ups we came up with.

So here is a list you can try if you are bored…or drunk with your mates.

If you don’t think they work check out the dog I have been training for the last month.


Try for 10 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest between each set.

1. Straight pushups (just alternate the width of your hands each set)
2. Diamond pushups (put your thumb and forefingers of each hand together into the shape of a diamond – great for the triceps and inner chest)
3. Feet up on a bench or swiss ball (upper chest/core)
4. Hands up on a bench, bosu, or swill ball (lower chest/core
5. One hand on a step/medicine ball (focus on one side then roll medicine ball to the other
6. One leg in the air (focuses the core - both legs in the air known as the face plant)
7. 21s (7 bottom to middle of push up, 7 middle to top, 7 full)
8. Negative pushups (after failure at the end of your set, lift yourself up with the help of your knees then lower yourself down as per a normal push up)
9. Clap push ups (explode up and clap at the top of your push up. Just don’t go to failure or you will break your nose)
10. One hand in front of the other (Upper and lower chest at the same time)

Oh and one arm push ups are for show offs. Bruce Lee’s two finger push ups are for ninja show offs.


Till next month

Chris

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