Several of you all have requested for more workouts on the site to take with you during your travels and at home when you don’t have the time to hit the gym or St. Pete Boot Camp. Now that the summer is in full gear, the kids are out of school, and vacation and travel times are approaching time is of essence, leaving long workouts secondary.
Here’s an intermediate workout you can try at the gym or at home using very little exercise equipment. All you need is a stability ball and dumbbells to perform 5 exercises designed to give you a total body workout in as little as 24 minutes. If you’re part of the Rapid Fat Loss Body Transformation Contest, this is a great one to use to have an edge over your competition : )
1. DB Incline Pushups
2. Bent Rows
3. DB Sumo Deadlift
4. One-leg Squat
5. Drop and Catch
Each exercise will be done 15 – 25 repititions before moving to the next station. Perform all exercises before resting 45 – 90 seconds. Repeat for a total of 3- 5 sets.
Make sure to post a comment and tell me how’d you do.
PS – Make sure to sign up for the fourth 8-week Rapid Fat Loss Transformation Contest. The contest begins Monday June 14, 2010 and includes 3 personal training sessions, access to unlimted boot camps and meal plans. The deadline is June 21st and we are limiting the contest to only 15 people. Go to http://www.stpetebootcamp.com/?page_id=181 and get started today!
Good job everyone who participated in Sportsfest this Saturday! We were just a small band of cadre compared to the 192 teams present and you all really put your heart into going beyond your capacity.
As I write this entry, cliches’ such as “practice what you preach,” and “walk the talk” come to mind. Saturday April 24th was an exciting and fun-filled day, packed with people and competition.
Sportsfest was high on the list, underneath winning, and we all came to St. Pete Beach that Saturday with one mission – Leave with putting St. Pete Boot Camp on the map.
The strategy was simple, we were more conditioned, trained harder and longer over the coarse of one year, had more endurance, agility, speed and comraderie. I adopted the philosophy of many athletic coaches: “Sports specific training should not be the importance above overall conditioning for a particular sport.” Although we clearly had outmatched our competition physically in every event we participated, learning the specific fundamentals or “practice” was in fact as important as our theory that we would out-muscle them with our years worth of physical training through intensive boot camp regimens.
I found that though we may have placed in the top 20 out of 192 teams in tug of war, the theory behind applying our routines to competition day was meaningless without practicing the actual event.
Congrats to the first St. Pete Boot Camp Sportsfest team. You all did an excellent job and I can’t wait for next year!
You know I’ve been professing the benifits of total body workouts for rapid fat loss in the gym, at home and through all of my boot camps. Why? Simple – the more body parts one uses at once means more muscle engagement and energy expenditure, leading to more calories burned and muscular tone in a short amount of time. This is compared to the ol’ school style of exercise where an individual focuses on one particular machine or muscle group, performing “3 sets” before moving to the next. Not only does this waste time in the short term (leading to an hour and a half workout) but also in the long run in regards to your overall fat loss and body sculpting goals.
Fat loss occurs when one raises their heart rate 70 – 90 percent of it’s maximum through high intensity movement followed by short periods of recovery.
Here’s an example you can try above. It can be done at home or the gym. Leave a comment and let us know your experience versus the everyday old style of exercise at the gym.
Atleast you're not doing these in boot camp...yet!
If you are one of the many dedicated members of Physiques by Damon Reio Personal Training or St. Pete Boot Camps, you are more than familiar with the “B” word and probably cringe as the two syllables form out of my mouth for your next exercise routine – (Burr-pea) Burpee. But, the reason why I recommend and prescribe this exercise in my workouts and personally love them is because the body movement is integrative and totally effective in terms of improved motor skills, increased metabolism and body sculpting.
By far, the Burpee is considered the “most challenging bodyweight exercise.” The reason is because there is nothing “isolation” about it, as with a squat or sit-up. In order to perform this particular exercise, your individual muscles become a “team” performing squats, pushups, planks and interconnect with one another thus requiring you to work more body parts simutaneously leading to faster fatigue but quicker fat shedding and results! So, just before you sigh and lable your fitness coach as a “manic depressive/masicist who takes his personal issues out on you, consider the benefits your body is reaping:
Tighter stomach
Firm butt
Stronger shoulders and upper body
Defined calves
Better back posture
Fitter looking arms
Increased agility and physical performance
A symetrical and sexier physique
Greater endurance and much, much more…
The Origin of the Burpee
The exercise may have been originated by a man named Lieutenant Thomas Burpee who lived from 1757-1839. He was an officer in the New Hampshire Militia during the American Revolutionary War and was described as “having the innate “Burpee” fondness for martial exercises” in A History of the Town of New London, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. Lt. Burpee may have used the combination of pushups and squat thrusts as a means of drilling, conditioning, and disciplining the troops under his command. In addition, the exercise was also been used by the troops as a way to stay warm during the winters in wartime New England. There you have it, how does it feel to train like a soldier?
Enough said, let us get to business!
After you have mastered the Burpee, here is a routine you can do at the gym or in the comfort of your own home that adds a little variation to the exercise. It requires, very little equipment. In fact, all you need is a dumbell, medicine ball or some sort of resistant weight such as a telephone book. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS 24 MINUTE ROUTINE?:
Perform each station for 2 minutes. After completing the entire circuit (6 stations), rest for only 45 – 90 seconds. Repeat the circuit for two sets. You are a bad a@# if you go for three.
To start the New Year off leaner, fitter and sexier, we began the 8-Week Ultimate Body Transformation Contest on December 1st 2009. Since then, sixteen committed individuals participated in the program and are on their way to reaching their well deserved fitness goals.
Now, its back! February 1, 2010 the second 8-Week Ultimate Body Transformation Contest begins and will be stronger than ever – will you?
Because the Rapid Fat Loss Contest was found to be so popular, I am raising the bar by providing more tools to help you along the way and cash prizes for the winners. This time, the winner will recieve $300 for losing the most body fat! Sign up today, before Monday, January 18, 2010 for only $198.99
The Skinny.
After January 18, registration for the contest will be $298.99. So, pull the trigger and start now for the same investment as the last contest in December of only 198.99. After January 18th its going up $100.
The contest is simple and EVERYONE wins. When you take the challenge, your registration includes the following:
Up to 32 Personal Training Sessions with Damon Reio for 2 months – Valued at $840.00
Unlimited admission to ALL St. Pete Boot Camps sessions for 2 months (10 camps per week!) – Valued at $200.00
Weekly phone coaching and email sessions – Valued at $130.00
Rapid Fat Loss Meal Plan – Valued at $45.00
The Rapid Fat Loss and 8-week Total Body-Weight Program – Valued at $45
Wait, there’s more! Check out these bonuses I threw in…
Fitness and Dietary Journal to track your results
A personalized success video to track your progress and transformation.
Before and after fitness evaluation
2 Monthy Group Consultations (Dates TBA)
This program is cleary worth $1260. But start now for only $198.99 until January 18th where the price of this popular program will go up to $298.99.
Here’s how the contest works:
After 8-weeks of committing to the Physiques Rapid Fat Loss Transformation Contest, participants will be rated based on the amount of body fat they lost over the course of 2 months (contest ends March 1, 2010). Three winners will be announced on March 1, 2010 and the prizes goes to those have successfully reduced the most body fat and inches.
First Place – $200cash $300 cash, 8 free sessions of personal training and 12 free St. Pete Boot Camps sessions !
Second Place – $100 cash, 4 free sessions of personal training and 8 free St. Pete Boot Camps Sessions!
Third Place – $50 cash, 2 free sessions of personal training and 4 FREE St. Pete Boot Camps Sessions!
Do you have what it takes to meet the Ultimate Fat Loss Body Transformation Contest? Check out these success stories for yourself before making the decision to enter the contest.
Lose fat and build muscle tone at the same time in 8-weeks!
Mary Elena
I love the complete workout that you get at Damon’s Saturday morning boot camp sessions! At my age, I’m in the shape of my life!
Saturday used to be a day off of exercise for me, now it’s the fitness highlight of my week!
Mary Elena
Pull the trigger and get started today! “All you have is weight to lose and money to gain!”
Contest begins February 1, 2010 - entry begins now!
The Physiques 8-week Body Transformation Contest $198.99 - Paid in Full (Special offer expires 1/18/2010)
The Physiques 8-week Body Transformation Contest – Two Easy Payments
Rapid Fat Loss Body Transformation Contest registration after January 18, 2010
The Physiques 8-week Body Transformation Contest – Two Easy Payments
Taking control of your health and fitness as they specifically relate to fat loss is a real no brainer. Ok, there is formula and scientific approach to effectively reaching your fat loss goals but generally, consistent movement coupled with proper nutrition is all you need to “scare” the fat right off of you. Not having time, a gym membership or proper equipment is an excuse of the past and I’m here to prove it to you right now. If you are a living specimen, have a physical body and a lot of determination, you can have the body you desire and deserve!
While Halloween is only a few days away, I am going to show you a total-body, muscle toning routine that will literally “spook” the fat right off your stomach and other undesirable areas. The only equipment you need is – you guessed it – a pumpkin. So, hit your local supermarket (I’ve found them to be a low as $2.50 here as opposed to a pumpkin patch) grab a pumpkin and… Make it happen! You can even do these at the checkout line. ; ) If you don’t want to use a pumpkin, simply use a medicine ball, dumbbell or simply a phone book – I told you that you don’t equipment.
The Killer PUMPkin Interval Workout #2
Complete each circuit for 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest between stations for 5 total sets. Rest 45-90s after completing the entire circuit.
P.S. Don't forget to RSVP - there are still a few spots available for the Free Halloween PUMPkin Boot Camp at North Shore Park Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 5:30 pm. Although this event is free, donations are accepted which will benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation. Healthy Halloween treats will also be provided. Click here to RSVP now!
“No excuses” can usually fall deaf on one ear when it comes to taking control of your health and fitness; especially during this time of the year. Between, holiday gatherings, parties and shopping, this is the time when people generally put good health on the back burner and engage activities and respomsibilities that may not necessarily compliment their overall fitness. By the time the holidays come to an end they wonder where did the weight gain come from and immediately resort to the infamous New Year’s Resolution.
Don't get caught up in the Halloween weight gain web!
As Halloween is “creeping” right around the corner, there is something you should know: pumpkin season is REALLY when the holiday weight gain starts! The months of November through January are typically blamed for holiday weight gain because of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. But, the pounds of fat actually start accumulate as early as late October. The amount of sweets people consume during this time is incredible! The smaller snack size that candy manufacturers make available give the impression that eating several “mini” chocolate bars is ok, considering the smaller size. This causes one to eat more than one would if they were to consume the regular-sized bar.
Let’s keep “having fun” the main focus while fixing the things we can control. Use the three figure-saving tips below that I have used on my clients, with great success, for keeping the pounds off while still allowing for the occasional indulgence this “trick or treat” season has to offer:
1. Workout with Pumpkins:
Engage in some rediculously fun and effective seasonal fat loss workouts involving only your body weight and, well… a pumpkin! You can use this large orange fruit like you would a medicine ball (except for the throwing and smashing part). If you don’t want to use a pumpkin, simply use a medicine ball or dumbbell. You can make your very own four minute total body pumpkin fat loss workout, using the provided template below (the options are endless):
Exercise#1- Double-Leg Lower Body: Pumpkin Squats with Shoulder Press 60 s max rep, 10 s rest and transition
Exercise#2- Upper Body Push: Pumpkin Push-ups @ 60 s max reps, 10 s rest and transition
Exercise#3- Single-Leg Lower Body: Pumpkin Lunges with Torso Twist @ 60 s max reps, 10 s rest and transition
Exercise#4- Upper Body Pull: Pumpkin Bent-Over Alternating Rows @ 60 s max reps, 10 s rest and transition
- Perform this 4-minute circuit 3x for 12 total minutes.
View the video below:
Although this workout lasts for only twelve minutes, you will burn tremendous calories and save yourself the time to justify the sweets you would have eaten anyway. These high-intensity, metabolism-boosting circuit interval training workouts only take four minutes to complete and will have you burning tons of calories during the workouts AND even more calories while you’re resting… or having those naughty Halloween treats! Click here to RSVP for the 2nd Annual Charity Halloween PUMPkin Boot Camp on Thursday October 29th at 5:30 pm over at North Shore Park – Downtown St. Petersburg.
As mentioned in my popular article “Managing Your Weight Is Like Managing Your Bank Account,” the secret to losing, gaining or maintaining your weight is based on calories in vs. calories out. If you are trying to lose weight, you have to take in fewer calories than you are expending. People gain weight because they consume more calories than they expend through movement or exercise. This is how the weight-gain begins to “creep” up during Halloween.
2) Make Healthier Halloween Recipes:
Think outside of the box when it comes to preparing Halloween snacks. One great strategy is to use fruit as a main component in your baked goods. The most popular fruit of the fall, the pumpkin, is a health food in disguise. Loaded with beta-carotene and packing 7 grams of fiber in just one cup, adding this to any treat immediately improves its nutritional profile. For example, you can make a fall-time classic, pumpkin pie, into a much more figure-friendly option. In my “Guilt-Free Pumpkin Pie,” I basically substitute the loads of sugar with Splenda and replace high-fat condensed milk with only half the amount of low-fat or fat-free condensed milk. Simple changes like this eliminate the high-sugar, high-fat combination that is responsible for the major weight gain around the holidays. An example recipe is included below:
Damon’s Heavenly Swirls Cheesecake
Heavenly Swirls Cheesecake
Ingredients: - 2 Rectangular Packages of Philadelphia Fat Free Cream
Cheese (plastic container makes a lighter, softer cheesecake if
you prefer)
- 1 Cups of Splenda
- 2 Whole Omega-3 Eggs
- Walden Farms Calorie Free Chocolate Syrup (Optional)
- Add Low Carb Light Whipped Cream to taste
Directions:
Leave the cream cheese outside of the refrigerator for an hour so
it softens.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the four packs of cheesecake
with the Splenda. Afterwards, add one egg at a time. Mix with an
electric mixer. Pour cheesecake into a pan coated with Pam. If
using the chocolate syrup, pour small amounts as you wish and
have fun designing swirls with a knife. Bake for 50 minutes or until
the middle is almost set.
Place in refrigerator for 4 hours, or if you are in a rush, place in
the freezer for one hour. A sliver (1/11 of the pie) can be used as
a treat.
For more tasty Halloween recipes, go here and download a free copy of my “No Tricks Halloween Cookbook.”
3) Use Common Sense:
- Only buy enough candy so that you expect to run out before the evening is over. For weight loss success, it is critical to not have “trigger” foods lying around – the temptation is often too great.
- Allow yourself just one piece of candy in the morning and then one at night. Skip any desserts that you would normally eat after dinner. Also, be sure to increase your exercise activity by thirty minutes on every day that you eat your two pieces of candy. This will counteract the increase in calories that you are consuming.
- Furthermore, if you indulge a bit too much, it’s important to forgive yourself and move on. Dwelling on the past will not help your success.
We must break out of the frustrating eating patterns that sabotage our fat loss efforts during the holidays. Our brains are wired to crave the sugar-packed treats that compliment the Halloween season; not because we’re made that way but because we’re creatures of habit when it comes to holiday tradition and our body craves sugar when we are sedentary. Therefore, instead of using Halloween as a reason to justify eating a bunch of junk food, why not spend the seasonal event to spice up our workouts by using pumpkin exercises and making healthy pumpkin pecan shakes? Halloween thus becomes a fat loss tool for us, an approach that is key to adopting a healthy lifestyle for long-term weight loss success.
Committed to your fitness and success,
Damon Reio
P.S. – To RSVP for the 2nd Annual “Halloween PUMPkin Boot Camp” click here and reicieve my “No Tricks Halloween Cookbook” packed with healthy holiday recipes and treats as a BONUS.
I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking if we have a fast solution to help with shrinking the waist, hips and glutes area…
… while there is no quick fix (I don’t care what the infomercials claim) I did go to the drawing board and crafted a new 21 day rapid fat loss program that’s right up your alley – if you want fast results.
You probably know that St. Pete Boot Camps is now at the Soulful Arts Dance Academy and is pretty much full, but we do have room for another small group so I thought I’d let you know that my NEW 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program starts Monday, September 7th and the best part is that the 21 day program is discounted to only $84 and INCLUDES a 21 day meal plan program.
The only catch is that the camp is almost full and we can only take on 12 more participates because of the limited space. So if you’re ready to fit into your skinny jeans again and want to firm and tone your body all while dropping inches and pounds then make sure to register for our 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Bootcamp.
Here’s how to register…
Just call me at 727.320.7952 and let me know that you want in on the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Bootcamp and I’ll get you all dialed and ready for Monday or just go to this special 21 Day registration page on the icon above titled “Boot Camp!”
Check out our last camp below and see for yourself how fast you can burn the fat.
The class will take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:15 PM (LUnch Break Boot Camp) and 6:30 pm at the Soulful Arts Dance Academy – 230 9th Street North.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Damon Reio
727.320.7952
P.S. Like I said we only have room for 12 more participants for the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program and since this blog post is going to be emailed out to 642 local residents I’m sure it will fill out quickly.
Parents, beware: a dangerous epidemic is sweeping our nation’s youth. Your child may be at risk of life-threatening complications, psychological problems and decreased quality of life. More than 15 percent of children in the US are estimated to have the disease, and the number is growing at an alarming rate. What is this frightening condition? CHILDHOOD OBESITY.
My mother was an outstanding parent that assumed the upmost responsiblity toward the care of me and my younger brother. She was the force-field that shunned from us, life’s dangers and downsides. I didn’t even know what outside looked like after 9pm until I was a freshman in college because I had better be home (Well, not really – but you know what I mean). Anyway, despite her “A+” strategy of raising her only two boys into becoming men, my brother was diagnosed as a diabetic at the age of nineteen. He was a 302 pound fat kid who loved video games, music and “Sicky D’s”, I mean Mickey D’s. The lack of health education and encouragement of physical fitness from my parent was probably the main reason behind my brother’s now resolved ailment. I believe leaving this critical tool out of your caretaker equation is as criminal as not preparing your child for the real world. Caring for your child goes beyond defending and preparing them for the outside world, but also entails caring for their physical health and fitness. Otherwise, I dare to say that, your parenting skills are incomplete without practicing a healthy lifestyle.
Throughout my life, I have met thousands of parents who rightfully consider themselves as “fit” mothers and fathers – I also consider them to be. Out of these lucky people who are experiencing the blessings of parenthood and raising a child or children, I would not be wrong to say that all of them proclaim to be good parents based on their generalized definition of what a “good parent” should be. You can pull out the old “Good Parent Checklist” and check off all of the requirements that qualify them as a fit and nurturing caretaker which includes: the famous “enforcing study time”, “coming home at a reasonable hour” and “making sure they (the child) brush twice a day” etc. Yet, when it comes to the child’s overall health and nutritional lifestyle, these responsibilities are secondary or overlooked altogether. Frankly, if a son’s physical and nutritional fitness was a factor by law that determined a mother’s or father’s parental abilities, most parents can easily be alleged with child neglect. In fact, overall, the youth of today are fatter than ever before.
Childhood obesity has been described as an epidemic. It places all of our children’s health at risk, making them more susceptible to complications involving their cardiovascular and endocrine systems as well as affecting their mental and psychological health. Type II diabetes mellitus, depression and low self esteem are just on the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the critical problems looming over the heads of our overweight children. Thus, making the grade at school, the transformation into adolescence and the school bully are not the only issues that children face. Obesity and it’s indirect complications also creates a major dilemma for your loving child.
Compared to a generation ago, children are falling into the obesity camp mainly because activities that were once popular outside are now non-existant and replaced with things that kids can do in the comfort of their own home. Not only does this have implications on their physical fitness but it may also have overwhelming effects on their overall self-esteem and social skills with other peers and individuals – but that’s another story.
Technology no longer makes playing street football, Saturday swimming, double dutch or “hide and go seek” fun. Instead, the average kid wants to be Lebron James, Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Wonder Woman on Play Station 3 or Xbox. Netflix and delivered pizza (by phone or internet) also take away your babysitting burdens while making the life of your prodigy more enjoyable in the short term but, with deadly consequences in the future.
If you and your child don’t fit into this camp, I’m sure you personally know of kids who are parent-abiding students by day but video game, cheese burger inhaling junkies by night. With so much passive entertainment- whether it’s television, the computer or video games — at their fingertips, many kids choose to spend time sitting and snacking. This lifestyle is very different than the “good old days” when parents sent their children to play outside regularly. Today’s parents feel their children are safer inside, but the lack of physical activity among American children is putting their health in danger. Therefore, you are doing a great diservice to yourself and your children if you place them in these condition. Furthermore, the foods that we feed them adds insult to the injury.
Below are some physical problems obese children may develop:
- joint pain
- diabetes
- heart disease
- arthritis
- asthma
- sleep apnea
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- Overweight and obese children are also at increased risk of depression, low self-esteem and other psychological issues.
I know several children (I used to be one of them), whose parents are so careful to make sure their kid doesn’t watch the nude shot on the rated “R” movie, don’t swear or talk back, make good grades, wear clean clothes and stay out of trouble and harms way. Yet, these same responsible parents (mine included) would absent mindedly feed their children foods that they would never put in the mouth of their pet canine. Foods from “Burger Kill”, “Taco Hell”, and your local fast food restaurant are saturated in bad fats, high sodium and calories that may make your son happy in the short term but physically miserable in the long run. Finally, these same parents encourage, and sometime impose, sedentary lifestyles on children by allowing them to spend excessive amounts of time home on the computer, playing video games or checking out Netflix movies.
Tips to encourage a healthy lifestyle for your child
1. Cook (real food): Parents are especially busy these days – especially if they are the single parent in the household. TV dinners and fast food often saves the day for these parents because it provides a quick solution and justifies them feeding their child. Long term ailments are almost inevitable if you depend on hamburgers, french fries and pizza to satisfy your childs nutritional needs. Take time to prepare meals in advance if you’re to busy cook when it’s “dinner time.”
2. Be the adult: Yes, we all know that kids love fun foods. At time, they would rather pick over the veggies and jump straight to the ice cream for dessert. Other times, parents feed their child only things that they like. I know several moms who spend unecessary time in the kitchen preparing two meals: one for themselves and another for their kid that prefers a cheeseburger over grilled fish or chicken. Children learn from your tendencies and generally do not have the ability to depend on themselves. Therefore, be the grown up in the relationship and determine what is best for your child. I’m sure you dictate what she watches on television; why not follow the same script when it comes to monitering your child’s food consumption?
3. Limit in-home activities: Sendentary lifestyles promotes obesity. If you are not moving, you are not burning calories. At the same time, food consumption will continue to add the weight gain if there is not an outlet for the calories to be used as energy. Therefore, limit the time that your child spends on the Playstation and encourage other activities such as sports activities and meeting new friends. This will also improve his overall grades in the classroom and social skills.
4. Spend more time with them: Technology and fast foods often become convenient for us because it acts as a babysitting tool for your child. But, If you would spend a little more time with them, poor health choices and sedentary tendencies can be minimized because you are calling the shots and not John Madden Football on Xbox.
5. Enroll them in a program: Summer is the time where children are more suseptable to getting fat because school is out. On the other hand, there are many programs available that you can enroll your son or daughter in which encourages physical education. Youth camps such as St. Pete Youth Camps are springing up to address the issues of childhood obesity. You can personally enroll your child in my program to get him in the best of his life and undermine complacency. Youth camp begins Monday, June 29 and is an eight week program that promotes safe exercise and nutritional and fitness education.
Lets be more responsible and do something about child obesity and break the cycle.
The Push-up: It is definately the most popular exercise of all time. But, just because it is so popular surely does not mean it is well liked! In fact, I bet it is safe to say that the majority of people really HATE push-ups. More specifically, the push-up tends to be the undying nemesis for people who carry extra body weight and for most females who feel they do not have the upper-body strength to to do anything but “wuss-ups,” *(cough)* I mean, modified push-ups on the knees.
Push-up tends to be the undying nemesis for people who carry extra body weight
The goal of this article is to address everything you need to know about performing the push-up with proper form in addition to learning how to do more push-ups to get you in the best shape of your life -ASAP. Remember, people only hate what they are not good at doing. In other words, I am confident that though you may currently hate push-ups, by following this program you will finally unveil your true push-up potential. And though you may never be madly in love with push-up, you’ll at least be able to stomach them!
Benefits of Push-ups
Right next to pull-ups, a push-up is the greatest upper body exercise of all time. In fact, I am convincd that push-ups are the best total body exercises around. The movement targets multiple muscles and you can do them absolutely anywhere.
Push-ups work primarily your chest, triceps, and front shoulders. However they also place a great demand on your core strength and stability. After all, your spinal stabilizers (transverse abdominis and spinal erectors) need to have the endurance to maintain that critical straight-line position throughout the duration of the push-up for optimal safety and performance. In addition, push-ups engage your scapular muscles (shoulder blades) in a way that most pushing exercises do not, thus providing some much needed mid and upper back work that most trainees are missing out on.
Furthermore, maintaining the proper push-up position requires that you tense and engage every muscle on the front side of your body from your feet to your front shoulders. Heck, if you squeeze your glutes (which you should as this helps protect your lower back), you even get your buns involved!
Finally, push-ups are the ultimate anywhere, anytime exercise that requires nothing but your body weight and space the size of your frame to perform.
How to Perform a Perfect Push-up
Although nearly everyone who has ever walked the face of this earth has attempted a push-up at some time in their life, the vast majority of people have never performed a full range of motion floor push-up with perfect form and technique. If you fit this category, DON’T SWEAT IT. It’s not your fault if no one has ever taught you how to perform a proper push-up. I mean, haven’t we all heard this at some point from an authority figure, whether it be an old school athletic coach or gym teacher:
“Alrighty 100 push-ups now! No, not like that, get lower! What are you, weak? No ‘girly’ push-ups, It’s just a push-up you wuss! If you don’t do them right, we’re going to do them all day! I’ve got the time!”
But, what’s done is now history. Below is a complete list of technique and coaching points regarding how to perform a perfect push-up:
- Simultaneously tuck your elbows to your sides and pull your shoulders blades down and back:
It’s critical to keep your elbows close to your ribcage while performing push-ups. Letting your elbows “sprawl” away from your torso puts your rotator cuff at a much greater risk for injury. Also, since most of us are so upper trap dominant, we tend to shrug our shoulders during push-ups. This scapular elevation can lead to clicking and grinding of the shoulder (known as shoulder impingement syndrome). To avoid this pitfall, visualize trying to hug your elbows to your ribcage while cracking a nut between your shoulder blades during all push-ups.
- Simultaneously suck in your gut and brace your abs:
As mentioned earlier, the push-up is a great core exercise that requires good muscular endurance for your deep spinal stabilizers. By pulling your belly button toward your spine and bracing your abs as if you we about to be kicked in the gut, you will surely activate those key core muscles while performing push-ups.
- Simultaneously tense your thighs and squeeze your glutes:
The more straight your legs are during the push-up, the more stable you will be. This is easily accomplished by tensing your thighs throughout the exercise. Make sure you also tense your butt cheeks- this helps relax overactive hip flexors, thus alleviating unnecessary strain on the lower back.
- Power breathing:
In general, focus on inhaling during the lowering portion of the push-up and then forcefully exhaling during the lifting portion of the push-up. By filling your stomach with air during the descending part of the push-up, it becomes easier to stabilize your spine. This means that your core remains locked in. Thus, allowing for a smooth and seamless transition from the down position to the up position.
- Spread your fingers:
Many people complain of wrist pain while they do push-ups. This usually comes as a result of a combination of the lack of mobility at the wrist joints as well as the lack of flexibility of the forearm flexors and extensors. Plus, many people simply have weak wrists from a lack of weight-bearing exercises in their daily lives. Think about it– we do not do as much as we used to with our hands and are rarely in a position where our wrists our supporting our entire body weight (besides when doing push-ups). One way to take pressure off of your wrists during push-ups is to focus on spreading your fingers as far apart as possible. This expands the surface area and thus elleviates some of the excess strain on the wrists. doing knuckle push-ups or push-ups with your hands on a dumbbell (or push-up handles) tends to significantly alleviate, if not eliminate, any unwanted wrist issues. This neutral grip allows you to get all of the benefits of push-ups so your wrists do not continue to be the biggest limiting factor for your push-up goals. In addition, the neutral grip also makes it easier to keep your elbows tucked to your sides and shoulders down and back for optimal shoulder safety.
- Be flat as a diving board:
Throughout the entire movement, the key is to maintain a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. You must not let your hips sag as this will put undue strain on your lower back in the form of hyperextension. At the same time, avoid raising or “piking” your hips because this not only takes away much needed core work, but also results in a rounding of the upper back that potentially results in unwanted shoulder issues (impingement, rotator cuff strains, etc.).
So there you have it. Let’s get rolling with a killer push-up routine!
*****The Official Push-up Boot Camp Program
Step#1- Find your current Push-up Total
Assuming a regular floor push-up position, perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) with perfect form and technique in 45 seconds. Be sure to place a tennis ball or yoga brick on the floor. Your chest must make contact with this object to count as a full rep. Record your rep total and then take 45 seconds of rest (no longer). Repeat by performing one more set of AMRAP in 45 seconds and then record your second set total. Add both your set one and set two totals and then divide by two. This is your current push-up total.
Step#2- Follow the custom push-up boot camp program based on your current push-up total:
The following program will systematically take you from level I to level IV six weeks at a time (not including a week of rest between levels). It is important to note that you must be following the appropriate fat loss training (total body strength circuits and cardio interval training) and nutrition plan to lose unwanted body fat that is weighing you down and literally halting your push-up totals in its tracks. In addition, be sure to change up the selected push-up variation at each and every strength workout to best prevent training plateaus. Here’s an example of how to switch things up for one week of training:
Day1- Close-Grip Push-up Variation (to emphasize the triceps and front shoulders to improve push-up lockout)
Day2- Loaded/Band-Resisted Push-up Variation (to improve strength and thus make it easier to perform body weight push-ups)
Day3- Stability Ball Push-up Variation- Hands Ball (to build trunk and scapular strength stability to prevent injury and maximize force output)
Remember, the better you get at every push-up variation the better you will get at regular push-ups. Once you achieve a current push-up total of 30 reps or more, you will notice the focus now will be on getting stronger by mastering the 1-arm push-up. Improving maximum strength automatically improves your muscular endurance, though it doesn’t work the same the other way around.
Please note that you should only follow this program if you have healthy shoulders. In addition, since you will be performing extra pushing movements, it is critical to add in some scapular retraction and depression work to prevent unwanted strength imbalances. Please note the addition of a certain amount of reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats following each set of push-ups for your “Extra Push-up Work” to achieve this end. The Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squat was selected because it simultaneously works your upper back and opens up your chest while working your lower body to boost metabolism. Plus, it’s an exercise you can do anywhere. Lastly, the “Extra Push-up Work” is best performed throughout the day to be fresh and allow for full recovery.
Level
Current Push-up Total
Push-up Protocol
Level I: Current Push-up Total – 0-1
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of negative push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 2 reps of 5-second negatives
Week2- 5 sets of 3 reps of 6-second negatives
Week3- 5 sets of 4 reps of 7-second negatives
Week4- 5 sets of 5 reps of 8-second negatives
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps of 9-second negatives
Week6- 5 sets of 5 reps of 10-second negatives
- Follow each set of push-ups with 10 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Level:II Current Push-up Total: 2-5
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep
Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 20 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Level III: Current Push-up Total – 6-12
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 6 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 7 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 8 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 9 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 10 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 30 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Level IV: Current Push-up Total – 13-20
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 10 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 12 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 14 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 16 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 18 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 20 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 40 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Level V: Current Push-up Total – 21-30
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 20 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 22 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 24 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 26 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 28 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 30 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 50 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Level VI: Current Push-up Total – 31+
– Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of a 1-arm push-ups variation with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off). Progress from stage 1 to stage 3 in choosing the appropriate 1-arm push-up variation:
Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep
Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps
Stage1- Modified 1-Arm Push-ups on Knees/Inclined
Stage2- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups 5-secondNegatives
Stage3- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups
- Follow each set of push-ups with 60 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
Step#3- Re-Test Your Current Push-up Total
At the end of each 6-week training block, take 5 full days of rest before re-testing your new push-up total exactly as previously outlined in step one. Record your new push-up total and then take the rest of the week off for recovery before moving on to the next level of push-up boot camp.
Well, you now know everything you need to know to safely and effectively perform more push-ups than 99+% of the world. Remember, the leaner you are the better you will be at push-ups and the more push-ups you can do, the better you will look- time to master the push-up! Make it happen.
Committed to your fitness and success,
Damon Reio
PS- How many push-ups can you currently do? Please post to a comment to this blog post to let us know. Are you ready to accept the push-up boot camp challenge?
