Tip 57: Push-up Tuning

Push-up post number two!! This tip is inspired by a book I read a little about/of called The Naked Warrior by a Russian dude named Pavel Tsatsouline. His shtick is that he used to train special ops. guys or something and he has an interesting and debatable strength training philosophy. I wouldn't recommend buying a copy since a lot of people say he's just a crack-pot commie, but it presents an interesting perspective none-the-less.

Part of the book is that he believes you can get a total body workout with two simple exercises and variants on them: the one arm push-up and the one leg pistol squat. More on this shit in another post.

The point of this tip is that you can adjust almost any kind of push-up to fit your needs with a few simple small adjustments. Consider the following principles:

-The amount of weight you have to move is determined by the height of your feet.
If a push-up is too hard, consider:
   ->Going on your knees (like a girl). This might be the only way you can do them and there is nothing wrong with that except that you are a pansy. Well, I actually use this for one arm push-ups in my attempt to build up to regular one arms.
   ->Using a raised place for your hand or hands so they are above your feet. The closer you are to standing the less weight you move with your arms. I also use this technique to practice one arm push ups, but if you are building up to regular push-ups this is great for that too.

If a push-up is too easy, consider:
   ->Raising your feet. The higher the feet the more weight you move. Put your feet on a chair, bed, wall etc. If you can do handstand push-ups good for you and I hate you.

-The larger your base of support the easier the push-up and vice versa.
If a push-up is too hard, consider:
   ->Spreading your feet.
   ->Using a hard surface and shoes so you are as stable as possible.

If a push-up is too easy, consider:
   ->Bringing your feet together if they are spread (as you might do for triangle push-ups).
   -> Using only one foot (you might want to do a couple and change). There are variants on this that I can discuss further if I don't have anything better to post or if requested.
   -> Going up on your toe or toes as much as possible.