Fundamentals of Strength Training – Part 3
Alright guys so, we talked about The Squat and The Pull-up in part 1 and part 2. When you look at the muscle groups each of those exercises hits, we basically have the legs and the back covered. All that is left is the chest and your abs, which is why we are going to focus on this next exercise:
The Push Up:
When you hear people talking about “What do you bench”, this is the building block to answer that question. Speeding up your crossover, increasing your ball control, getting that nasty in and out; the base for those is to have chest, shoulder, and abdominal strength. That is where the push up comes in. It’s going to target your chest and the front of your shoulders. Check out the breakdown:
Starting Position:
-Hands a little wider than shoulder width
-Legs completely straight
-Feet together
-Hands should be level with your chest
-Raise your chest towards your chin (this will help keep your back straight)
Down Portion:
-Lower yourself down for a two count and inhale as you go down
-Stop about an inch above the ground and pause for a one count
-You should feel a stretch in your chest (should not be painful though)
Up Portion:
-Explode up (in control) and exhale as you come up
Finishing Position:
-Stop just short of locking your arms out to keep tension on your chest and shoulders
-Take a slight pause at the top (gets rid of any momentum)
-Repeat
If you are struggling with your form doing the traditional push ups, move to a variation where instead of your feet being on the floor, your knees are on the floor. It will be the exact same setup as above, except your knees will be together.
Same as before, the most important thing with this is your form. Strive for perfect form with every rep. It doesn’t matter how many push ups you do or what variation you are using. I know when I first started working out; I couldn’t do any of the real push ups with proper form. I had to start on my knees. Eventually though, I got stronger and graduated to the full push ups, and finally, to the bench press. You won’t be able to go from A to Z right away and THAT’S OKAY!
A lot of other athletes are going to try to speed to the finish line and they are going to set themselves back in a HUGE way. You focus on getting that true progress because once you master the basics, you’re going to have strength in your muscles that 90% of your competition won’t.
So those are the big three guys!
SQUATS, PULL-UPS, AND PUSH UPS.
I have a couple challenges for you now:
Make a workout schedule for yourself for 1 month where you do all 3 exercises, three times a week (give yourself at least a day in between each workout). Record where you start with each exercise at the beginning (how many you can do and your form).
2. After a month, check in again and see where you stand.
Let me know how things turned out.
Be Great!
