Best Push-up Workout – Try This, if you dare!

Today’s Workout Log

Speed Camp
Warm-up

100 jumping jacks
50 diagonal back-and-forth hops
100 triangle hops
20 lunges
10 push-ups
50 jumping jacks

Workout

4 back-and-forth side shuffles of 30 yards each (120 yards total)
4 back-and-forth side shuffles of 30 yard each
4 back-and-forth power skips of 30 yards each
4 back-and-forth backward runs of 30 yards each
4 back-and-forth forward runs of 30 yards each

Core Work

100 fast pulse crunches with bent knees in the air
50 fast pulse crunches with straight legs in the air
50 side-to-side oblique heel touches
Hold top push-up position for 2 minutes
3 push-ups immediately from 2-minute hold without rest

Workout Journal Notes

I was up bright and early, out the door before 7AM for morning speed camp. I felt surprisingly energetic and ready for a great workout.

We started off with an extensive warm-up that included several drills and movements back-to-back without any rest.

Then, we moved right into the “real workout,” as the trainer called it, though I think that may have been the easiest part of the day, compared to the warm-up and ending core work.

In fact, since Bionic Boy wasn’t there, I won most of the shuttle drills we did, and I felt like I had more endurance than ever.

The ending core work was pretty brutal, as we did everything back-to-back again with no rest in between exercises.

Those big 100- and 50-rep sets take their toll when they are stacked on top of each other.

For the final move of the day, we held the top of a push-up position for 2 full minutes, which was hard enough by itself.

My arms were already shaking at the 1-minute mark, but I managed to hold on.

Then, he told us, with about 30 seconds left, that we would be doing 20 push-ups right from this position — without resting from the 2-minute drill!

He claimed it wouldn’t be as hard as we thought, because just the act of moving would be a relief to our blood-engorged muscles.

It turns out that it was just as I had imagined… torturous!

He did a 20 count, but I only managed to eek out 3, while some had already caved completely.

So, at the very least, I held the position for about 3 minutes total and slipped in 3 very strained push-ups in between.

It was a great workout as always, and it’s always an awesome feeling to have already worked so hard and be done for the day at only 8:30AM.

Tomorrow is measurement day, and I feel like I’ve gotten things back on track, so I’m looking forward to some inspiring numbers tomorrow!

Current Stats and Measurements (September 7, 2008)

Height – 6′3″
Weight – 195.8 lb.
Bodyfat – 15.5%
Biceps – 14.3″
Calves – 15.2″
Thighs – 24.8″
Waist – 32.8″
Chest – 43.2″

“How to Get Abs” Progress Pics (September 7, 2008)

Before (Mid to Late 2005)

Current (September 7, 2008)

Today’s Diet Log

For up-to-the-minute coverage of my world-famous digestive system, check out my very cool and overly-detailed Diet Log.

Current Supplements

Current Workout Program

Eric Cressey’s Maximum Strength: Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program

Tagged as: measurements, progress pics, speed camp, stats