#514 Alternate Pressups To Try
By Andy | posted on 17 May 2009 | 5 comments
One of the more popular requests we receive through emails and the forum are from people who have never had the opportunity to attend any of our classes regarding our training techniques and methods.
With the advent of the new blog I thought it might be a good idea to start posting some articles detailing a small subset of conditioning exercises that I like to do and would like to share with you, the readers. Some of it you might find useful, others maybe less so, but I hope that it will give everyone some different perspectives and ideas to incorporate into your current training.
So, with that, I'd like to start with a great upper-body exercise for all-round development. The Pressup. As most of you are aware it doesn't translate to any particular parkour movements that we do, but the results from regular pushup conditioning will greatly benefit your overall core strength.
I'd also like to note that I won't be giving any repetition or set numbers to these exercises due to everyone having different levels of ability which should be judged on an individual basis.
Before I go into the details of the alternative pressups, I'd like to quickly give a checklist to make sure you have the correct form and posture for a good pressup position.
- Make sure your hands are positioned directly below your shoulders.
- Ensure your back is engaged by contracting your stomach muscles.
- Do not drop your hips.
- Do not bend your knees, keep the legs straight.
- At the bottom of the pressup, touch, but do not rest your chest or stomach on the floor.
- Try to be dynamic. i.e. Do not rest between each repetition of the set. complete the set without stopping. (This does not relate to speed)
With all of that said, below are four alternative pressup combinations that you could supplement a warmup or workout with:
1. Wide Stance Pressup
I'll start relatively simple with the wide position. this particular pressup can be very effective if done correctly. Start in the regular pressup position and now move both hands as far out as they will go while still supporting your weight (See photo #1).
Now bend your arms while keeping your back straight and go as far down as possible without collapsing or resting your chest on the floor. (See Photo #2)
Unfortunately these images don't work so well because the grass obscures the bottom position of the pressup.
2. Alternating Forwards & Back Pressup.
With this pushup you start in the regular position and then move your left hand back to your waist and your right hand further forward than normal (Photo #1). Now you go down by bending your arms as normal (Photo #2). On the way back up you dynamically switch your hand placements so that they are now in the mirrored position with your right hand by your waist and the left hand forward (Photo #3). Rinse and repeat!
3. Triangular Movement Pressup.
Ah, the triangular pressup.
So, Start again in the regular pressup position and then move both hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Now you shift your weight across to the right arm so your right hand is directly below you and your left hand is in a wide-position far from your body (Photo #1).
Lower yourself slowly (count to five) until your chest is just touching your hand (but not resting on it!) (Photo #2).
Now slowly shift your body across to the opposite (left) hand while counting to five (Photo #3).
Finally you push up in a diagonal direction until you are above your right hand again. (Photo #4)
Oh, and once you've done your set of repetitions don't forget to switch and start above the left hand too!
4. Praying Monkey.
Last but not least is the infamous praying monkey... The same as all the other variations, start in the regular pushup position. Now push your hips back and ensure your back and arms are in a straight line (Photo #1).
The movement is very simple now... Just place both elbows on the ground without bending your back or legs (Photo #2). The movement is only in the arms and elbows but you should feel the tension and work in your upper back, shoulders and triceps. Finally you should push both elbows back up so you are in the starting position again. Remember to keep your back straight and hips up.
So there we have it, four exercises to experiment and supplement your training with until next month!
Labels: Training
About the Author : Andy5 Comments:
Never heard of that Praying Monkey. Will try it out right now =)
Good Article thanks.
By 
, at
4:01 pm, May 17, 2009
Four more next month right mate..? Are we going to see a pattern emerge here? ;)
By 
Dan, at
11:44 pm, May 19, 2009
Aye.. Going to try and do a regular thing if possible. Maybe concentrating on different things each month.
By Andy, at
10:41 pm, May 20, 2009
Cool. I remember when I started parkour is was hard to find ideas and tips for conditioning - a lot of info online is aimed at buying equipment or at already strong athletes. I find for me now, it's not a matter of ideas but finding the time to push myself further and finding willpower.
If possible, videos would provide even more help ;)
By Max, at
10:55 am, May 23, 2009
this help !!!
thanks...
Can I request a post of variation of sit-up please ?
Im hope so...
thanks again...
=]
By Stanza1113, at
10:57 am, May 24, 2009
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