THE PRESS-UP IS THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE TO TEST YOUR STRENGTH LEVEL
Doing 50 press-ups in a minute is a classic fitness benchmark. ‘But you rarely see guys do even one rep with perfect form,’ says Rob Shaul, a strength and conditioning specialist and founder of the training facility Mountain Tactical Institute. ‘So whenever a guy tells me he can do 50 in a minute, I tell him to do it with the dead-stop press-up, where you lower yourself to the ground and lift your hands.’ That pause eliminates a muscle’s tendency to spring back to a shortened state when stretched – and forces you to move through a full range of motion. And the result? No cheating. ‘It’s a true test of strength,’ says Shaul. Test yours and then follow his plan to increase it.
DEAD-STOP PRESS-UP TEST
■ Assume a press-up position with your feet together, your body straight and your hands below but slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower your body to the floor. Lift your hands off the floor, pause, then place them back down and press up explosively. Do as many as you can in 60 seconds – 20 is average, 30 is exceptional.
BOOST YOUR STRENGTH
■ To improve your fitness and carve muscle, add the dead-stop press-up to three of your weekly workouts. Aim to complete five sets, using the chart on the right to guide your reps. Retest yourself after four weeks. Repeat the four-week cycle until you reach your goal of 30 perfect reps. No pressure, then.