A Pump a Day keeps the Posture at Bay - Climber Training Tips

Rather crude but I love his quote:              

Arnold Schwarzenegger: It's as satisfying to me as, uh, coming is, you know? As, ah, having sex with a woman and coming. And so can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like, uh, getting the feeling of coming in a gym, I'm getting the feeling of coming at home, I'm getting the feeling of coming backstage when I pump up, when I pose in front of 5,000 people, I get the same feeling, so I am coming day and night. I mean, it's terrific. Right? So you know, I am in heaven.

Now I know for certain that I haven't felt a workout rush like Arnie has before, lets just say he gets a workout hit a little different to the way that I sometimes get one. After an exercise and for 60 seconds or so, I feel like I could punch through a wall or eat a baby. It all depends (in my experience) on what exercise you are doing.

Not an exercise I do much nowadays but Barbell squats for example, used to give me such a testosterone hit after a set. Some of you who are seasoned at resistance training may know this feeling, the feeling that makes you want to shout at the top of your lungs. This action is mostly always suppressed for me in a disciplined and very British manner.

You probably wonder where this article is going...anyway, push ups. I think it is important to mention the benefits of resistance training first. "What's in it for me?" is a fair question. For those of you that are seasoned gym rats, you will know the good feelings and rush you can get from the release of endorphins but for those of you who have never felt that gym pump and hit after, it is a reason alone to try this workout. Fyi, it is almost the "Yin" to the climbing pump, which lets face it, brings feelings of despair sometimes!



Gym Pump vs. Climbing Pump



Push ups for climbers – Work opposing muscles and improve your posture         

As climbing recruits a lot of back muscles, it only makes sense to work the opposing muscles. This is something that is pretty common knowledge. Push ups are a simple and effective exercise to complete, also an exercise that doesn’t require an expensive gym membership. Let’s face it they can be done anywhere.

I can highly recommend my "Push up a Day" workout. It is simple and effective and takes no more than 5 minutes a day. Surprise yourself in your ability!

My workout in a nutshell:

You will be surprised of the progress you can make while simply completing a set of push ups every day, each time adding to the total by just 1 push up.

In mid July 2018 when I started this, I began on 20 push ups. I chose this number simply because it was a medium between an amount that was easy and an amount that would be impossible to make progress on the back of. To this day in October, I am now on 83 push ups, tomorrow will be 84, the next 85, then 86, 87...

Some of you may have done the math already, yes there are some missing. Once a week I have a rest day, usually falling on a day when I forget or simply because I feel like my body needs a day off.

 

Can I really get to 80 push ups a day? Simple, you won't know if you don't try!

All in one go?            

Yes! Well, all in one quick session should I add.

You don’t want this to become a bind, rather a ritual, so get them done in one hit. There will become a sticking point after a while, in respect to the amount you can complete in one go without a short rest.

For me at the minute that is 50 (ish). The rest I complete (while resting on my knees) for max 10 seconds. To put into perspective the progress you can make, when I first started, doing 30 straight off would make me pump out. That is some good progress in my opinion. 30 to 50 in couple of months.

Remember, the key to this daily routine is playing the long game. Do not cheat yourself or skip ahead.

The golden rules for things like this are:         

• Discipline
• Good form
• Practice through repetition
• Fun: Enjoy the good feeling after a set :)
• KISS (Keep it Simple for Sends.... :) obviously!)

Still don't know where to start? Okay start with some push ups.

- Can you do full ones? If not do them on your knees as shown in the video below

- How many push ups can you do in one go? 5/10/20/30?

- At what point did you start feeling the pump and slowing down?

- Start from there! Simple

- Example Daily Push up Routine Day 1...1 push up, day 2, 2 push ups, day 3, 3 push ups, day 4, 4 push ups...and continue this press up routine daily.

- Quick Tip For some of you it may be easier to start from 1. In 80 days you should be doing almost 70 push ups a day if you have a rest day once a week. Now that is not too shabby :)
- Eventually you will grind to a halt mid set one day. Don't panic, rest on your knees keeping your hands in the press up position for 10-15 seconds. Then complete the rest of your reps in short bursts.

For those of you that start with push ups on your knees, I would suggest trying to rest in this position still. Maybe shaking your arms out if the pump gets really bad.

Good technique and combat the soreness        

You will start to notice some soreness in your chest. Don't be fooled by a slight ache however, you will surprise yourself how you can still workout. It is important however to look out for sharp pains in your wrists and muscles. Sharp pains may be indicating you are injuring yourself.

I do not want to teach you to suck eggs on how to do a push up correctly but the video is showing a great example of a push up and this video is a good resource for recovery exercises after a heavy set of push ups.

Also, for those of you who a completely new to push ups. Here is a an alternative, which after using my Push up a Day workout, will empower you to eventually progress to a full push up.

Remember, a pump a day will keep the posture at bay. Work the opposing muscles, as a climber or any sportsman this is important.

My Push Up a Day Workout can be used in theory for any exercise for which you feel you need to train. For example pull ups, sit ups or even hand stand push ups for the brave. It would be great to hear your thoughts on the workout.

>>>Don't forget to let me know how you get on! I would love to hear about your progress below, in the comments.