Push-ups: Latest from the Army Times

There is an article in the 1 November 2010 issue of the Army Times titled "The Perfect Push-up." 

Subtitled under the title:  Build your power, Max your reps.  Now that sounds serious!

Army Times Push-up article   <<<<< READ THE ARTICLE

Having worked with a significant number of people, myself included, on push-up improvement, I must say that I am disappointed in the article.  First, the author, Jon Anderson, does a poor job of convincing the readers that each service has a different version of the push-up.  When you boil it all down, they are the same.  He points out that Soldiers can now do push-ups on their fists and may not wear glasses.  Gosh, that's important. 

The biggest difference between the services is that the Marines don't use the push-up in their fitness assessment.   They use the pull up instead.  How many Soldiers would fail if the Army implemented that?  I guess the Marines can afford to be more selective.

I won't dignify the quotes concerning form by Greg Glassman, the founder of Crossfit, as I believe he is the last person we should ask for advice on correct form.

Why is the push-up such a mystery?  I don't believe that it is.  Are we so fat, flimsy and out of shape that the push-up has become an enigma of an exercise?

What's the magic quick fix?

The article offers a "Fact and Fiction" section which is both sad and amusing.

The first one addresses supplementation and push-up improvement and it couldn't be more misleading.  The author claims that creatine won't help push-ups but whey protein and leucine will.  This is a pure example of misinterpreting studies to support a stance.  Creatine is one of the few proven supplements on the market.  The study he cites measured improvements in push-ups after one week of creatine supplementation and found no benefit.  REALLY?  The whey and leucine study was conducted for 8 weeks.  Fair to compare the two?  I don't think so. Plus, it is likely that the whey alone was enough to elicit improvements.  The supplemented group improved their push-ups by an additional 5 (average), while the placebo group increased theirs by about 3.  Not that much difference, is it?  Also, neither group had any increase in crunches or chin ups, which makes me question their conclusion of "increased upper body strength."  Keep in mind that the main difference between the creatine study and the whey study is the length of time (1 week vs. 8 weeks), not the supplement used.

Let's promote gimmicks...

The "Fact and Fiction" section continues an embarrassing trend by advocated things like "push-up pulses" and my personal favorite, "The Perfect Push-up" trainer, developed by a FORMER NAVY SEAL!!!  I'm ashamed.

The reality...

So, what is the real way to improve push-up performance, you ask?  As with any exercise, it boils down to two components: metabolic substrate and motor pattern.  One must master the "rep range" required for the push-up.  You cannot expect to train in the 8-12 rep range and be able to perform 80 reps on command.  One must also practice the motor pattern to make it as efficient as possible.  Naturally, this is limited to performing the exercise CORRECTLY.  This, my friends, is what you learn in basic training.  Not by reading the Army Times.  The bottom line?  Practice, performance, training, etc. 

They forgot the most important thing...

There is, however, one more critical topic that must be addressed.  It is, of course, strength.  If one can perform 60 push-ups at a body weight of 150lbs, that is the equivalent of pushing around 80lbs per rep.  Depending on the individual's biomechanics, a little over half of one's body weight is pushed per rep.  Let's assume this individual's maximum one rep bench press is 200lbs.  This means that he is pushing 40% of his 1RM (one rep max) 60 times.  Now let's take 12-16 weeks, add 10lbs of body weight and increase his 1RM bench press to 275lbs.  Now at a body weight of 160lbs, he is pushing 85lbs per rep.  This is 31% of his 1RM and should be significantly easier.  See the logic?  Stronger is better, even at a higher body weight.  The same theory goes for any exercise, a stronger person exerts less effort per stroke than the same, but weaker, person.

I have trouble believing their are people that do not understand HOW to do the push-up.  I think people have a hard time physically executing the exercise and find ways to avoid it. Thus, they never get better.  These are the folks that are unable to correctly perform the exercise on the APFT.  It is easy to get the impression that they don't understand the "intricacies" of the push-up or that they are unfairly disadvantaged with long arms or some other excuse.  Let's pay particular attention to this demographic.  Get them stronger, make them practice more, and avoid gimmicks that promise a "perfect push-up."