Pushup Super Sets for the Holidays, Part 3

The last part of our Super Set series features the Wide Grip pushup. Remember to breathe and maintain your form. With the New Year starting in just a few days, take some time to make yourself feel great and get a jumpstart on a healthy lifestyle for 2014.

Perfect Pushup: Wide Grip Super Set Slow

Set-Up:

• Make sure head is in alignment with shoulders
• Keep back straight
• Pull abdominals in
• Hands are outside the shoulders

Exercises:

• 3 wide grip pushups, 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up
• 3 wide grip pushups, going halfway down and back all the way up
• 3 wide grip pushups, going all the way down and halfway back up

For a demo on the above exercises and information on proper form, click here.

Pushup Super Sets for the Holidays, Part 2

Since you've conquered the regular grip super set, let’s make things a little trickier with the close grip set. As always, be mindful of your form and take it slow. Show those holiday treats who's boss!

Perfect Pushup: Close Grip Super Set Slow

Set-Up:

• Make sure head is in alignment with shoulders
• Keep back straight
• Pull abdominals in
• Hands are in line with shoulders
• Send elbows straight back while rotating, keeping them close to your sides

Exercises:

• 3 close grip pushups, 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up
• 3 close grip pushups, going halfway down and back all the way up
• 3 close grip pushups, going all the way down and halfway back up

For a demo on the above exercises and information on proper form, click here.

Pushup Super Sets for the Holidays, Part 1

It’s hard to stay on track with your health and fitness during the holiday season. You’re faced with countless parties with sugary cocktails and food that’s not exactly good for you. One tip our founder Alden Mills suggests is that for every cocktail or sweet snack you consume, perform 10 pullups or 10 pushups. It’s his secret to enjoying the holidays, and we hope it works for you.

It’s also important to keep up a fitness routine throughout this busy season. This week, we’re outlining our Pushup Super Sets to work your arms, chest and core. We’ve provided links to the videos for each Super Set below. Happy Holidays from the Perfect Fitness team!

Perfect Pushup: Regular Position Super Set Slow

Set-Up:

• Make sure head is in alignment with shoulders
• Keep back straight
• Pull abdominals in
• Hands below your shoulders

Exercises:

• 3 pushups, 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up
• 3 pushups, going halfway down and back all the way up
• 3 pushups, going all the way down and halfway back up

For a demo on the above exercises and information on proper form, click here.

Make Time for Your Workouts

A few weeks ago we asked our fans the ultimate exercise question: with busy schedules and hectic days, how do you make time for your workouts? We were inspired by the amount of thought and detail that went into the answers we received. With the holiday season in full swing, we know it can be hard to squeeze in a fitness routine, so we’re sharing some of our favorite fan tips below in hopes that they will inspire you to make time for yourself. Want to share your suggestions for making your workout work for you? Sound off in the comments!

Bruce:

I'm a personal trainer and Spinning Instructor at the local YMCA.  I also work full time at the City of Tampa.  Time management is very critical for me since I also have a family that I want to spend time with.  Perfect Fitness allows me to achieve my own fitness goals and stay in shape, which inspires my clients.  I am also a big advocate of body weight exercises.  I feel you can achieve your goals with the use of your own body weight and I give my clients that option when I am training with them.

Matti:

Pushups are a huge part of my routine: 2 sets to failure with 3 minute rest, 2 sets of bodyweight squats to near failure, 90 second rest between, then 2 sets of ab roller (yes, the Ab-Carver) upwards of 75-100 very controlled straight roll outs with 90 seconds in between. A HALF HOUR OF TRAINING! That is how I get it when short on time.

Ace:

I use a schedule to list all the things I need to accomplish, and make sure I have done enough to feel like I can take a break and get pumped. Life is too busy not to schedule it in regularly. Before listing everything I needed to do (including working out) I could never find time.

Kevin:

I sometimes work out after a twelve hour work shift and then in the mornings or afternoons on my days off. I often workout one day and rest the next day. At times, I will work out for at least three days straight and then rest the following day. My workouts consist of full body, cardio, weight-lifting, stretching, and meditation, which I do at the gym or at home. I usually mix my workouts, ranging from a workout concentrating on just upper body, abs, lower body, strength training, and cardio. I often spend times doing quick workouts using the Perfect Pushup, Ab-Carver, and the Perfect Sit-up. The Ab-Carver not only develops strong arms, abs, and back, but adds cardio to the exercise. Eating clean and getting the right amount of protein in your body assist a great deal in body development and your workouts. I take pre and post workout supplements that give me noticeable achievement in my routine.

Nathan:

I am fortunate enough to work at a University that offers a great recreation center. I have partnered up with one of my co-workers from another department, and we work out at lunch every day. Whether it is hitting the weights, yoga, rock climbing, or swimming, we find it helps us to get through our afternoon with increased vigor and stamina. I also ride my road bike to and from work every day, even on those 20 degree mornings. In the evenings, I go to martial arts twice a week. This has allowed me to drop 40 lbs since 2007 and put back on 20 lbs of muscle. I am in better shape now at 37 than I was at 27. I was even able to succesfully complete the Colorado Tough Mudder this last year.

Snow Skiing Circuit

The following dry land training workout will train the muscles involved in the most common movements in skiing:

• Isometric Narrow Squatting – keeping knees close together (quads, glutes)
• Twisting – trunk rotation with leg balance and control (obliques, quads, hips)
• Skating – core stability and upper body power (triceps, shoulders, core)

This circuit calls for very short rest periods between moves to keep your heart rate in an aerobic state for the entire workout.  Perform each exercise as recommended in the progression below.  After you have completed one set of each exercise, take a 1-minute rest.  Repeat the circuit three times.

Equipment needed: 

• Perfect Pushup
• Perfect Pullup
• Perfect Ab-Carver
• Stopwatch

*Optional: Perfect Ab-Straps

Move 1:  Superset squat-hold (“Feel the Burn!”)
How: Bring the Perfect Pullup bar to down position, feet hip-distance apart.  Holding the bar for assistance, slowly lower hips into a squat until thighs are parallel with the ground.  Hold, then return to the starting position.  The “down” motion should take 4 sec., the “hold” another 4 sec., and the “up” motion is 2 sec.  Each rep will be a total of 10 seconds.
Muscles targeted: quads, hamstrings
Reps: 6 reps at 10 sec. each (1 min total)

Move 2: Mogul squats
How: With feet and Pullup Bar in the same position as the squat hold, pivot on balls of feet to the left  until they form a 45° angle to the bar, then set feet on ground. Perform a squat from this position.  Explode out of the squat quickly, (almost like a hop) while maintaining ground contact with the balls of your feet.  As your weight comes up pivot on balls of feet so that feet are now angled to the bar 45° to the right.   Perform a squat from this new position. Repeat, alternating sides, creating a continuous movement
Muscles targeted: quads, glutes, obliques
Reps: Alternate sides for 1 min

Move 3: Knee ups + oblique twist
How: Using the Perfect Ab Straps, or hanging from a pullup bar, position knees and feet together.  Draw knees up slowly toward chest while rotating hips toward center of doorway.  Squeeze abs at the top of the move.   Repeat movement and rotate hips to other side.
Muscles targeted: core, forearms* (grip strength)
Reps: 5-7 per side
* If hanging from pullup bar

Move 4:  “Skating” pushup
How: Using the Perfect Pushup, start in a regular position and lower chest toward floor.  During the “up” move, perform a leg lift/hip extension by raising one leg up and out the side at a 45° angle.  Keep your hips level, facing the ground during the leg lift.  Return foot to ground then perform another pushup, lifting the other leg.
Muscles targeted: chest, shoulders, core, glutes, hip abductors, hamstrings
Reps: 4 per leg
Modification: To make this move easier, use knee pushups or perform the pushups against a wall in a standing position

Move 5: Carve your abs
How: Slowly roll the Ab-Carver away from you and keep your eyes focused 1 foot in front of the Ab-Carver. As you extend your upper body, keep your core tight by pulling your navel towards your spine. Return to start position, using your arms and abdominals to pull you back.
Muscles Targeted: core, arms
Reps: 8-12

The Sweat-in-10 Workout

This week, try swapping one of your hour long battles in the gym with this ten minute workout, designed to have you break a sweat and work your entire body in less time than two commercial breaks on TV.

Instructions: Make sure your body is warmed up before starting. Try to perform the following sequence of movements, without stopping, two times in ten minutes. As always, listen to your body; if you feel you are not getting enough oxygen or are compromising your form, take rests as needed.

Equipment:

·         Perfect Pullup or Multi-Gym (or any chin-up bar)

·         Watch or stopwatch

*Optional - Perfect Pushup

Movements:

1.       Pushup – complete 8 pushups, rotation optional. After the 8^th pushup, hold in the down position for 8 counts. Make sure to keep breathing through the hold.  Repeat pattern one minute.

2.       High Knees – from a standing position, Lift knees as high toward chest as possible while running in place as fast as you can for one minute.

3.       Narrow chin-up –position hands slightly narrower than shoulder width. Complete as many pull-ups as you can in 45 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds.

4.       8 count body-builder - Lower hands to regular push up position. Kick both legs out to push up position. Conduct one pushup. Open legs shoulder width in a single motion. Close legs in a single motion. Use abdominals to pull both knees up to hands. Repeat for one minute.
 

5.       Side plank – lie on your left side with left elbow directly under left shoulder, legs extended. Lift body off ground, forming a straight line from head to feet. Hold position 30-seconds. Repeat movement on your right side.

6.       Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat sequence. For an added challenge, try the 10-minute workout twice during the day. 

Perfect Band 21-Day Workout: Week 3

For the final week of the Perfect Bands workout, we’re adding another set to each workout, plus increasing the reps. Once you’ve finished up Week 3, check out our three Quick-Start Circuits for even more blood-pumping, muscle-blasting moves (all movements can be found here).

 

Instructions:

Follow the workout listed for each day of the week. Perform each Superset for the indicated number of sets, taking a 30-60 second rest in between each set before continuing on to the next exercise. We recommend warming up before performing any workout. For a balanced training regimen, be sure to integrate this total body resistance training, as well as cardiovascular and flexibility training sessions, into your workout.

Workout A (Arms + Shoulders):

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

·         Upright Row

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

Workout B (Chest + Back):

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Row

·         Fly

·         Rear Fly

·         Upright Row

Workout C (Legs + Core):

·         Squat

·         Calf Raise

·         Lunge

·         Side Shuffle

·         Standing Crunch

 

21-Day Total Body Superset Workout, Week 3 – 3 Sets, 8-12 Reps:

·         Day 15: Workout A

·         Day 16: Workout B

·         Day 17: Workout C

·         Day 18: Workout A

·         Day 19: Workout B

·         Day 20: Workout C

·         Day 21: REST

Quick-Start Circuit

To incorporate the Perfect Bands into your existing workout program or for a quick workout, you can perform the following Quick-Start Circuit.

Perform each exercise as recommended in the progression. After you complete each exercise, rest 30-60 seconds. Repeat the circuit 1-3 times. Note: The total-body circuit workouts below call for very short rest periods between moves to keep your heart in an aerobic state for the entire workout. Alternate circuits and perform them 2-3 times per week with 24 hours of rest between workouts.

 

Circuit A:

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Row

·         Tricep Kickback

·         Standing Crunch

·         Upright Row

·         Lunge

Circuit B:

·         Upright Row

·         Tricep Kickback

·         Bicep Curl

·         Squat

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Crunch

Circuit C:

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Row

·         Standing Crunch

·         Tricep Extension

·         Bicep Curl

·         Lunge

Perfect Band 21-Day Workout: Week 2

We’re increasing your reps for Week 2 of the Perfect Bands workout (all movements can be found here). Before you get started, be sure to inspect your bands for any wear and tear and proceed at the pace that’s right for you. The workout’s outlined below. Get ready to feel the burn!

Instructions:

Follow the workout listed for each day of the week. Perform each Superset for the indicated number of sets, taking a 30-60 second rest in between each set before continuing on to the next exercise. We recommend warming up before performing any workout. For a balanced training regimen, be sure to integrate this total body resistance training, as well as cardiovascular and flexibility training sessions, into your workout.

Workout A (Arms + Shoulders):

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

·         Upright Row

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

Workout B (Chest + Back):

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Row

·         Fly

·         Rear Fly

·         Upright Row

Workout C (Legs + Core):

·         Squat

·         Calf Raise

·         Lunge

·         Side Shuffle

·         Standing Crunch

 

21-Day Total Body Superset Workout, Week 2 – 2 Sets, 10-12 Reps:

·         Day 8: Workout A

·         Day 9: Workout B

·         Day 10: Workout C

·         Day 11: Workout A

·         Day 12: Workout B

·         Day 13: Workout C

·         Day 14: REST

Perfect Band 21-Day Workout: Week 1

Our Perfect Bands can help give you a customizable full-body workout with compact equipment that’s easy to travel with and to stow. Blast your arms and shoulders, chest and back, and legs and core with this 21-Day Total Body Superset Workout (all movements listed in workouts below are explained here). As you progress each week, we’ll start to add more reps and sets. Ready to go? Get started with Week 1 below.

Instructions:

Follow the workout listed for each day of the week. Perform each Superset for the indicated number of sets, taking a 30-60 second rest in between each set before continuing on to the next exercise. We recommend warming up before performing any workout. For a balanced training regimen, be sure to integrate this total body resistance training, as well as cardiovascular and flexibility training sessions, into your workout.

Workout A (Arms + Shoulders):

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

·         Upright Row

·         Bicep Curl

·         Tricep Kickback

Workout B (Chest + Back):

·         Chest Press

·         Standing Row

·         Fly

·         Rear Fly

·         Upright Row

Workout C (Legs + Core):

·         Squat

·         Calf Raise

·         Lunge

·         Side Shuffle

·         Standing Crunch

21-Day Total Body Superset Workout, Week 1 – 2 Sets, 6-8 Reps:

·         Day 1: Workout A

·         Day 2: Workout B

·         Day 3: Workout C

·         Day 4: Workout A

·         Day 5: Workout B

·         Day 6: Workout C

·         Day 7: REST

Rip Deck 21-Day Workout: Week 3

Ready to add the final step to your Rip Deck workout? It’s time to add the rotating motion into the fly sets. As always, take it slow and watch your form to ensure your safety. Want to push yourself after the 21 days are up? We’ve also included our Abs + Arms 1 Week Ripper Workout. Use it as a 4^th week with the Rip Deck, or work it in during your off days in other workouts. Motions for the rotating fly and 1 Week Ripper are explained here.

Rip Deck Workout, Week 3:

·         Day 15:

o   Regular Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Wide Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Close Pushup Set

·         Day 16:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 17:

o   Regular Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Wide Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Close Pushup Set

·         Day 18:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 19:

o   Regular Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Wide Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Close Pushup Set

·         Day 20:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 21:

o   Regular Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Wide Pushup Set

o   Rotating Fly Set

o   Close Pushup Set

Abs + Arms Workout – 1 Week Ripper:

·         Day 1:

o   Mountain Climbers

o   Atomic Pushups

o   Squat Thrusts

·         Day 2:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 3:

o   Mountain Climbers

o   Atomic Pushups

o   Squat Thrusts

·         Day 4:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 5:

o   Mountain Climbers

o   Atomic Pushups

o   Squat Thrusts

·         Day 6:

o   OFF DAY

·         Day 7:

o   Mountain Climbers

o   Atomic Pushups

o   Squat Thrusts