Beast Life: Pushups Trump Excuses

Editor’s Note: We welcome another old friend, who will be taking over our Beast Life articles for awhile. Those who enjoy Donner’s posts should not despair. He will continue to contribute, but plans to focus on other topics for awhile. Our new author, Thucydides, is well known to us, in real life, and he is a mountain of a man. You will benefit from listening to his counsel.
“I don’t have time to go to the gym!”
“I don’t want to go to the gym by myself!”
“I can’t afford a gym membership!”
If you say this to someone that goes to the gym, dojo, or any other place to do physical training, I have news for you, WE DON’T CARE.
 
“I don’t have time to go to the gym!” 100 push-ups a day, spread throughout the day for thirty days, works out your chest, arms, back, and core.
“I don’t want to go to the gym by myself!” We all have that one friend (you know who I’m talking about) that works out; you need to become better friends with that person. If you can’t stand them, do push-ups until you can physically do more than they can.
 
“I can’t afford a gym membership!”
Go into your living room, and do push-ups; it’s free. If you don’t have a living room, go outside and do push-ups.
Push-ups may be one of the best exercises you can do, if you don’t have the time, money, or experience. It works out your arms, chest, back, and core, all at the same time. 100 push-ups a day for thirty days is a really good place to start.
 
How to do a proper push-up:

• When down on the ground, set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Depending on your strength and experience, your hands should be angled in a way that feels comfortable to you.  For me, my hands are set up so that my middle finger points straight up and away from me.  You can also turn your hands inwards slightly if it’s less stressful on your wrists, or you can do your push ups on your knuckles (as long as you’re on a semi-soft surface like grass or carpet.
• Your feet should be set up in a way that feels right and comfortable to you. For some, that might be shoulder width apart. For others, it might be that the feet are touching.  Generally speaking, the wider apart your feet, the more stable you’ll be for your push ups.
• Think of your body as one giant straight line – from the top of your head down through your heels. Your butt shouldn’t be sticking way up in the air or sagging.
• If you have a problem getting the proper form with your body, try this (yes I’m serious): clench your butt, and then tighten your abs. Your core will be engaged, and your body should be in that straight line. If you’ve been doing push ups incorrectly, this might be a big change for you.
• Your head should be looking slightly ahead of you, not straight down. I read somewhere that said, “if you’re doing them right, your chin should be the first part of your head to touch the floor, not your nose.” Looking up helps you keep your body in line, but feel free to look down if that helps you concentrate more.
• At the top of your push up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight.
• You’re now ready to do a push up.

The push-up is God’s gift to weak people, whether in mind or body, to become stronger.
The only person that cares about your excuses is you; the rest of us in the beast life don’t care and never will.
Do yourself a favor and stop complaining to me about why you aren’t in better shape. I’ve been in your position without money, time, and experience.
I’ve always had time, money, and experience for push-ups.