Exercise No. 32 90 Degree Push Ups

Another one of the hybrid body weight exercises that I enjoy teaching. It provides a lot of stress and causes the body to become stronger and grow.

   The 90 degree push up is a combination of a handstand push up and a planche push up. But, to make things a little different between the two other than the combination of both, you are moving your entire torso at a ninety degree angle of which it's name comes from. Maybe later on I'll post about the 180 degree push up... But going on with the subject, there are a few things you need to know prior. Right? Can't just start this cold.

So some quick things that you need. A good handstand, a good handstand push up, a good bent elbow planche of any kind I'd say that lasts about five seconds, and at least one straddle planche push up.

   Now when you do the ninety degree push up, you start out in a full handstand, or a straddle handstand, whichever you like, and as you come down in the push up, you become parallel with the ground.

   Now requirement for control is immense in this movement because you are flattening into a planche position as you do a handstand push up while you remain free of touching the ground.

   Now that you've learned to decline into the press slowly, it's time for the difficult part. The push up itself.

   When you are in the planche position, your full bent elbows will now start to extend at your push up, you will move your body as if you are pressing from a tuck planche into a handstand but this time it is from a full or straddle planche. When you come up gain the full handstand and straighten your elbows.

   Good luck!

-The Fitness Cookie

Mass Depletion Before Fast Progression

This is a different kind of subject. People would think, "But aren't you supposed to gain mass to progress?" Yes and no. It depends on where you intend to go with this. For those of you looking to gain mass for strength, you will gain mass as you deplete fatty tissue. But for those of you looking into nailing the more abstract kind workouts, you actually become light from those when you start.

   I don't really think there's much else about that, other than that your body's response is to get lighter before it nails something then when it's good at that you variate in harder ways and then it decides to put on mass... Here's a cool picture.