The World's Best Pushup Workouts

The World's Best Pushup Workouts

If you’re sick of doing the same old exercises—the same old way—it’s probably time to rethink your approach. And take it from us: There’s never just a single way to do any exercise. In fact, here at Men’s Health, we still learn new movements and methods every week.

Take the classic pushup. Most folks opt for some version of 3 sets of 10 reps (or 15 or 20). Or they just do as many pushups as they can. But below, you’ll find three easy ways to make this exercise instantly more interesting. And whether you can do 50 pushups, or just one, there’s a routine for you. Remember: Your workout is only as stale as your imagination. (Want to upgrade your diet, too? Avoid the 10 Worst Fast Food Meals in America.)

If you have trouble doing at least 10 good pushups...

Take the number of perfect pushups you can complete, and divide that in half. Then perform five sets of that number of pushups, resting 60 seconds between each set. For example, if you did 6 pushups in the test, you’ll do five sets of 3 pushups—for a total of 15 pushups. Each workout (do it every 4 days), deduct 5 seconds from the rest interval. In theory, after 12 workouts, you’ll be down to zero rest between sets—and able to do 15 pushups in a row. (It won’t necessarily work perfectly, but you’ll no doubt be above 10.) At first, it’ll seem too easy to be effective. But give it a shot, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Note: If you can’t complete at last two standard pushups, then do the same routine, but with your hands on a raised surface—such as a bench or step—instead of the floor. This reduces the amount of your body weight you have to lift. That’s because the higher the surface, the easier the exercise becomes. (When it comes to your overall fitness, mobility is as important as strength: Check out The Best “Stretch” You’re Not Doing.)

If you want a super-fast, muscle-blast...

Grab a stopwatch and try this routine. It’s designed to quickly improve your upper-body endurance. Time how long it takes you do as many pushups as you can. Then rest for the same time period, and repeat the process two to four times. So if you do 20 pushups in 25 seconds, you’ll rest 25 seconds, and repeat. Let’s say on your next round you complete 12 pushups in 16 seconds. You’d then rest for 16 seconds before your next set. You can apply this technique to any variation of the exercise you want. (For more variations of this classic exercise, check out 14 Smart Pushup Improvements.)

If you’re ready to take the Men’s Health Pushup Challenge...

Then try the very cool ladder workout in the video below. How high can you go? After you find out, try to do better the next time you perform the challenge.

Original article and pictures take www.menshealth.com site