Have you ever noticed that when you go to the gym, not too may people are ever doing pushups. It’s almost as though the bench press has replaced the pushup.

Well, contrary to popular opinion, the push up is such a valuable lift that it should never be removed from your workout toolbox. You never can outgrow the pushup. Here is the reason why. The pushup is a movement that not only requires arm strength, but it requires core strength as well. Not only that, but people assume that, because of the resistance limit associated with pushups, the bench press is superior. That is just not true. The other ways to increase upper body strength and performance is to use other methods that increase intensity, without adding weight. These methods include, but are not limited to:

1. Slow motion reps: That means slow the tempo of the pushup.
2. Negative reps: That means slowing the pace as you lower yourself to the ground
3. Decrease interval time: A lot of people would disagree with this because they believe that ATP store need more time to recover. Not necessarily true but, more on that later.
4. Alter hand position: I have heard on more than one occasion that close grip or hand placement hurts the elbow. That is one of the reasons why a lot of people who dismiss pushups are not good at them and often have weak elbows.

Diamond pushups are also more functional than bench presses. Now, I am not suggesting that anyone stop bench pressing because the diamond pushup and the bench press compliment each other when they are a part of the same lifting program. Accordingly, I recommend that people incorporate the diamond pushup into their program.

Click Here to get the Fast Functional Fitness App for IOS that incorporates the Diamond Push-Up as well as the Bench Press.

Good Luck