Workout of the Week: Bodyweight Push/Pull Progressive Overload
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At this point in my journey, I’ve come to recognize fitness as is its own language. Like any language, developing a good vocabulary and immersing yourself in conversation is essential in order to become a fluent communicator. I am still developing a fitness lexicon, both in terms of actual movements and the way I describe my process. Gaining insight from other trainers and fitness enthusiasts is helping me to be more articulate with my personal training lexis.
So dear readers, I have to make somewhat of a correction. I’ve been using the term “maintaining” with regards to fitness programming, when I actually should be saying “progressing.” The latter is more in line with my intent and actual day-to-day training. A recent discussion with
was revelatory in helping me understand the not so subtle differences in the language used to describe what I’ve been experiencing and expressing.In a social media story post, Patryk noted that when we say we want to “maintain” our fitness it sets us up for limitations. And I totally agree! What we should really be focused on is pushing ourselves to get stronger, build more endurance and go that extra mile. We can say that we’re maintaining a disciplined mindset for working out, but that over the course of our training we should be developing a structured plan that will enable us to experience growth.
Progressive overload is a term I’ve not used much in my fitness writing. It’s been implicit in my training routine, but I’ve not discussed it outright. This “Workout of the Week” is a great example of how I approach the concept of progressive overload.
Muscles need a significant amount of tension and usage in order to grow. We call this growth hypertrophy. Muscular hypertrophy is best achieved through voluminous usage and/or time-based tension. So performing a high number of reps of an exercise or holding a contraction for a distinguished amount of time, is a good way to build muscle. I do both of these things, quite often in the same workout. In order to continue experiencing muscle growth, we need to progressively increase either the amount of reps or the tension we are putting on our muscles (or both).
Push/pull routines are a great way for me to demonstrate progressive overload. In order to avoid a plateau, I’ve added more challenging elements to these movements. For the push exercises, I am focusing on doing a high volume of reps of more challenging push up variations.
Rocket launcher push ups are a plyometric (dynamic) variety of push ups. Scorpion push ups target the core with its rotational pivot. Both are great for adding elements of lower body mobility and flexibility to the push up. For my chin ups, I am adding external weight to increase the load that I’m pulling.
The circuit:
Twenty rocket launcher push ups
Twenty scorpion push ups
Seven weighted chin ups (I’m using a twenty pound dumbbell)
Rest and repeat five times.
In this circuit, I move from one exercise to the next with as little delay as possible. Basically, I permit myself between zero to thirty seconds of rest between each exercise. My suggestion is to pace yourself with the two types of push ups, since they will elevate your heart rate.
After doing forty push ups, I give my triceps a short break, and focus on my biceps via the weighted chin ups. In a typical chin up workout, I’d be able to pump out fifteen or more reps per set, but when weight is added, I get to failure much quicker. Therefore, while I cut my reps in half, I am working my muscles harder by adding additional weight. Below is a short rundown of each exercise in the circuit:
Rocket launcher
As the name suggests, ballistic propulsion is a key part of the rocket launcher push up. So when you’re in the eccentric contraction position (i.e. prone squat), you need to shoot yourself forward with ample force, and go straight into the next repetition.
Scorpion
With the scorpion push up, you’re engaging your core, glutes and hips, as you bend one leg at the knee and bring it over the leg that remains static in plank position. Then repeat this process with the other leg.
This movement’s rotation is generated through a simultaneous twist of the hips and shoulders, not the lower back. Be mindful of this, as bad form can cause back pain.
Weighted chin up
For my weighted chin ups, I use a dumbbell or slam ball, but you can also choose to use a weight vest or dip belt with a weight attached. I prefer using a dumbbell, placed between my thighs.
Placement of the weight between the thighs prompts me to activate my glutes and core, which are muscle groups that are not often a major focus while doing traditional chin ups.
This concludes another “Workout of the Week” for your exercise enjoyment!
If you choose to do this routine, please let me know about your experience. And if you have any specific questions about this workout or general fitness inquiries, please reach out to me. I am always eager to hear from you!