031. Push
You have to be able to forcefully move objects away from your body.
There are 2 ways to push objects and applying a proper pushing movement will largely depend on actual situation. While you have a free will to choose how to push objects, the movement will be mainly determined by the size and mass of the object:
- Upper body push: Natural way to push smaller and lighter objects by standing still and just extending arms away from the body. Think about opening a door, passing a pot across the table or distancing from a person standing too close to you.
- Whole body push: Natural way to push larger and heavier objects by marching forward with legs, while keeping arms extended and straight. Think about pushing a car with empty gasoline tank, rolling a bale of hay or pushing a sled.
The best exercise for upper body push is ordinary pushup. We all remember this exercise from the school days. It is well known and very effective way to build pushing power. Choose comfortable natural hands width and placement. Keep the body straight and rigid. To make pushups easier, place hands on some elevated surface. To make them harder, put an additional weight on the back or elevate feet. Do pushups for several sets and reps.
Whole body push can be trained by pushing a car on an empty parking lot. Just remember to keep the engine turned off, shift to neutral gear and deactivate hand brake. Push with legs slowly and steadily. Transfer force directly to the car with straight arms. To make exercise harder, ascend upwards over some gently incline slope. Push for time or distance and then repeat a few times. When training outdoors, you can also use an ordinary snow sled with additional weight on top of it. Push it on different surfaces to vary intensity of the exercise (snow, grass, sand). When indoors, push against the wall and alternate legs to simulate walking.
After a few months of slow and controlled exercising, switch to more powerful pushing movements. Do powerful pushups by quickly going up and down, without any pauses. Push car vigorously in attempt to accelerate it. When exercising indoors, push hard against the wall while running in place.
Both variants of push are equally important and should be trained with equal attention. This is important for development of balanced and fully functional pushing power.
