Push Up Hack: “Drop and Give Me 20!”

Some of my followers on Instagram: joe_the_runner, see when I post my weekly totals that I may do 1500 push-ups in a week, and they have asked me to share how I do that. I was in the US Navy when I was younger, and I’ll tell you this, during boot camp, the drill sergeants did not allow us to waste a second. If we were waiting for something, like chow, or the next training session, we were guaranteed to here the infamous “Drop and give me 20!” This could happen 10 or 15 times every day. So that was a sneaky 200 to 300 extra push-ups and that added up! I never did the math, but we easily were doing 2000 push-ups a week without even a thought.

It occurred to me, as I was struggling to find time to do core work and strength conditioning due to work and all of my running, that I could apply the same concept to myself and “sneak” in that work through out the week. Being out of shape as I was, I started by building a base. Each night, I would do as many push-ups as I could, which initially was about 10, and then set a timer for one minute and do as many as I could, for five sets. It was a surprisingly quick progression, as within a week or so, I was up to 20 push-ups without stopping!

Once I got to that point, instead of doing push-ups every night, I simply do them throughout the day when the opportunity arises. I literally will “Drop and give myself 20!” Actually now I usually do 35 or 40, but you get the point.

If there is a commercial on TV “Drop!”, food in the microwave “Drop!”, waiting on the wife “Drop!” (I get a lot this way.) This all adds up without even realizing that you’re doing it. And I have seen a huge difference in my strength, my running, and my waistline! So, there you go. That is my push-up hack, and if you do it every day, you will see and feel the results!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner

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