Fight Magazine - Australia - April - May _

Place your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and rest the top of your feet and shins on a
large exercise ball. Brace your abs and lower your chest until it touches the floor, and then push up
until your elbows are fully locked.

A standard push-up requires that

you only push up about two-thirds

of your body weight. With your

feet elevated on a large exercise

ball, more of your weight is shifted

forward so you have to lift more

body weight. In addition, your

range of motion at the shoulder

joint increases when your body is

elevated. The other big benefit of

this version is that it builds core

strength due to the instability of the

exercise ball.

JUDO

Pace your hands on the ground, shoulder-

width apart, with your hips held high and your

feet in a wide stance. Drop your chest down

and forward as your hips remain high. When

your chest is a few inches from the floor, scoop

your body up and lift your chest high as your

hips drop a few inches from the floor.

Reverse the movement.

A judo push-up places more emphasis on

your shoulders, triceps and lats, making it

a challenging exercise that builds striking

power more than a standard push-up. Plus, it

strengthens your core and adds flexibility to

your overly tight hip flexors.

PUSH YOURSELF

Five ways to push up your power.

BY CHAD WATERBURY // PHOTOS BY PAUL THATCHER

Push-ups are great exercises for fighters because they strengthen the chest,

shoulders and core at the same time. When those areas get stronger, punching

power increases.

The first key to developing a push-up progression starts with a standard push-up.

You should be able to do 20 perfect reps with your chest touching the floor and your

elbows fully locked at the top. Once you can do that, it’s time to start a program of

push-up variations that will increase your strength and stamina.

Ronnie Mann, fighting out of Trojan Training in the UK and Team Tompkins at the

TapouT Training Center in Las Vegas, demonstrates the push-up variations. Also on

hand to make sure the exercises were performed correctly was Robert McMullin, the

strength and conditioning coach at Team Tompkins/TapouT Training Center.

ELEVATED
Place your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and rest the top of your feet and shins
on a large exercise ball. Brace your abs and lower your chest until it touches the floor, and
then push up until your elbows are fully locked.

1

1

2

3

2

102 | FIGHT TRAINING GUIDE fightaustralia.com.au

FIGHTING FIT