The Ever Elusive Perfect Push Up + Abs Exercise of the Day!

If you're anything like me, you can do pretty much every exercise at the gym, but regular ol' pushups... Even the modified 'girl' pushup is daunting task.  I'd like to blame my lack of upper body strength, or my weak shoulders, or perhaps my week triceps, but the truth is I can do multiple sets of other exercises working those same muscle groups (shoulder press, dips, assisted pull ups, etc). There is something about the push up that is just so damn hard for me!  This weekend my fiance's sister and I were playing around with his Perfect Pushups and she thought I was just not trying, until she saw me fail miserably...more than once. haha! Well, damn it! I have a new goal... I WILL MASTER THE PUSHUP!  Well wouldn't you know it, I just received my June issue of Women's Health Magazine and they are featuring a spread on just that.  They've even got a handy dandy guide to pushup variations from easiest to hardest.  If you'd don't want to buy the magazine (although, I'd recommend it because of all the other cool stuff) you can also check it out online here!

Now this is not just about challenging myself to do something that my body has tried to convince me I can't do (although the competitive edge of it all does provide a little extra motivation).  The truth is the pushup is among the most effective FULL BODY exercises out there!  This single exercise works your chest, shoulders, triceps, butt, and strengthens your core...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! What more could you ask for??? You know I'm a firm believer in getting the best possible workout in the least amount of time!  That being said, when you've got a busy day and hitting the gym just doesn't seem possible, banging out a couple sets of pushups seems to be the PERFECT alternative.

Here is the list of all 7 pushup variations from easiest to hardest.  Click the exercise to see pictures/descriptions on the women's health magazine website...

1. Modified "Girl" Pushup
2. Incline Pushup
3. Regular Ol' Basic Pushup (notice it's the 3rd hardest...so it's not so crazy that it's hard to do)
4. Stacked Feet Pushup
5. Decline Pushup (My fiance does these...ugh! I burn with envy)
6. Decline Pushup with Stability Ball (as if the regular decline pushup wasn't hard enough...LOL)
7. Incline Stability-Ball Pushup

The Ab Exercise of the Day! 

(downloaded from http://www.womenshealthmag.com/)