Monday Facetime. Subtitle: Really, People? You wanted MORE pushing upward?!

by

I guess that’s less of a subtitle and more of a disclaimer.

As in please not to blame ME in the comments…

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Comments

  1. Replace ball with kitchen counter and I’m totally THERE! LOL Someday I will slowly but surely work my way down off that kitchen counter. I think chicks that can do real live awesome GI Jane-esque push-ups are soooooo cool. Some day! SOME day! (seriously though, does it give away my age that Linda Hamilton and GI Jane are my female arm heroes – besides you of course Miz!)

  4. Balls? We’ve got balls…in every room in our house, I think!! They’re everywhere – it’s like the multiply..

    This does look challenging – the instability of it. Not that I don’t already find pushups challenging. But, hey, new challenges are good…(in this case — in an evil sort of way).

    I’ve been challenging my oldest son to the pushup challenge “out there”. He’s beating me….(and it’s not like I’m letting him!).

  5. yes, Lance.
    LETS PRETEND that I totally was trying to emphacize the instability of it (and not that I need more core work) and I was WHOLLY pretending to be winded at the end (not that I need to do, well, SOMETHING else. HIIT is coming soon. Right two members of the Bumbling Band who hath dragged me in?!).

    It actually was a FUNFUN break for me —-even with the difficulty—-from the push up challenge.

    more laughter. less cursing whining.

    M.

  6. Oooh, that looks tempting. My problem with regular push ups is that I’m too lazy to focus on endurance/multiple sets. So I need something that’s hard enough to do a little of and then off to the next thing.

    Great video!

  7. crabby? I think you nailed it.

    I was BURNT from all the upward pushing so, while I laughed that people wanted something HARDER (??) than regular pushups, I, too, was ready for something where I did *ONE SET* and was finished.

    Miz.

  8. Beautiful! Does that exercise gurantee my arms will start looking more likes yours…because if so- I’m in hahaha 🙂 I love the exercies demo! New ideas are the best! Thank you thank you 🙂 What are you and the tornado up to this week?

  10. ali? I emailed you.

    Erica? Actually YES.

    Push ups with hands placed closer together will emphacize yer triceps.

    And

    Mixing things up (as in even if you do fewer of these versus traditional style push ups straight leg or bent knee) will trigger muscle growth!

    And this week? I’m working.
    I thought you said I could ship T-Squared your way!

    M.

  11. You make it look so easy!
    Is it true that when doing a push up you have to go low enough for your chin to touch someone’s bunched up fist? I can do a few push-ups now but if I go that low my arms seize up – the ball looks easier because you stop higher up, but I guess it can’t be…shall give it a go and no doubt collapse on the floor 🙂
    DB


  12. Ok. I’m off to keep the day moving & STOP my thumbs from typing after this:

    DB? If you were to ask our Commenter of the Month this question I’d assume she’d say YES.

    Dip that chin *dizzown*

    Now.

    I have a different philosophy these days.

    IMO if you are pushing upward the BEST THAT YOU CAN and your chin doesn’t dip——who cares?

    As long as we (the royal. The Bumbling Band in entirety) are moving we’re getting somewhere.

    Its all about being PERFECT.

    *our own* version of PERFECT.

    What we can eeeeek out as PERFECT on a specific day or given moment.

    Make sense?

    Miz.

  13. I like those push ups. I also love using my bosu for them, especially right now… Cause you know, if I do a push on my hands, my tummy touches the floor rather quickly… ya know… I’ gonna give this one a try.

  15. I remember doing those on a medicine ball back in the powerlifting days. We’d do the one hand, then both hands, then the other hand on the ball. Until we collapsed and smacked our faces painfully on the ball. Fun!

    Another variation is to put your feet/lower legs on top of a stability ball for a greater angle to your push ups. This means you’re pushing more of your weight and working your arms more. Additionally, you have to use more of your core for stability.

  16. alice?
    yer baby called and is ALL FOR the elevation whilst pushing upward.

    And Gena? I bow to you, your core and your motivation to push MORE of your bodyweight.

    And the powerlifting?

    You *know* I’m longing for a guest post about that….please?

    If I do a few clean & jerks?

    Miz.

  17. Thanks MizFit! I know I’m not quite there yet with the push-ups, but I also know that I want to be. Giving me something to aspire toward is why I love your site.

  18. I love these! even more so because is that a kickball you are using?

    and please do a post about clean and jerks. I just started doing them with my heavier kettlebell and they are killiing me!

  19. Is it Halloween already? Where’d the Jack-O-Lantern come from? LOL.

    Maybe after I finish the Ab Challenge, I will get my act together and take on the Push-Up Challenge. I think it would be a great next-step.

    I’ve seen a similar variation of this using a large book (probably easier than the unstable ball). Not too long ago I could actually do them, but alas, I have lost mass amounts of strength.

    Thanks for the entertaining vid clip MizFit!

  20. Oooohhhh girl are you nuts?! 😛 With the rate I’m doing the Regular Push Up Challenge it will be 5 years before I can attempt that LMAO!

  21. or is that it, Marcy?!

    take a quickfastbreak from the challenge.

    try these for a few days even if you do HALF A REP and stop.

    and return to the challenge re-energized both physically and MENTALLY.

    at least that’s the plan up in herre.

    Miz.

  23. First off – love the ball move. Will have to try that today. Second – how much do I love that you get out of breath? I swear they dub out all the heavy breathing in workout videos. Nobody sweats. Nobody pants. Sheesh.

    Thank you!


  24. OH
    NO
    YOU
    DI’NNNNNT.

    was that flash of white a GUANTLET being thrown down, WG?

    I will SO git out a rubbermaid container and do it using that.

    or a pan.

    or some beef jerky….

    M.

  25. Those are AWESOME! I’ve had some of my clients do push-ups similar to that, but not just like that. I think I’ll have to add that one into my routine! Thanks for the idea!
    Is that a pumpkin ball? LOL!

  26. I’ve tried this and have been very successful with peas. One thing to note, they do have a hard time hold their shape, but stability has not been a problem so far.

    Great video Miz. Very impressed


  27. Wait.
    Tom.
    Peas come in another form outside of a can?

    I had no idea.

    I need to google that & do some research.

    M.

  28. Wowser… I fear that ball move is a recipe for a split lip for me. 🙂

    I got some photographic evidence this weekend from a wedding I was in that shows even the girly wall-push ups make a difference — the girls have never been so perky!

  29. The Bag Lady is still in the wall push-up category (when she remembers to do them in between all the gardening, fencing, canning and pickling, cooking, house-cleaning, — and now, house-painting– and partying!)
    She is SO looking forward to the beef jerky push-up…..:)

  30. Frankly, I’m amazed that those balls serve another purpose than circumventing a tantrum at Target from an ankle biter who could simply not live without it … only to live a lonely life unused in our ball bin in the garage.

  31. People? Mamas? Dads? PEOPLE?
    I swear if you need your life normalized you need merely to click on SLACKERMAMA above or be fortunate enough to have her comment on your site (thank you thank you).

    I seriously thought we were the only ones who hath a basket filled with balls (get your minds out of the gutter) which were SO DESIRED in that place whose logo is a bullseye only to be ignore the moment we’re home.

    Miz.

  32. Yeah those type of pushups kill me! I struggle to keep form with just a couple of full length ones, let along with the instability of a ball. Great for options as well, and you could do em on your knees as well I guess.

    Still working on your scavenger hunt, it kind of feels like i’m stalking your blog reading through all the archives to find the elusive answers…I knew a couple but there are some I can’t find! Will have another look tomorrow night and hopefully get a response on time!

  34. How about the ice cream push up? At least in the middle I could take a bite…

    Off to read Breaking Dawn. Are there exercises one can do while completely consumed in a book?

    : )

  38. I have a total mental block with push ups. I like your suggestion of doing half a rep. I think my problem is because I can’t do them I don’t want to do them because I hate sucking at things. Better get over that!

  39. as soon as you get some balls, Ms.V?

    I guess I’m the child as at first I giggled and then thought: we Jews call it chutzpah.

    And Stacy? I feel ya. I think that’s why I gravitated toward these even when I couldn’t complete one time across and back.

    At least I was *moving*

    Push ups are that convergence, for me, of difficult & dull.

    M.

  40. Marianne – what about a wall-sit? Or hold a plank above the book (I did both in college when I had boring reading to ensure that I stayed awake).

    Great video!

  41. Awesome ideas, i will try it. Question: I’ve been doing the Push Up Challenge and while I never have trouble at all with the sets, etc. I still (after about 10 weeks) cannot do 100 consecutive. I can do the week 6 regimen easily now, even twice in a morning (like 16 sets). But for some reason I still cannot do more than 55 consecutive. I just HAVE to have the 60 sec. breaks. Any suggestions?


  42. Uh, Marianne? Definitely listen to tricia2.

    Too often when I’m wrappedupreading I do the hand2mouth exercise.

    Many sets.
    Many reps.

    And JuiceBoxMom?

    More when I’m not thumbtyping….I need to ponder!

    Miz.

  44. All I can think of when I see this is if I chose to try it and video it myself, I would be the laughing stock of the blog world. I can see it now, I would be attempting a push up and the ball go flying out in front of me, bounce off the cabinet and hit me on the noggin knocking me out. hehe

  45. Love taking the stability away when doing pushups. It makes them a lot more “fun”. I usually do them on a bosu or medicine ball at the gym. No idea why I never thought of all the regular balls lying around the house! My girls will be so sorry you put this in my mind – we are almost done the push up challenge and now they will have something else to try… 🙂

  46. those look fun! now if i could only get to the point where i can do a push up… maybe i just have to try these girlstyle.

  47. I was thinking of using a mop instead of a basketball.
    Your kitchen floor…I’ll bet you had to clean it first, is amazingly clean.
    I’m going to get myself a basketball AND a mop and alternate.
    Thanks!
    (again, it was fun seeing you this morning)

  49. Loving the pumpkin ball!!!

    I usually do one whole set with one arm on the ball and then do another set with the other hand on the ball. I have thought to switch during the set. What a much better ab workout!!!

    Will be doing these tomorrow!

    sweets&sweats.wordpress.com

  50. many thoughts….still using the thumbs 😉

    Stay safe (when pushing upward, yes but mainly) Dr.J and all of you in the hurricane’s path.

    Not a medicine ball, FF TV, but a cheap ball from last Halloween’s Dollar Store spree (only the best up in herre).

    And POD? You’re so kind

    Yes about being happy to see my face (not always the reaction—-I assure you) but about the floor!
    I neither swept nor washed.

    Thank goodness for the NONHD Flip camera!

    Miz.

  51. Is it just me, or is doing pushups with bare feet harder than with sneaks? I am not going to attempt to emulate that portion of today’s video!

    Love these though. Takes some practice to keep the ball from rolling away. I like doing one with my right hand on the ball, then slowly rolling the ball over to my left hand and doing it on that side, rolling back and forth. I need to do something that requires enough concentration to make me forget I’m doing push-ups.

  52. I have a love-hate relationship with push ups…I love what they do in a short amount of time with high effort, but the high effort part is where the hate comes in! LOL such a good core exercise..I love that you emphasized that aspect in your video. Most people think of it as simply for arms and chest.

  53. I love pushups – and since it’s one of the exercises I can do without knees (well, not WITHOUT knees, but you know what I mean), I’ve been working on my mad pushup skills.

  54. I use to have my children sit on my back when I do push up. Now that they are older, I sit on their backs when they do their push-ups. LOL

  56. Oooh, I love it. I am totally bored with my three hand position sets – which I recently spiced up by putting my feet on the ball for extra core work…. I adore push ups (I know, I am a freak, but when I surfed they were totally key) – cannot wait to try it out!!!

  57. You are in great shape, I just recently came across you blog… have you ever posted your daily workout scheduele?
    Thanks,

    Christie

  59. Aaaah! These look familiar. They appear from time to time in my CrossFit Philly workouts. Usually with instructions to do them for a minute straight (shuh, right). But still, I love …

    Thanks for the great demo, MizFit!

  60. holy crapballs. a friggin minute straight? methinks my face would be firmly implanted in the floor.
    sounds fun!

    Miz.

  63. More variations to make push-ups more difficult:

    Move your hands closer together so your thumbs are touching.

    When you push-up, “hold” yourself in the up position for several seconds. When you go down, “hold” in the down position for several seconds. (Feel the burn, baby!)

    Find a wall that you don’t mind getting shoe prints on, like the outside of your house. Put your feet UP on the wall a couple of feet, and do push-ups there. You are forced to keep some horizontal pressure on your feet while you do the push-ups to keep from sliding off the wall.

    Do the push-ups with BOTH hands on the ball–I suggest doing this on a nice, cushy carpet so you don’t lose any teeth if the ball slips.

    Love the jack-o’-lantern ball; I want one! I’m a Halloween fanatic.

  64. I’m going to have to give this a try. Typically, I detest pushups, but these actually looked like they might be, dare I say it, FUN!

  66. I love it when you give us how-to videos. It helps us that need to see it in order to do it. I’d love to see more moves for the back to get rid of the bra hang over (sorry dudes).

  67. I feel so good watching these! I’ve been doing my pushups (feet on floor or feet on stability ball) until my nose touches the floor. Going way down.

    I don’t haz to? Great. Because pushing all that way back up is HARD. Probably good for me, but HARD.

    Now must the elbows track even with body, or is OK if they flare out a bit? I’m never sure.

  68. Well, that just looks HARD.

    Oh, wait. I guess that was sort of the point. 🙂

    I will SO keep this in mind for, you know, nine years from now, when I need something harder. I will get there, really I will. Some day. Meanwhile, I’ll just watch and marvel.

    V.

  70. chellie? There’s one back exercise in a recent facetime titled BLOOPER REEL (it’s a blooper of *me* but the exercise still works ;)) and more to come.

    (And, alas, always the cardio. and the clean eating. it all helps…)

    Deb? It’s always better nose to floor—–but if it’s hose halfway or NOTHING I’ll take the former.

    And IMO the arms flaring can be a mechanics thing.
    When mine don’t a bit it *kills* my shoulders…

    Miz.

  71. Oh, I love/hate you so much for these! The nose-to-floor pushup is my pipe dream. I don’t know that I’ll ever acheive those because when I get down that low, my shoulders hurt. Not in an “I’m-not-strong-enough” way, but in a “my-ligaments-and-tendons-are-not-not-NOT-happy-with-this” way. 😛

  72. Dear MizFit,

    Wow. 🙂 Thank you so much for the birthday well wishes!! I’m a little star struck by you – I feel like the most popular girl in high school just called me by name. 🙂

    Thanks for making my day!

  75. Son 1: Mom, what are you doing?
    Me: Push ups.
    Son 1: Those are not push ups.
    Son 2: You call that a push up?
    Me: The carpet smells like dog.
    Sons: (ripping out push ups) THESE are push ups.
    Me: I’m doing the same thing you are.
    Sons: (laughing) You can’t quit at 4.
    Me: OW….

  76. that pumpkin ball rules. and btw, your kitchen floor is immaculate! mine needs a sweep before I get any ball action on there.

    I’ve been on week 2 of the 100 push-up challenge for, um, a couple weeks. 🙂 It’s hard to imagine wanting something harder at the moment but I’m sure my time will come. I’ll keep my balls handy for when it does!

  77. I was a failure at the push up challenge, however I did do 100 push ups in barbell strength class 2 weeks ago (5 sets of 20, modified, and I was f*ing thrilled with that). And so to see this fancy trick, on your toes, with the same pumpkin face ball we have in our playroom…makes me feel compelled to try (on my knees). I’ll let you know if I end up needing dental work.

  78. you.all.kill.me.
    (and I thank you for that)

    from kim’s highschool comment (isnt life, sadly, one big high school? Id SO not be the most popular gurl. Im way too outspokenfeminist’yfeisty for that) to annette tripping over balls (oh, and kim? please to add to that Im a friggin child :)) to marianne’s one act play to monica (again. the childthing) to Kara and her potential need for dental work.

    my Toddler Tornado thanks you as it hath made me far more cheery this dreary day!

    Miz.

  79. hmmm…have to try these, but hurt my poor little tricep working out on Saturday. wah! Need Bad Cat to kiss it and make it better, then I will try! really!

  80. Ok, THERE’S a workout I can truly get into. Mizfit’s advice is to get some!

    I see your child and raise you an adolescent.

    *snorts with laughter*

  81. 80 comments already!

    I am always late to your parties. 🙁

    Anyway. I have two thoughts:

    1. This is hard. I am sticking with “normal”, boring pushups for now.

    2. You have the most fabulous, toned, gorgeous figure. Therefore, I hereby forgive you all your fashion crimes. Who cares about clothes when your body looks like that?

    When will they start putting people like you on magazine covers instead of those skinny sickly starving weak-looking child models??

  82. I’m still on the girly push-up level. I’ll come back to this post in about a year and maybe then I can do it. 🙂

  83. vered? you’re so sweet and *thanks* for the absolution as I’m a walking fashion DON’T.
    All the time.

    And Xenia? You can always give these a shot bent knee (I couldn’t read your comment above…the description of the type of push up….something starting with a ‘g’ perhaps? (wink))

    Miz.

  84. That is a great way to spice up the push up routine. I get so bored by the time I hit 50 that I don’t think that I will ever make it to the 100 consecutive of the challenge. I was going to move on but perhaps my push ups just need a make over!

  85. i’d like to get to a spot where i have less body to push against, and then i’ll be able to try push-ups. even challenging ones like today’s facetime. until then…cardio and machines and bruno

  86. Holy heck that is like amazing I am sitting here watching in awe! I am still not caving into the push up challenge. I refuse.

  87. FGF? Girl you KNOW Im sitting here (ok standingkindawalking but that’s not important right now) urging you to start pushing *today.*

    against the wall with your feet “walked” out behind you so you are, indeed, pushing some weight already.

    you can do it.

    please to?

    perhaps?

    and report back.

    Miz.

  88. Oh thank goodness. I peeked at the entry at work this morning but didn’t watch the video until just now. I had thought you would have us with *both* hands on the ball! I’m SO RELIEVED to see that that’s not the case.

    Because I’m way behind the times, I tried the BOSU last night! I liked it, but I want to lurk around the gym now so that I can see the different things other people might be doing with it. I don’t konw if I’m not creative enough or too self-conscious, but I bet there’s much other BOSU-fun to be had beyond the one leg balance.

  89. Love the variety, but I’m still working on just the simple non-variety push-up! Maybe one day I will graduate to the one-hand-on-the-ball type.

    AND I looove your wooden floor! Gorgeous color! 🙂

  90. woah woah woah. is that you? did you get tricep implants?

    I’m impressed. Also pushups in the kitchen. Yes. I go there too.

  91. I did get implants. is that bad?
    I was all set to go to China to compete in the Olympic Kitchen Pushing Upward event and then they found out about my arm enhancements.

    I was gonna room with Dara too & we were gonna stay up all night giggling.

    M.

  92. I noticed you didn’t try the one with *both* hands on the ball. 🙂 (I still have a bruise on my knee from that.LOL)

    I’ve tried something like this before, but it was a set of five with one hand on the ball and then another set of five with the other hand. I think I might like this ‘traveling push-up’ a little better.

    But right now, if I never do, see, or hear ‘push-up’ again, my life will be successful.

    Hope you had a great day!

  95. ok, full disclosure. the plan was to do the middle piece—-the both hands on ball as I would do in the gym with a medicine ball.

    HOWEVER, mid-filming I realizing it wouldnt work with my tiny halloween ball and Im a ONE TAKE WONDER.

    no reshoots.

    so you (and I :)) were spared….

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