So here’s the deal…you’ll be using the cable-crossover setup (you can also hitch a couple of training bands to objects about 10 feet apart – that works great, too).
You’re going to be doing push-ups with the two pulleys pulling your arms apart – this outwards tension puts extra tension on the pecs because even though your hands are planted on the ground, your pecs have to fire to keep the cables from pulling your hands out from under you!
This means you’re pushing up AND you’re fighting outwards pull. Double trouble…
So set about 20 to 40 lbs or so on the cross-over stacks and attach the single handles. You can add more if you need it once you figure out how this works.
Handles on the lw pulleys
Go grab the left handle.
Then go grab the right handle.
Now get into push-up position – you’ll be on your fists when doing these push-ups because of how you have to grip the handles.
Your hands will also be in a neutral (palms-facing in) position as you do the exercise.
Drop down into the position as you normally would then push back up. The exercise is EXACTLY the same – the difference is in the outwards-pulling tension.
This picture below shows another varation where instead of grabbing the handles, you can also attach ankle harnesses to the pulleys and loop those around your wrists.
This allows you to do push-ups in a flat-palm position (like normal).
That’s the exericse! It’s going to REALLY trash your pecs because of how you’ll not only be using them to push yourself up, you’ll also be using them to directly fight the outwards pull of the cables on your hands. Might look easy, but believe me, you’ll be in for a surprise!
Here’s a video of the exercise in action…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wmRceHKroI[/youtube]
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Nick Nilsson is known in the fitness industry as the “Mad Scientist of Muscle,” and for good reason! For more than 28 years, Nick has been creating unique, new exercises and training techniques and putting together some of the most innovative muscle-building and fat-loss programs available anywhere.
Please find out where I can order a shirt like the one Vince Del Monte wore in his video demonstration on the twelve untapped targets. That is an awsome shirt. Thanks.
You would have to ask Vince. No idea.
I’m afraid that’s something you’ll have to ask him yourself!
Hey Nick! Don't tell Will 😉 but I totally tried this after upper body hypertrophy day on Hybrid. Oh my gaawwd! What a great exercise. You might think this is pathetic-but I was only able to do maybe half the amount of pushups I could normally do. I've got to stop reading your blog.