How to prevent Cardiac disease?
Recently, it was found that men able to do >40 pushups had a 96% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease events. This is in comparison to those who were able to do <10 pushups. This is great news for those of you who have been following my pushup pyramid routine. The rest of you here is how to get to do not just 40, but hundreds, even thousands of pushups a day. Let’s assume that you are in your 50’s and in reasonably good health. However, as you age, you worry that cardiac disease might show up. Even if you are obese but otherwise healthy, why not count yourself among those with low risk for cardiac disease?
Advantages of a pushup routine
Let us assume that the research findings establish nothing magical about pushups. Let’s just say that the ability to do 40 pushups is barely an indicator of fitness. Still, it makes good sense to develop your ability to do 40 pushups or more. Among the reasons:
- You can do them at home. You do not need a gym membership to develop a workout based primarily on pushups and other calisthenic routines.
- Pushups utilize multiple muscle groups all at once. This is excellent for burning calories and reduces fat stores.
- The pushup pyramid described below is an excellent example of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), ideal for body fat loss and longevity.
- The pushup pyramid routine applied properly will increase your endurance, allowing for 1hr or more workout.
The pushup pyramid
When I first started to do pushups routinely in my 50’s, I could do 10 pushups at the most. Then, I was in good health but dangerously obese. In my 30’s, I could do up to 60 pushups. Never, however, I would do more than 1 single set, even as a young man. So, how does one increase endurance enough to do hundreds of pushups in a day’s routine? The pushup pyramid of course. If you can do 10 pushups, you will find out, you can easily do a pyramid of 5. This pyramid adds up to 25 pushups (1+2+3+4+5+4+3+2+1=25). Critically, between each number in the pyramid, you should do an equal number of arm stretches, as if lifting weights overhead (shoulder presses with no weight). See here for details.
Increased endurance with pyramid
Incredibly, the arm stretches seem to help with endurance. My theory is that it helps drain lactic acid from the muscles. Following the pyramid of 5, you can rest for 5-10 min and repeat once or twice. Before you know it, you will fill a complete hr of training with hundreds of pushups. First, by increasing the number of sets, and then the number of reps. You’d see that you can easily transition to pyramids of 6, 7 and 8 or more. As you go past the 1 hr of training, you can increase the complexity of your pushups for higher resistance. You’d see that pushups are in fact a sufficiently demanding exercise. Pushups are demanding for large muscle groups of your body: From triceps and pectorals to abdominals, gluteals and leg muscles.
For beginners too
If you have never done successfully any pushups, find yourself a staircase or an exercise bench. Position yourself in an inclined position and begin your pyramid. You can adjust your inclination by going down in the staircase as shown in this video.
It is key to do your pushups in the pyramid format and always do several sets. You can start with 3 pyramids of 5 (3×25 = 75 pushups). Be sure to give yourself enough time in between pyramids until you have built enough muscles and endurance. Then move up to larger and larger pyramids and/or more pyramids. You will be surprised by how many pyramids you can do.
Advanced pyramids
The Pyramid regimen changed my life. It allowed me to slowly increase my endurance and increase the number of pushups dramatically. I have improved the form of my pushups and they are all full range of motion now, including the use of dumbbells or the Perfect pushup gadget for an even larger range of motion. I do 1 pyramid of 20 and 1 pyramid of 15 for 60-70 min routine with a rest period between the 2 sets for a total of 600 or more full-range advanced pushups.
Pushup pyramids and OMAD
Keep in mind that I am 62 years old, so if you are younger, you can expect even better results.
It is also important to note that I do intermittent fasting eating only one meal a day (OMAD). I always do my workouts before breaking fast and this may be critical for the results. Keep in mind that OMAD increases the utilization of your fat stores for energy. Therefore, you should not be surprised that your pyramids will get larger with time. This is an excellent way to challenge yourself for more endurance. The results will surprise and delight you.
