Push-up Cocktails

So, I'm still laying down with ice all over my left side and doped up on Vicodin in an attempt to control the pain from this bout of shingles. All the while, I'm thinking about all of the things I should be doing, such as planting all of the fruit bushes that came in the mail this week and installing my new hard water softener. I'm also thinking about the things that I could be doing, things that I enjoy, such as push-up cocktails.

That's a good name for them since I can't drink cocktails while on Vicodin (or, SHOULDN'T drink. The thought has crossed my mind!) and I can't do push-ups since holding an electric toothbrush can cause pain if I hold it too long. Plus, a well-made cocktail always takes a couple of simple ingredients and makes them into something really awesome, far more awesome than the individual ingredients could ever dream of being.

I don't claim to come up with a lot of the ideas that I write about here and I'm not going to claim credit for this one either. Matt Furey gave me this idea a long time ago. Yeah, Matt overcharges for the information that he provides but still, he does give out some sound advice. Taking similar push-ups and doing them in a single set was definitely one of them.

My favorite cocktail starts with the wide hand-stance, normal, and diamond push-ups, in that order. 10-20 reps is all that's needed. I just go from one to the next, without stopping. Or, I'll do one set, walk my with my hands three steps over while keeping my feet in place. The former works the shoulders a lot more. The latter, which I've dubbed clock push-ups, hits the abs more.

My second choice cocktail comes from all of the (pointless) arguments that pop up on forums. Every once in a while, the dive-bomber vs. hindu push-up is one of those sticking points. The reason why people debate which is better than the other eludes me and frankly, why not do both? Alternate between them in the same set, doing 10 hindus and then 10 dive bombers, working up to 40 to 60 push-ups. This is an awesome combination of mobility and strength all in one set of push-ups.

Now, how do you use these push-up cocktails? Well, I promised RJ in SAC that I'd plug kettlebells more often and here's a golden opportunity. When I drove to and from California, I was partial to doing some KB snatches followed immediately by a set of clock push-ups. 4 or 5 rounds of that was enough to shake off any lethargic feelings left in my body from being stuck behind the wheel of a truck for 11 hours. I've kept the kettlebell-push-up cocktail thing going by doing some heavy lateral swings(34 seconds in) followed by a dive-bomber/hindu push-up set. Once again, 4 or 5 rounds of that will get your attention.

I love them both. I'd be doing either of these workouts right now, if I only I had a healthy body that would cooperate...