EXCUSELESS: The Push Up You Can Actually Do

A few years back I was working with a client -- smart, motivated, and absolutely convinced that push ups were impossible.

"I just can't do them," she said.

And she had tried. With the floor version. Understandably her arms shook and technique collapsed immediately.

The problem wasn't the push up. She was stuck in a specific mindset -- "I can't." She needed an Excuseless approach to this and any exercise.

So I stated: "Push ups aren't impossible. The push up you're attempting is."

She looked at me like I'd said something slightly mad.

So we experimented -- using foam blocks of varying height until she was performing 10, 15 and 20 reps with great form.

That moment is where the Excuseless Mindset was born. In a real session, with a real person who had genuinely talked herself out of an exercise she was perfectly capable of doing. She just hadn't found her version yet. She was locked-in on an inability and stuck with it. There was no room to think outside of her predicament.

Here's the principle.

A push up is a plank with movement. The higher your hands, the easier it is. Wall -- very easy. Kitchen counter -- a little harder. Sturdy chair or bench -- harder still. Floor -- the full version. Feet off the floor -- you are my hero.

Your job is to find the height where you can perform 8 reps with good form, controlled. To some degree the goal is to remove the exercise element -- at least in the short term -- and instead focus on the movement and deliberate practice.

That's your starting point.