What's Wrong With the Bench Press?
Dear Friend,
Unless something dramatic happens today,
we're all set to have our baby girl tomorrow.
Go to hospital at 6:45 a.m. - so won't have
a report until later on in the day, but will keep you
posted.
Funny how people react to news differently. When
I told some people that chances were excellent
my soon-to-be-born daughter would share the
same birthday with me, they said, "Oh, no. That's awful."
On the other hand, some got excited and said, "That's
awesome."
Same situation, same news. Vastly different attitudes.
How did I react to the news? Well, in accord with the
Zen Master image some people have ascribed to me,
I simply sat back, pictured the likelihood of this happening,
did some deep breathing exercises and proclaimed it "good."
Anyway, let me answer a few questions for you. Here
goes:
Matt,
Loved the story about how you started your son Frank
exercising when he was only a few weeks old. Do you
plan to do the same with your daughter? Also, what age
do you think I should start my kids on Combat Conditioning?
My son is 9 and my daughter is 7. Do you think they're too
young to start. Thanks for all you do and congrats on the forth-
coming delivery of your baby.
Bob M.
M.F.: Bob, now that I have some experience, I believe I
will probably start my daughter exercising even sooner
than Frank. I started putting him through assisted range-of-
motion exercises at six weeks. Probably four weeks or sooner
with the little girl. Afterall, she's going to need to be tough as
nails to fend off all the boys who come calling, hehe.
Re. when to start your kids on Combat Conditioning, you're
serious, right? Are you missing the obvious. My son Frank will be
four in June. He's been doing Hindu squats since he was 18
months old. He's been doing baby Hindu pushups since then,
too. And bridging. Now he hangs from the parallel bars for
time, does bear crawls and sprints - and takes gymnastics.
Key thing is he is NOT forced to exercise. He sees his dad
training and comes over to join him.
Kids naturally gravitate to Combat Conditioning. They absolutely
love it. If you set the example, they will follow. And if they don't,
figure out ways to challenge them. For example, when they're sitting
on the couch watching the idiot box, say to them, "I bet you a buck
you can't do 10 of these Hindu pushups." Or, "Hey, I'm curious, can you
bridge and touch your nose to the mat?" This tends to work better than,
"Hey, get off your lazy arse and do some pushups." Good luck.
Matt,
I gotta start by thanking you for fearlessly telling the world about
your Combat Conditioning program. I got your book and videos
six months ago and honestly didn't use the program at first cuz
I just didn't want to believe you could get strong without weights.
I watched the videos one day with a friend and I was actually
laughing and saying that you were a fake and that these exercises
were no big deal. Well my friend said he wanted to try and see for
himself. Turns out he was blitzed in just a few seconds. He says to
me, okay tough guy, you try it. To my embarrassment I did less than
he did. Now both of us train together with your Gama Fitness course.
We're in better condition now than we ever were with the weights.
Now, for a quick question. When you do the Hindu pushups, how wide
should your hands be? It seems like shoulder-width is perfect or me.
Look forward to more results.
Thanks,
Samuel Dunn
New York
M.F.: Samuel, thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you and your
friend put the program to the test. Hand placement on Hindu
pushups is generally shoulder-width, as you stated. However,
you can play around with hand placement for a different effect
on the body. You can literally do the Hindu pushups with both
wide and narrow grips. And when you're feeling real studly, you can
do the Furey One-Arm Hindu Pushup. Go for it.
Matt,
I noticed in one of your recent e-mails that you said bench pressing
wasn't healthy. I was wondering why push ups are healthy yet bench
pressing isn't - does it have to do with the fact that in a push up your
whole body helps in support?
P.S. I'm not doing any bench pressing, only the exercises in
Combat Conditioning.
Brandon L. Marzolf
M.F.: Brandon, most people who do the bench press set a goal
to pile on as much weight as possible so they can set a personal
record. This is natural and normal - but in order to increase their
bench press total - many people end up destroying their rotator
cuff. This is increasingly common today because the BENCH is
what people look to for a measure of their strength. They think
big pecs are the source of your power. They're not. When doing a
pushup, the shoulder joint is not supporting excessive weight, nor
is it put into an unnatural or compromised position. So pushups are
far better for you from a health and fitness stand point than the bench
press. And with all the variations of them you can do, including handstand,
one-arm and so on - you'll get far more FUNCTIONAL strength from
pushups than you ever will from benching.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for all the good tips. I'm 65 and was getting awfully tired of
walking for at least 1/2 to 3/4 hours plus doing all those muscle bounding
exercises every day. You have now freed up about 1 1/2 hours every day.
Thanks for Combat Conditioning.
Cheers,
Terry Strand
M.F.: Welcome Terry. Walking is great as a source of relaxation or for
"thinking time" or meditation. It is also good for people who are just
getting off their "arse." But when it comes to getting kick butt fit in the
least amount of time, walking and other methods of long slow cardio are
out - Combat Conditioning and all it entails, including hill sprints, the
Royal Court, bear crawls and so on … they're the way to go. Don't
you wish someone would have taught you this many years ago? I know
I do. But you know what? It's hardly ever too late to start. If you can
still move, you can still improve. Keep up the fine work.
Well, that's all for now.
Kick butt - take names!
P.S. A set of Combat Conditioning videos along with a free copy
of my international best-selling book are waiting for you in my
office. Claim your set of this incredible program and get 2 Free months
in my Inner Circle where we give you ongoing support and answer all
your questions in great detail. Programs, routines and additional exercises
can be yours with the click of your mouse. Simply go here and you'll be all set.
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