First, the key is pushups. Note that if you did a pushup on a bathroom scale, it would read 2/3 of your bodyweight. (I must say, tho, that apropos of the thraed on machines vs.
free wts, PUs certyainly do *feel* diferent than the equal free wt., the wt. feelin much heavier! But scales don't lie! Don't think stabilizer muscles would acount for all of that perception, but whatever...)
Next, do puhsups on 3 or 4 chairs/phone books, perhaps using balled up towels under your hands or use pushup bars. In the first place a lot of people are sensitive to the wrist position in pushups. The elevation gives you really good ROM. You might want slihghtly more elevation at the feet.
Next, get about 18" of chain and some quick snaps, and drape two dumbbells across yer upper back. Might be a little tricky to position, but it should be do-able. Thus if around the waist is easier, do that. Generally speaking or, I've read of 60 lb wiehgt vests. With the dumbbells, if you could configure the chaiuns so you could stand up with them attached--some kind of shuolder hanress--it would solve the problem nicely. You'd look like Shcwazrenegger in one of his silly movies, tho. Maybe with each rep, say: I'll be back..
If you solved the detials properly, you would also solve another significant problem, that of spotting: If your clearance off the ground were just right (phone books), you could use very heavy weights (remember, 2/3 of your BW is alrewady accounted for) in relatively safety, even pehraps being able to do *negative* reps, altho just geting into position would be a workout! If you weigh 180, 2/3 BW is 120, plus, say, two 40lb dumbbells gives you a bench press of 200 lbs, 20 lbs over your BW, which is not bad at all. Even so it may take some time to work up to this.
Military/clapping puhsups are awesome.
Steve will likely post with the suggestion of perhaps throwing kettle bells, but whose gonna catch'em? And whose gonna fix your downstairs neighbor's suddenly ceiling?? :
) Detyails doubtfully notwithstanding, this too would be a good chest developer, but not as good as traditional wieghts/pushups, IMO.
Or, email me about my folly below. Atcuyally the best chioce, esp. when space is an issue!
