Chuck Norris does not do pushups. He does earth downs.
This is an amusing Chuck Norris joke and a powerful visualization for your power pushups in your The Quick and the Dead practice. Crisp, athletic swings combined with Chuck Norris-like power pushups are a winning combination and program.
How do we build a great power pushup? By having a great pushup.
Starting in the pushup plank position, wedged between the toes and the hands, glutes tight, midsection braced, and a straight line from the ears to the ankles, the hands are positioned so the arms will be approximately 45 degrees from the body and low enough so that at the bottom of the pushup, the elbows are at 90 degrees.
During the descent inhale into the braced midsection, keep a big chest, and actively row yourself down. Do not let the shoulders get “pointy”—if this happens, the shoulder blades have rolled up, and you lose your scapular stability. Pause for a heartbeat, and then be Chuck Norris. Push the earth away from you, extending the arms back to the start position with a corkscrew action and performing a hard exhale in the last half to third of the movement.
It goes without saying, but we are saying it anyway: The midsection should remain braced and unchanged. Do not sag in the middle or allow the shoulders to outpace the rest of the body.
This is a pushup that would make Chuck proud. Once you have the foundation of the StrongFirst pushup, you can start adding power.
Begin at a countertop or other elevated immovable object—a rounded edge is preferred—in your pushup start position and perform the active negative to the bottom position. Pause for a heartbeat and then drive the hands into the countertop and accelerate to the point that, when you reach full extension, the power blasts you away from it.
