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Today’s Health Upgrade
Monday Motivation with Arnold
The longevity test (reduce cardiovascular disease by 96 percent!)
Workout of the week
If you enjoy reading Arnold's Monday Motivation, you'll love listening to it. Be sure to subscribe to Arnold's Pump Club podcast. It's similar to the email, but with a few slight changes and stories that could only be delivered by Arnold. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Monday Motivation
I love showing people that they’re stronger than they think.
When our team went skiing last weekend, one of my friends and colleagues -- who is about my age -- said he hadn’t skied in several years. So, he said he would sit it out and meet us for lunch.
I said that was not going to happen, he would get back out there with us, and we’d take it slow and make sure he had plenty of opportunities to stop whenever he wanted. But no matter what, he was getting back on skis.
He agreed with me and ended up having a fantastic time. When the trip ended, he thanked me for the push. But I didn’t need a thank you because seeing how proud he was of himself was enough for me.
Daniel asked me why I get so much joy from doing this, and it made me think.
It’s one of those threads that runs all the way through my life. I think it started in the gym, where all of us relentlessly pushed each other, demanding one more rep. Sometimes after that last squat, we collapsed and needed oxygen. Physically, we were completely exhausted, but we always felt completely alive mentally. When you show your mind that you are better than the limits it set for your body, something special happens.
I think about the first time I was training athletes for the Special Olympics. I wanted to see if powerlifting was possible for them, and I remember the young man who screamed when I put the bar on his chest. I told him not to worry, to stop lifting and be my assistant coach for the other athletes. By the end, after watching everyone else, I asked him if he wanted another try. This time, he lifted the bar and asked for more weight. As we slapped on more little plates, his smile grew right along with his confidence. By the end, the giant bear hug he gave me said it all. He’d pushed past his mental limits, and it became a great day in both of our lives.
When people ask me why I spend the time with everything else I have going on to send a daily fitness newsletter, this is the answer. It’s the same reason I pushed my friend to ski, my old training partners to do one more rep, or that Special Olympics athlete to lift.
The joy I get from helping people find that they’re stronger than they think is unbeatable. This week, I want all of you to try to find that joy for yourself. How can you help someone else discover they’re better than they think? Maybe it’s just getting them to join our little village. Maybe it’s inviting them to train with you. Just remember, the goal isn’t being a drill sergeant or pushing someone to failure. You have to be gentle, and go just past their limits, not off the edge of a cliff.
Let me know how it goes, and I just might have to FaceTime a couple of you again to push you past your limits.
The Longevity Test
Want to know how long you will live? You can spend hundreds of dollars on hypothetical tests that measure your “biological age” — which is not a scientific measure — or you can drop and give me 40.
That’s because research suggests the number of pushups you can perform helps determine how long you will live.
There’s nothing special about pushups, per se, but tests that combine strength, movement, and cardiovascular health tend to be some of the best indicators of longevity.
Many companies are starting to push “biological aging” tests. You can try them, but buyer beware: improving your biological age does not necessarily mean you'll live longer. It's not a proven method.
There’s better evidence that physical capabilities, such as grip strength, are a better indicator of longevity. In this study conducted by Harvard scientists, people who did 40 pushups were associated with a 96 percent reduction of a potentially deadly cardiovascular event, compared with those who could complete fewer than ten push-ups.
If you need help increasing your pushup strength, we have you covered in today’s workout of the week.
Workout of the Week
Who’s ready to do more pushups and live a little longer? We promised to help increase the number of pushups you can perform, so this week’s workout is a 4-week program designed to make you stronger and increase your upper body muscular endurance. It’s this combination that is the secret to the fountain of youth.
If you need help with performing the perfect pushup, watch this video. If pushups are too difficult, you can do them from your knees. Or, place your hands on a bench — instead of the floor — for an incline pushup, which is an easier variation.
Here’s the test:
First, set a timer for 1 minute, and then perform as many pushups as you can. That’s it. Record the number of reps you performed, and that’s your starting position. Remember, it’s more important to perform good pushups than do fake ones. Don't lie to yourself because it only harms you. Think about it. You can stuff socks in your sleeves to pretend you have bigger biceps, or you can actually build them the right way. Let’s check your ego, and all improve together!
So how did you do? Remember, the goal is 40 straight pushups. We don’t care if you got 40 or just 4. The fun part is the journey and watching yourself get better.
Now, it’s time to improve.
If your pushup score is lower than you’d like, here’s a program that will help you improve. You can do this as a standalone workout, make it the first exercise in an upper body or push day workout, or make it the first exercise in a full-body training program.
If you struggled to do pushups on the floor, place your hands on a bench or chair. This makes the movement easier to perform. If they are still challenging from the bench, do them from your knees.
Week 1 (Perform twice per week):
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
Perform 10 sets of 3 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
If you can’t do 3 pushups, adjust to an easier variation.
If the easiest variation is difficult, don’t worry about it! Perform as many as you can, rest, and keep going until you complete a set of 3 reps. Instead of doing 10 sets, perform 4 to 5 total sets.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
Perform 10 sets of 8 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
Week 2 (Perform twice per week):
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
Perform 8 sets of 5 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
If you can’t do 5 pushups, adjust to an easier variation.
If the easiest variation is difficult, don’t worry about it! Perform as many as you can, rest, and keep going until you complete a set of 5 reps. Instead of doing 8 sets, perform 4 to 5 total sets.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
Complete 8 sets of 10 repetitions with 2 minutes of rest between sets.
Week 3 (Perform twice per week):
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
Perform 6 sets of 7 repetitions of pushups. Rest one minute between sets.
If you can’t do 7 pushups, adjust to an easier variation, and follow the same instructions as the prior two weeks.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
Perform 6 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute of rest between sets.
Week 4 (Perform twice per week):
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
Perform 5 sets of 9 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
If you can’t do 9 pushups, adjust to an easier variation, and follow the same instructions as the prior two weeks.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
Do 4 sets of 20 repetitions with two minutes of rest between sets.
Once the four weeks are up, take off 3 to 5 days from pushups, and then it’s time to test again! We promise if you stick to the program, your number will improve a lot in just 4 weeks. We’ll be following up to see how you did.
