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One of the fitness trends I’m following is the movement towards minimalist training using functional training techniques. That’s training movements and not muscles.

Here’s the NYT on why the push-up, a classic functional exercise, is so important.

“It takes strength to do them, and it takes endurance to do a lot of them,” said Jack LaLanne, 93, the fitness pioneer who astounded television viewers in the 1950s with his fingertip push-ups. “It’s a good indication of what kind of physical condition you’re in.”

The push-up is the ultimate barometer of fitness. It tests the whole body, engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs. It requires the body to be taut like a plank with toes and palms on the floor. The act of lifting and lowering one’s entire weight is taxing even for the very fit.

Link

Related posts:

1. Functional training
2. Core Workout for Functional Fitness
3. Ladies, wanna get strong? Then stack on the weights.
4. Get Hard Without Weights or the Gym
5. 100 Pushups or Bust

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm by Tim and is filed under Fitness, Functional Training, Link, Strength Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.