It’s heading into finals and I honestly cannot afford to spend very much time in the gym at all. For example, I was studying from 5pm until 1am last night. Point is: No gym until finals are either going on or over.
Since I don’t want to let myself waste away, I have been doing 100 pushups before I go to bed, no matter how many sets it takes (generally 40, 25, 20, 15). It’s not like I’m sore or anything, but at least it’s something.
So, here’s my question - Is there some type of pushup program (or any other similar program) which I can do for five minutes in the middle of the day which can help me subsist until I can get back to hitting it hard? Is doing pushups before bed a good thing or should I do them at another time?
You can do single leg pushups, one arm pushups, close grip pushups, knee to elbow pushups, balistic pushups, rotating pushup/side planks there are tones of pushup movements to do out there. You can also incorporate jumping rope, one leg squats, use two books and do side raises and rear delt raises, use a door jam to do chinups,
Ball up your fist and lean against a wall with your elbow at shoulder height now extend your arm, boom you have a tricep extension. Lean towards the wall to add resistance.
Pick up the edge of your bed with some crap on it. There are your dead lifts.
Just think of ways to replicate movements in your room. You can get an entire workout just in your room, Cory.
About doing pushups right before bed, a good rule of themb is done exercise two hours before you go to bed. It will disrupt your sleep. Sleeping is necessary. Especailly if you’re studying for finals. Sleep studies have shown that peopel who have at least 8 hours sleep the day before a test performed better than people that slept less time.
Do some diggin’, and I think you’ll find an article that Shugs or CT wrote about working out on the go (for when you’re traveling and such). I can’t seem to find it, but I know it’s out there.
Taking time off from the gym and not working out for a week or two can be a good thing. If you don’t want a total break you should try something like this: Every hour get up from your desk/books and knock out 20-30 pushups. It’s a great way to break up your studying and get a workout into your day. You can substitute mountain climbers, jumping jacks and other GPP moves if you want.
Check out Pavel’s articles on GTG, you may not be able to increase your squat while studying, but you may be able to improve your max pushup numbers.