by Martin Rooney, Men's Health

The pushup is probably the first muscle-building exercise most guys ever master, and also the first one they abandon. At some point they discover the bench press, come up off the floor, and never look back. But if you want a truly athletic physique, that's a big mistake. How do I know? Because 3 years ago I set out to discover the training secrets of the world's best fighters for my book Ultimate Warrior Workouts. I traveled from sun-scorched beaches in Brazil to blood-and-sweat-soaked rings in Thailand. No matter where I looked, I found the planet's toughest men training with pushups. And many were doing variations of the exercise I'd never seen before. I've included eight of those variations here. Think you're tough? Try to complete 10 reps of each--80 pushups total--in 5 minutes or less. It's a body-weight challenge that's sure to make you a believer in the power of the pushup.

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- 14 Smart Push-Up Improvements
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