Wednesday, June 3, 2009

A Superman-wannabe in training!


The first superhero created for comic books was Superman who leaped from radio to television when the Adventures of Superman debuted in 1952. George Reeves played the Man of Steel with a genuineness that captivated viewers of all ages and that included a young boy named me.

A couple years ago, I purchased a DVD that featured 26 complete first season of this classic television series, all in vintage black and white film. It brought back pleasant memories and, as I compose this blogflection, there’s a tug on my nostalgic heart that it’s time to view these 26 episodes again.

As a kid, wearing a Superman costume I owned, I would run around my house with arms extended imagining that I was flying in the sky like Superman while making a “shooshing” sound from my mouth like the sound when Superman was flying in the television series. Eventually, I outgrew the costume but never the childlike mind of wanting to be Superman.

So this leads to the Superman pushups I tried early yesterday morning at home  before jumping into the shower. As my current training is primarily the Olympic lifts, I don't normally include pushups in my training and consider myself a rookie with the Superman pushup. 

Here’s me performing 25 reps of the Superman pushup variation, then moving forward a little for a greater span to make it tougher, then performing a couple more reps before losing my "core lock", dropping to the floor and calling it a morning.



Notice that I used the baseboard wall to keep my feet from sliding. That was after multiple attempts and a serious case of slippery feet. I believe the hardwood floors in my 1905 home are the slipperiest in America. I even tried a set wearing running shoes but to no avail. I'll admit that using the wall for support makes it easier to perform this pushup.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Superman-wannabe in training!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

2 comments:

Justin_PS said...

P-Man,

These push-ups, along with plank exercises, are heavily dependant on what floor surface is like. Doing these on grass or thick carpet, allows very good grip for the feet without slipping.

On the other hand, doing them on concrete, wood floor, or shag carpet is much more slippery. It makes a big difference in the level of difficulty.

Good article!

Pierini Fitness said...

Thanks for the tip Justin.