It’s Home Exercise of the Week time and this week I have a challenging variation of a pushup for you.  It’s called the Suicide Pushup.  It sounds pretty brutal and I’m not gonna lie, it’s tough, but there is a way to regress the movement to a more manageable version if you’re having trouble.

The Suicide Pushup works your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core so this is a great exercise to add in to your upper body or full body routine.

Let’s take a look at how to do the Suicide Pushup properly.

• start by getting in to a plank position on your forearms and toes
• lift your right arm and come up on your right hand and then lift your left arm and come up on your left hand (you will now be in a full plank position)
• immediately lower your right arm back to the start position followed by your left arm
• keep your abs tight throughout the whole exercise
• on the next rep come up on your left side first and keep switching with each rep
• you can also repeat the same pattern for a few reps and then switch or change it up on the next set.  Play around with the pattern and keep your body guessing!
• to regress this exercise to an easier version you can rest on your knees instead of your toes.  Just make sure that your butt is down and your body is straight.

So there you have the Suicide Pushup!  It may sound very unpleasant and it is challenging but strong and toned pectorals, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles far outweigh the temporary discomfort.  You can do them slow for reps or fast in a timed set for a more cardiovascular component.  Have fun!