How Has the Perfect Pushup or the Perfect Pullup changed your body?

Teammates – Tell us how Perfect Pushup and Perfect Pullup are changing your body at mystory@perfectpushup.com. If you include pictures or videos then a Get Ripped t-shirt is yours.

We’re looking to hear from more folks like Laiya – your story doesn’t have to be as life-changing as hers – it’s about sharing your success so others may be inspired to succeed like you. I’m talking about Brooks from San Diego and his Perfect Pushup Challenge on YouTube.



Send us your story and we’ll run with it: from testimonials on our website and Charlie Mike to hooking you up with journalists who want to hear from regular users to sharing your favorite exercise tips. We’re all on the same TEAM here and your input is vital to everyone’s successful completion of their personal exercise mission.

Now go out there and Charlie Mike! I look forward to reading your stories!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

How I Became "Shiny" and Strong

It may sound like a cliché but in January 2007, at 5’9”, I weighed 204 pounds. Today I weigh 177 pounds, and I’ve dropped 4 dress sizes. When I went to my 20 year High School reunion, I wore Size 14! I used to think of myself as the chipped cup in the china set and now I feel like a shiny new cup. And to think all of this started while working for Perfect Pushup and from only being able to do 3 pushups from my knees to now being able to do 500. I ride my bike to work and to church and I run around the office with my assistant … my journey for a new life has truly begun.


Flashback to 2003: For the last five years I have been trying to get pregnant. No doctor was able to help me and one even told me I was TOO FAT to get pregnant! I left his office in tears, shocked that a professional who was supposed to help me, humiliated me.


Two things happened to change the path I was on. On September 3rd, 2007, I started working for Perfect Pushup. In February 2008 I met the doctor who changed my life, Dr. Polypocket (a pseudonym). He did an ultrasound and found that my ovaries were covered in Cysts and were the size of large golf balls. Dr. Polypocket told me that it would be in my best interest to lose some weight and that I needed to bring down my blood pressure and cholesterol, all side-effects of the cysts. Thus began my journey …..

After I joined the Perfect Pushup family, I gradually increased the number of pushups I could do, but after my doctor’s appointment I really amped it up. On Aug 8, 2008, after losing 27 pounds, I went to see Dr. Polypocket again. I was now able to do hundreds of pushups in a single day and had changed my eating habits and lifestyle. The doctor did another ultrasound and said the cysts were the size of beans and that everything looked good for me to get pregnant! I felt so happy at this news.

You know, it feels good to be a shiny, unchipped cup.

Stacey R

p.s. Here’s a personal “snapshot” -- I am a fulltime employee of Perfect Pushup where I work with Robert Z, one of my best friends. He inspires me to be the best and most positive person I can be. I’m also a wife and mother of a 13 year-old step-son and a 6 year-old daughter. A balanced family life and friendships inspire me in my journey to become the person I want to be. Lastly, I am a Graduate student trying to get my Masters of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from the California State University, Northridge. Stay tuned: this journey isn’t over.

My Journey To My Core

“The Perfect Push-up saved my life,” I told Alden. “How?” he said as he looked at me with his intense SEAL eyes.

Here’s my story. It started with a small pain in my neck which got progressively worse, to the point that in two weeks I was on pain pills and couldn’t sleep or think straight. It took all my energy to just get through a day -- and I’ve always been a fitness fanatic.


In a desperately weakened state after two months because of the pain, I went back to yoga where I kept hearing “core” this and “core” that. I finally asked my instructor, “What exactly is the core? " She said, “It’s your abs or something”. Angry and panicky, I went home and did hours of research about the core (basically the body minus arms and legs) and finally found an article written by a Navy Seal on how to develop core fitness with the pushup. I remembered that when a former Navy SEAL was my body building partner, I had never been stronger nor had I ever been able to do so many pushups. Even though Scotty, my SEAL partner, had been burned from head to toe from a propane truck explosion and worked out covered from head to toe in a “Job” suit, his motto was “Failure is not an option.”

When I remembered Scotty and his unwavering drive to be the best, I told my husband Barry that we were going to do pushups. He discovered the Perfect Pushup and we were on our way.

When I started my pushups in April of 2007, I could do three from my knees, crying and humiliated and feeling so weak. When I met Alden just 3 months later I was doing 20 push ups on my toes. I had my life back! My body started to get stronger through the arms and around the solar plexus (stomach) first. After that my torso started to support my body and my neck pain subsided considerably. In two months, my neck pain was gone. My natural, functional movements that had become hesitant became confident again. I was able to start doing things again without the constant worry of “Is this going to hurt?” mantra.

I progressed really quickly as my core got stronger. My entire torso and system seemed to re-center. My “I can’t” belief was challenged and put to the test. Even though my improvement was gradual, I pushed past what was possible for my intellect to believe that I could achieve. And yes, that involved tears, and anger, and fear. I am now up to a Max set of 40. They really are correct pushups too.

My clothes started looking good on me again as the muscles started filling in. I had become really thin from lack of exercise. The waking up of my muscles was amazing too: from sore and stiff from non-use to toned with beautiful, youthful definition. My posture was another complete transformation, from being hunched forward and closed off to being able to hold my head up. Without a strong core, your body feels very separate from your head.

How lucky I feel to be able to share this story with everyone. Thank you to two Navy SEALs, Scotty and Alden, and Barry, my workout buddy, husband, and the guy who found me the Perfect Pushup. What an incredible journey it’s been … and now I know what the core is!

Thanks and Charlie Mike……Laiya Moniak

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Laiya Moniak, a 53 year old Utah native, began training at five years old, when Jack LaLanne became her first fitness instructor. By her 20s she was a body builder, and currently holds instructor certifications in aerobics, yoga, skiing, and most recently hula hooping.

She has devoted her adult life to learning, and then teaching, what’s it going to take to go from an “I can’t” to an “I can” mindset. Laiya uses somatics to assist people in unblocking lodged trauma in their physical, emotional, or mental bodies, and then creates and strengthens new somatic patterns to facilitate forward movement and growth.

Her new book, “7 Steps to Unlimited Energy”, is coming soon. If you’re challenged by past trauma, or having difficulty moving forward, contact Laiya at Laiya@EndInMind.com

Laiya and her husband are speakers and the founders of End In Mind Consulting. They work with professionals and small business owners who want to create change, increase effectiveness, and reduce fear based stress. You can visit them at End In Mind

Identify The Enemy

Guest blogger: Tom Rancich

9/11. The day that changed America. Separated us into pre and post 9/11. Well, those who have read "For the Courage of the Founders" know how I feel about that. It is wrong. But, for this guest appearance, that got me to thinking about the things that change us and how. So there have been some positive changes in the country since 9/11, but I think that at a very basic level, when you allow your enemy to change the way you conduct your life, you are making a fundamental mistake. Your enemy does not want you to succeed. He, by definition, wants to see you fail. So to change the way you live because of his actions, well, just fundamentally wrong to me.

So what does that have to do with Charlie Mike? Well, continuing the mission is CRITICAL to the success of the mission; be it a Pyrrhic success or otherwise. The point is, if you let the enemy stop you---well no Charlie Mike in that. So who are your enemies in your quest for fitness and a more healthy lifestyle? Is it the high school gym teacher that said you can’t do pull-ups because you are a girl (whether or not you actually were a girl)? Is it the pie in the fridge? A beloved enabler on the couch? Or, like most people I know, is it the voice that says, I can’t, or I don’t have the time, or I am too tired, or, or, or……

So on this 9/11, let’s share some of the enemies that are trying to turn us away from fitness---and then share ideas on how to defeat them. I have met a lot of people who say, “I want to be fit and I feel better when I PT, but I just never have the (time, energy, desire.)” I could never make sense of that thought---but clearly an enemy is getting in the way---let’s kick its ass.

There I was in the Tora Bora mountains; enemy in my sights---when suddenly I smelled a pie and just had to have a slice………

Postscript: Incidentally, no pies were hurt in the making of this blog. On a very serious note---to all the people who have seen the worst of this conflict---I know the hollowness and lack of joy you might experience daily. I do not know if it will ever be great again but it sure is worth the attempt. So if things aren't going well, contact me at Off-Shore Consulting or visit the Veterans Hotline.

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Lt. Commander Thomas Rancich, US Navy SEAL (Ret.) is the co-founder of VRHabilis, a disabled veteran-owned small business with the broad vision of increasing career opportunities for disabled veterans in construction and related fields. Rancich and co-founder Elliott Adler are developing an enhanced remote controlled capability for land clearance and target placement. With this device, a disabled vet working from a pickup could be fully operational. VRHabilis, which stands for Veteran Run Work (Latin derivative), is pioneering the concept of using adaptive technology to bridge the gap between industrial and medical technology ... because the highly trained, motivated and adaptable veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are not looking for hand outs but rather the opportunity to reintegrate into the work force.

Through his consulting firm, Off-Shore Consulting, Tom provides professional advice on leadership, team building, program development and strategic vision.

Alden Mills and Tom Rancich served together in the Teams. Tom has been a guest blogger and “on-line” coach for the Perfect Pushup team many times over the past few years: this is his third guest blog on Charlie Mike.

When is the Right Time for Power 10 Exercises?

Charlie Mike reader Brian S asked how to go to the next level with the Perfect Pushup after following the 21 day schedule: "After the 21st day what should I do? Do I restart from day 1 or is there a continuing progressive programme that I can follow. Please help me out, I need some direction here."

Answer:

BRIAN - Fired Up to hear that you're lovin' your PPUs - join the club amigo! It's time for the Power 10 Workout ... edited to answer Ted R's question: "What is the Power 10 Workout"?: it's a DVD with ten challenging new pushup exercises -- derived from SEAL drills, Yoga, pushups + calisthenics. Check it out if you want some variety and to amp up your aerobic workout.

I wanted to take a moment to answer your question because it's an important one that hasn't been asked before...so when do you start incorporating the Power 10 moves?? There's no right answer, because you could start immediately with a couple of the exercises (such as Mountain Climbers and the Super Slow series)...but my belief is after you can do 10 Perfect Pushups you're ready to start trying all the exercises. Spending time strengthening your shoulders (and rotator cuffs) is essential before attempting the more complex exercises found in the follow-on Power 10 DVDs. Most fellas have spent a fair amount of time doing conventional pushups or bench presses - good exercises, but they're not completely functional because they don't enable your arms to conduct the full natural rotation. So it's important to spend at least three workouts (assuming they are full body PERFECT PUSHUPS) getting used to the rotation before attempting the Power 10 exercises.

Keep the questions coming!!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN