Dive Your Plan and the Perfect Pullup Launch

Teammates - hope January dive planning (goal setting) has gone well. Now for the fun part - now that you've planned your Dive, it's time to Dive your Plan.

During the last three weeks, the Perfect Pushup team has been "Diving our Plan" with the launch of the Perfect Pullup - checkout www.perfectpullup.com - I'd love your feedback. Over the past year we've heard so many inspirational stories about how folks from all fitness levels and ages have used the Perfect Pushup to take control of their bodies, that now they are hungry for more ways to take their fitness to the next level. Enter the Perfect Pullup...

Like the Perfect Pushup, the Perfect Pullup has been on the drawing board for sometime. In SEAL Team (and other special forces teams), Pushups and Pullups go hand in hand - literally. We would often do circuits of Pushups, Pullups and Situps for well over an hour on just these three core exercises. There's a reason why SEAL Team uses pushups, pullups and situps (along with running and swimming) as the key fitness metrics for judging a candidate's fitness level - they work all the core muscle groups (esp when you include running and swimming in the mix) - they are simple and very, very effective.

Whether you're boarding a ship using a caving ladder (small climbing ladder) or fastroping from a Helicopter (or getting back into the bird!), grip and back strength is mission critical...the problem is, most folks don't know where to start with a pullup because they don't know how to do one or have the initial strength to do one - that's why I'm so proud of our design of the Perfect Pullup - it ENABLES folks of any fitness level to perform and receive the benefits of a pullup and equally important - like the Perfect Pushup - the Perfect Pullup allows your arms to rotate naturally through the exercise which means you get more muscles engaged through your natural range of motion.

We're thrilled about the introduction of our new product line and we hope you guys approve - we want to hear your thoughts. When you use the Perfect Pushup and the Perfect Pullup, you'll be taking your workouts to a whole new level. So attack this year's "Dive Plan" and Get Fired UP to Dive your Plan!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now roll out of the rack and push'em out - and get ready for 2008, because this year can be as GREAT as YOU want it to be.

This is certainly the most appropriate time of the year to Fire Up your internal engine - clear your mind of last year's distractions - and create a new dive plan with new goals. I do it every year and I do it on New Year's Day. I used to do later in the day after the hangover had worn-off (in my pre-kid days), now I do it when my kids are taking a nap (hopefully) in the early afternoon or right after I've put them to bed. I break my goals up into three categories and I only make three resolutions - too many and I lose focus. My categories are:

1. Personal - for me, myself and I, ONLY

2. Professional - business related goal

3. Family - one killer goal that will Fire Up the family

If the goals are achieved prior to the end of the current year, then I revamp it with an improvement. One more thing - I carry the three Resolutions/Goals with me in my wallet (it's kind of a wallet - it's a little credit card holder - so I make the resolutions the size of a credit card and keep them next to a credit card I use - my ATM card - so I'm reminded of them constantly).

I also use this time to review my "life list" - a list of goals that I want to accomplish over my lifetime. If you don't have one, MAKE ONE - it's the ultimate mission plan for YOU. I'm a huge believer in writing things down - if you don't write it down, you won't plan it, and if you don't plan for it, you won't achieve it. IT IS CRITICAL TO WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS - both for the New Year and for your life list.

You'll hear me use this phrase a lot: “Plan your dive, Dive your plan”. It was beaten into me at SEAL Team and it's a phrase to live by whether you're on a military mission or your own personal mission. In the case of exercise: Plan your exercise - Exercise your plan!

01JAN08 is the first day of whatever you want it to be - so figure out what Fires YOU UP inside - WRITE IT DOWN - PLAN FOR IT - EXECUTE. Never - EVER - give up on your dreams! You'll never be disappointed if you go after what Fires you Up! And of course, drop down and push'em out while you're planning your mission for 2008. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CHARLIE MIKE!

- ALDEN

OKAY TEAM MATES!

Get yourselves FIRED UP - it's crunch time and it's time to raise your FITNESS game! Link up with an exercise buddy ~ we call them Swim Buddies in the SEAL teams ~ and walk, swim, ski, shovel snow, skate or hike. Take action to stay active and FIRED UP!

You won't regret it - these next few days are ground zero for resetting your mindset for taking control of your body - this is the ABSOLUTE BEST TIME to challenge yourself (and prove to yourself) that you ARE CONTROL of your body (and what you put into your mouth!).

Don't look at this holiday season as another missed opportunity to lose weight or fall off your fitness plan - use this time as a spring board to soar in 2008 - CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO START NOW/DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE FOG LIFTS AFTER NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! So grab your swim buddy and do what I did in the Teams: plan your dive, then dive your plan!

CHARLIE MIKE!

Alden

What is CHARLIE MIKE?

CHARLIE MIKE is Navy SEAL speak for Continue Mission.

It is also the guiding principle for me and my invention, The Perfect Pushup. I developed The Perfect Pushup based on the functional fitness training methodology I learned as a SEAL. Functional Training is the idea that people become healthier and more effective if they train the way they naturally move in their daily lives.

A healthy life should be everyone's ongoing mission. This blog is intended for anyone interested in learning more about functional training and the products that enable it. I look forward to working with all of you to Turn on Your Strength.

CHARLIE MIKE!

Alden

Q&A Time: Working the Biceps

Question: Perfect Pushup claims to work the bicep muscles. Just how does it do this? According to the numerous resources I have researched, the traditional pushup mainly works the chest, shoulders and tricep muscles. If bicep muscles are employed, they are used as stabilizing muscles.

Does the Perfect Pushup employ more of the biceps muscles than compared to a traditional pushup because as the device (The Perfect Pushup) rotates it stimulates more of the biceps throughout the exercise/rep versus performing a tradition pushup?

AND/OR, does the Perfect Pushup work the biceps only through specific pushup exercises?

Please explain. Thank you, Bob.

Answer: Bob, great question! The PPU engages your biceps through the rotation of the movement, especially when you conduct the Power Punch move or other similar moves that require you to rotate the handles 180 degrees. The rotation recruits the bicep because the ulna and radius (the two bones in your forearm) rotate through your elbow which activates the bicep and tricep to rotate the humerus (bone from the shoulder to the elbow) at the elbow and in the shoulder.

Now, I'm not saying you're going to get a better bicep workout on the Perfect Pushup than doing curls - because you won't - but you will get more muscles in your arms engaged during a Perfect Pushup pushup than you will with a regular pushup because of the rotation. And you'll immediately notice how much more natural it feels to rotate through the pushup...and how much better it feels!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN