Back to the Future with Pushups!

Teammates, meet Jerry A., a fellow sailor. When I read his story and saw his before and after pictures, I asked him to share his fitness journey with the CHARLIE MIKE readers. Jerry, thank you -- and I agree with your first line! AMM

"I have not always been one to like doing pushups. I did plenty of them in the Navy, especially for punishment in basic training. I was stationed at NAS North Island on the USS Constellation CV-64 '81-83, and I had shore duty at the medical clinic there '87-89. Since being out of the Navy I have mostly walked for exercise. My mother had to have a quadruple heart bypass nearly two years ago. After being released from the hospital she needed wrist and ankle weights, so I went to Walmart and bought her some. As I was looking at the weights, I noticed "Perfect Pushup" was stocked next to them.

This is my before picture. Although I walked for exercise, I knew that I needed to exercise my upper body. I caved in and bought myself "Perfect Pushup". When I started using "Perfect Pushup" I could barely do one. I am now doing 50 of each pushup -- regular, wide, and close -- but not 50 straight. I have started doing the “Power 10” and I am sore!

I bought the "Perfect Pullup" and "Abstraps." I cannot yet do one full pullup, but I can do the rest. I am now considering doing the advanced "Perfect Pushup" workouts. I have not only strengthened my upper body, I am also pleased that I bought a product engineered by a fellow Navy veteran. What's next, "Perfect Gym?"

Jerry A.
Knoxville, TN

My before Perfect Pushup pic was taken in NYC and the one in St. Maartens is the after.

Joe Gunter Activates His Abs

Teammates, Joe Gunter needs no introduction! He has been a Perfect Swim Buddy since 2008 -- and his life-changing journey can be summed up in one word: EXCELLENT! Bravo Zulu Joe! Thanks for sharing your story to date with the CHARLIE MIKE Teammates. AMM

The year was 2008 and the person was Alden Mills. I was reading a blog post he wrote, where he made reference to the transversus abdominis – the muscle below your belly button. (It gets hard as a rock when you do a sit-up.) Having recently studied a basic Latin course, and remembering my younger years when I worked as a landscaper and learned Latin botanical names, I had one of those Eureka moments when you don’t necessarily shout “Wow!” but you realize you just learned something very, very important.

I discovered my transversus abdominis. It was a good feeling. You have one too, of course.

From there, I had to face the cold hard fact of the matter: I had neglected my transversus abdominis for my entire adult life. Maybe we did some sit-ups in P.E. class when I was a boy, but that was long ago, and this important abdominal muscle was about as atrophied as atrophy can get.

“The pushup is an active plank.” I can hear Alden Mills’ YouTube-video words as I type. I already knew that the pushup alone was a super exercise, because practically every physical fitness program in every military and law enforcement unit in the world uses it extensively. But Mills perfected it by inventing the rotating handles. Any child can tell this after using the Perfect Pushup for about ten seconds.

Back to the Latin. Incidentally, if you hate Latin, join the club. Almost everyone hates Latin, except teachers. Still, if you want to study botany or anatomy, you are going to learn some by default, because muscles and bones and plants have Latin names, like the one mentioned above.

Look at any picture of the human body where the muscle groups are labeled, as in Gray’s Anatomy. Look at those Latin labels. Look at those muscle groups. Are you using them?

Most people are not using them.

Don’t be like most people.

Be smart. Be strong. Be ready.

Join the Enlightenment.

That’s my story

Joe Gunter

Jim's Fitness Journey: Conclusion

Teammates, this post ends Jim's series of blogs on his journey to become Navy SEAL fit -- but the work continues! Just ask Jim. And if you want to check in with him and other Perfect Fitness teammates, please join the Perfect Fitness Facebook fan page. CHARLIE MIKE Jim!! AMM

I resumed my regular workouts after I got dismissed from the army and kept on following the “SEAL training pattern” which also helped me develop a “never give up” attitude helping me a lot with my job. Back at work I was assigned to a “special task” for which I couldn’t find any serious support on how to deal with, no matter how hard I searched. Not accepting failure as an option though I finally managed to fulfill the given task on my own powers with 100% success! It was probably that “fire in the gut” that kept me going.

Years passed by and further internet searching on fitness led me to “Perfect Pushup”. This community of motivated people has managed to keep me fired up over the years and looking to further improving myself, not only in terms of fitness but also as a person. What can one say about Alden’s inspirational posts but a great THANK YOU!

Looking back all I can say is that bringing change to one's life requires a stimulus usually external but then equally important is the person’s own will to succeed and make change happen. it definitely requires being open minded so as to manage to question one’s beliefs and be able to accept the coming changes, no matter if it’s fitness, work or other aspects of personal life someone is dealing with.

Set short realistic goals that will take you to your final objective.

Maybe the road to improvement is hard (yes, those stomach muscle cramps is something I don’t ever want to go through again) but it’s definitely worth the effort, as Navy SEALs say “It’s mind over matter, if you don’t mind then it doesn’t matter”.

Jim in Greece

How to Figure Out Your Fitness Level

Teammates, how many of you got the Perfect Pushup this holiday? How's it going? I'm going to re-run a blog that will answer some of the questions I've been receiving. Great picture of rock climber extraordinaire Beth Rodden! Check out her thoughts on Perfect Fitness. AMM

Question: Steve from Tucson, AZ asked, "How do I figure out my fitness level when I first start using the Perfect Pushup?"

Answer: Great question! Begin the entire program by determining your fitness level with a one set MAX. This means, using the PPU in Regular Position, do as many pushups as you can. Next, move to the schedule to see what you need to do each day. The first day shows as you noted:

MAX Regular
1 Wide
1 Close

To conduct a one set Max - simply position your arms in the REGULAR Position - that is hands should be one hand width wider than your shoulders. Get into the pushup positions (see the Perfect Pushup checklist on the calendar or Power 10 workout cards for proper form). Now, push out as many Perfect Pushups as you can while rotating through the pushup movement - hands should rotate out on the way down, and rotate in on the way up. The moment you start losing your form STOP doing pushups and record the number you did.

Let's assume you were able to do 12 Perfect Pushups - 12 is your One Set Max. Now, take your one set max (12) and round to the nearest 10 - in this case 12 is closer to 10 than it is 20, so use 10 as your one set max fitness level on the PERFCT PUSHUP workout chart or Power 10 workout cards. Locate the "10" row on the workout chart and read from left to right to understand the number of reps required for each position - REGULAR, WIDE, and CLOSE.

In the case of the 10 row - REGULAR, WIDE, and CLOSE repetitions are: 8,6,4,2 - this means do 8 reps,followed by 6 reps, followed by 4 reps, followed by 2 reps in two minutes. Go to your knees if you have to, but do your ABSOLUTE best to complete all the reps in one two minute time period. Depending on your pace during the two minute drill - assuming you have time - you can drop to your knees and shake out your arms for a few seconds before attacking the next set of reps. Remember, you don't have to do all three two minute drills back to back - you can space them out throughout the day.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Perfect Products & Extreme Athletes

Why should an extreme athlete use Perfect Products?

Every once in a while I get a question – actually, it’s more like an off the cuff quip – from an “extreme athlete” that their conditioning needs require more than what the Perfect Pushup and/or Perfect Pullup can offer them. Thanks Mark "The Dominator" de Mori [http://markdemori.com/] an Australian fighter, for the lastest question. I’m not surprised by the response, after all, these men and women may not be personal trainers, but they have lots of personal training experience from their extensive workout routines…break – I categorize an “extreme athlete” as anyone who works our religiously 6 or more times a week with a minimum periodicity of 2hrs/workout session – I get their reaction, but they NEED to get my response, because training fundamentals don’t change just because you workout longer and harder than someone else – what changes is the length of rest, intensity, duration, muscle loads, and nutrition requirements - what doesn’t change is movement patterns.

If you run a 20k – does your stride change if you run 100k? Now, you can increase the challenge of a movement pattern by adding increased balanced and resistance loads, but the fundamental natural movement of the body doesn’t change! In the case of the Pushup or the Pullup, your arms: joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves – have a natural tendency toward rotation whether you’re pushing or pulling – and that tendency doesn’t go away if you workout for 2 mins a day or 2 hrs a day. So to all you extreme athletes out there – I applaud you for your tenacity – HOOYAH! Now, DON’T FORGET YOUR FUNDAMENTALS: TRAIN THE WAY YOUR BODY IS DESIGNED TO MOVE!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Perfect Pushup Live in Germany

Teammates, Perfect Online has a website for our German and Austrian customers -- take a look and spread the word!! The commercial -- live in German -- is on our Perfect Fitness Facebook page.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Tom Rancich on Female Fitness

Teammates, have you seen the November 2009 SHAPE magazine cover? The cover girl is The Office's Jenna Fischer, wearing a bikini and a big confident smile! According to Ms. Fischer, "I ditched the trainer and got THIS body on my own." Here at Perfect Fitness we're fired up that the Perfect Pushup is part of her workout. Every two or three days, Jenna does Macho Jacks, Pendulum Rows and finishes off with Triceps Pushups, from the knees, using Perfect Pushup handles. The November SHAPE magazine is on newstands now.

Now according to Tom Rancich, my SEAL Team swim buddy, all it takes is six weeks to get into bikini shape. Yeah sure you're thinking, but Tom knows why it takes the average 35 year-old woman so long to put on that bikini. Keep in mind that Tom Rancich has spent the last six months at the beach, leading a group of Navy veterans who were tasked to remove potentially lethal practice munitions dropped decades ago at former target ranges along South Beach in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

The secret: confidence. Says Tom, "I have spent the entire summer at the beach and you have no idea how many 30-somethings I talked to who were wearing ass blankets or frumpy one pieces with skirts no less! They would have been fine in bikinis...except they lost their confidence." You all know the famous SEAL motto, "the body obeys the brain." It's not enough to work the body -- you have to unlock your body's potential so that you can get more out of life -- and that starts inside your head. Check out my Right to Bare Arms workout and start making changes from the inside out.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Potential Entrepreneurs Pt 2

How will you grow, fight off imitators and keep your competitive edge? In a phrase: Passion Driven Purpose. Huh? It’s about linking your company – your values – your mission statement – to a purpose. If the sole focus of your company is to profiteer, then your goals will be aligned for the short-term “get-rich” schemes and it won’t deliver long-term value.

If your company’s goals are directly aligned with a higher purpose – in our case, helping people unlock their body’s potential (and our number one core value is WE CARE about the health of our customers), then some powerful forces with start to align with you.

* First, you’ll take a long-term and creative approach to bringing true value and success to your customers. The more you help your customers succeed, the more they will help you succeed. If it’s all about “taking” from your customers, then they have no incentive to “give” to you.

* Secondly, the true super-stars of talent out there work for much more than a paycheck – money itself isn’t enough. There’s a much more important value element that a profiteer company can’t deliver, that’s providing people with the value of delivering on a higher purpose – of giving back to society, to communities around us, and the environment.

When you start with goals that have a purpose, and build a team of like-minded teammates, then no competitor becomes a long term threat. And if a competitor chooses to truly bring purpose into their mission – then it raises the bar on all of us. And one final note – when a company knows its purpose, it Fires UP the passion in all the people it attracts, and when this occurs, work is no longer work and creates an unstoppable work ethic and crucible for creativity!

If you’re thinking of taking the leap to chart your own entrepreneurial path whether inside an existing company or out on your own, trust me when I tell you, you’ll never regret the journey – it won’t be easy, but in the words of a military recruiter: “It’ll be the hardest thing you’ll ever love.”

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

Potential Entrepreneurs Pt 1

Teammates, having just returned from the INC 500 awards ceremony and a trip to London, I’ve been asked a series of questions that are surprisingly similar and thought that both the questions and the answers would be of interest to you. Many of the questions are from students in entrepreneur or public relations classes (Mike Lamothe and Carolyn Casnova to name a few), but what was particularly interesting to me was while meeting new retailers in England, the buyers asked me similar questions – here you go. Paging all the potential entrepreneurs out there!

How did you come up with the Perfect Pushup?

The funny thing is, I had this idea since the early 90s when I was a young SEAL officer, but thought it was so “ordinary” that it wouldn’t be of interest to people. I was looking for the really “extra-ordinary” breakthrough product, and I spent A LOT of money and even more time trying to make the invention work (which we called BODYREV). I nearly went bankrupt (along with my partner) trying to educate folks on the value of our invention. Finally, we came to our senses after four years and decided to adapt to the marketplace and put our efforts behind an innovation – which we called the Perfect Pushup.

What’s the difference between an Invention and Innovation?

This is a really important concept in my book. An invention is an idea that has no reference point – it’s completely new to the market – it defines an entirely new category, which by the way presents another challenge: what are you going to call the category? What’s the definition of the category? And how are you going to defend it with your limited resources?? Examples of a new category: Segway, the two-wheeled motorized scooter or Apple’s iPod or Xerox’s copier or Twitter. In the case of an innovation, the idea has a reference point. That is, people can reference something in the brain that is a launching pad for quickly understanding how the product works and then easily filing it in their brain and passing along the idea to others.

In our case of the Perfect Pushup, our reference point is pushup bars – U-shaped stationary handles and the innovation that we brought to the table was adding rotation so it better simulates the natural movement of your arms. Our mantra: engages more muscles – easier on the joints – like a punch. Super simple to explain and convey to others.

When you launch your own idea, first ask yourself, it is an innovation or an invention?

If you have really deep pockets and super patient, long-term investors, then knock yourself with leading with the invention, but if you’re just starting and with limited resources, go for the “ordinary” idea first – the innovation – that people can quickly grasp and understand.

Part 2: How will you grow, fight off imitators and keep your competitive edge?

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Keep those questions coming! Send them to getfit@perfectpushup.com

How to Get Football F I T!

Football season is here, and I couldn't be happier. I grew up in Chicago as a die hard Bear fan. Sundays was all about “da Bears”. With football come the chips and dip, the beer, the dogs and not much activity. And with the holidays fast approaching, now is not the time to shift into neutral. Now is the time to pick up the intensity; now is the time to train the body to burn calories all day and night. I enjoy beer, I enjoy my chips and guac. But I also understand moderation and balance. I eat what ever I choose, but in moderation. Instead of 8 or 10 beers I'll have three. Instead of maxing out on a bag of Doritos, I'll just have a few handfulls. I also understand that calories-in needs to be balanced with calories-out. If I indulge, which I do, I will make the next workout longer and harder. If I know I will be enjoying myself a little more than usual, then I will give myself a very intense workout.


What am I talking about? A full-body, fast paced workout that targets every muscle. Using multiple muscles groups in the same exercise burns more calories, raises metabolism and strengthens the heart. With each REPETITION! If you are still doing a traditional body building work out and not getting results, it is time to change. Your body is bored. Time to shock the body using Perfect Pushups, Perfect Pullups and a jump rope. It’s all you need. Want more ideas?
• Grab light dumbbells and do a squat stand curl.
• Using a band or cable, perform a squat to standing row.
• Lunge with a bi-cep curl. Multi task!

The more muscle I engage, the more I burn. The more I move, the more I can enjoy. We must continue to increase the demands on the body to avoid plateaus. I use the F.I.T. principle.
• Frequency (how many),
• Intensity (how hard),
• Time (how long).
We must increase one, if not all, to continue getting results we desire. More times per week. Work harder. Go longer. FIT principle will be talked in a future blog. So enjoy, but then move, and move with passion!

Guest blogger: Marty Heilman
Please look me up if you’re near Cardiff By The Sea, on the beach. Can you say paradise? Location: EZIA HUMAN PERFORMANCE. E.Z. Intelligent Athletics. Simple but smart!

Where in the World? India

Sean Glass checking in again. Working out on the road takes discipline. The excuses are easy... Too tired, not enough space in the hotel, the gym is old, I'm jet lagged. But once you do, you feel great, and get more out of your trip. The nice thing about doing a quick workout with the Perfect Pushup is exactly that - it's quick...and you get a solid workout, and sometimes, you even get to do it while looking out at the Taj Mahal -- there it is in the background :-). The pictures with me actually doing pushups came out too dark (hard to take a picture out a window without a good flash setup which I don't have with me).

Almost any place we go that is "exotic" or "famous" has very strict security (we live in the age of terrorism), so I've been wary of carrying the perfect pushups with me lest I cause an international incident! Understandably, they're really security conscious in India. We even had to get frisked to go into a mall in Hyderabad today.

We started our around the world trip July 9th and we're planning to be back in the United States December 18th, 2009. You can follow Kellee and my progress at www.seanandkellee.com or by following me on twitter @seanglass. I may go several days without internet access, so thanks for being patient. I'm trying to keep up with email as best I can while savoring the trip!

Sean Glass

Perfect Monster Arms: Take 2!

Build "PERFECT MONSTER" arms FAST with these cool exercises! The "Guns." The "Pythons." "Thunder and Lighting." The "Rockweillers." -- there is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than the biceps!

Bulging biceps - every guy wants them and gals, no worries, because while your arms will get "PERFECT"ly sexy, you just don't have the required problem of fast growth that the guys do. You all will just get lean and hot hot hot! Gents, if your arm growth has hit a rut... your gains are coming to a screeching halt... or maybe you're just plain bored with your arm exercises, then I've got some insane, new exercises - specifically to grow your guns - that will not only give your arms a shock but will electrify your motivation again. Here are the “The Best PERFECT Arm Exercises You've Never Heard Of."

NILSSON CURLS
Like a pullup (palms facing your face) but your heels are on the floor and the bar lower so your biceps are fully engaged! Like you're about to lay on your back but that's just the angle you need, no back on the ground! You can do both regular as well as reverse curls! "IT'S ALL GOOD." But you're holding on to the chinup bar holding your body up using your biceps. It may sound easy but try it one hand at a time! Then add reverse curls to the mix. That bracing technique is just your heels on the floor to aid the movement! It's a bodyweight exercise for your biceps that LOOKS like a chin-up but uses a special "bracing" technique to put almost ALL your bodyweight directly onto your BICEPS. Imagine the growth you'll get with THAT much resistance going directly onto your BIs!

REVERSE PEC DECK LOCKOUTS
Try using the handles on the perfect pullup turning your palms out as you do a push up at an angle so the bar is low and perpendicular to the floor. The wide perfect pushups work for this movement too! A breakthrough in tricep contractions, this exercise targets the most anatomically-possible contracted position of the muscle with body weight. Get ready for it because I guarantee you've never felt a tricep contraction this hard in your entire life. Just using your "PERFECT PUSHUP" wide grip with a partner pushing on your shoulders or weighted vest "DOING MANY" (grins) (keep a count in your note book)!

ONE ARM CURLS
Doing the standard Curls with both arms you can slowly work your way to one arm. If you do it right tests your strength, balance, coordination and determination. It can be extremely difficult to do but the results are totally worth it. Not only does it increase muscle activation in the biceps, it gives your grip a tremendous workout as well!

SPIDERMAN RACK PUSH-UPS
We do a morning training ritual called "MONSTER MASH" where we just set up a number of different exercises in a row fast! Setup time is sometimes an issue when you're training. This great tricep exercise is a mash-up between close-grip push-ups and bodyweight tricep extensions. The key is how you do them in a rack to basically spring-load the tension onto your TRIs. Very quick to do but brutal! Using the perfect pullup bar at a low angle to do pushups with your weight 70% on bar/on ground on feet 30%. Again, it sounds easy but mix in one handers!

LEANING WRIST CURLS
Have the perfect pullup bar facing directly in front of you holding it with hands & using your wrists to affect forearms. Again sounds easy until you use more of an angle & then one handers! (it's all in the wrists) but be careful, the forearms weaken fast. I assure you that you will feel this one quick! Like the same movement as using a dumbell wrist curl using the turning handles to attack all angles of the forearms!

This unique version of the wrist curl adds a new dimension of tension...instead of just doing a plain old wrist curl, you'll also be supporting your bodyweight on your forearms to increase the tension. This position also gives you natural "occlusion training" (which is basically limiting the blood flow out of a muscle while training in order to increase hormonal growth factors in the area). If you've ever had trouble building forearms, this exercise might just hold the key for you...

=====================
So here's the deal...
=====================

I’m desperate for new exercises. As a result I've gotten "HOOYAH" creative............... If you've got access to "perfect products" and bodyweight, you'll be able to use the VAST majority of these exercises. I think once you've tried these examples, you'll be hooked...

HOOYAHS & Cya at the gun show,"carpe diem"-- NUFF SAID

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

Teammates, stay tuned for CM SEAL blogger Mike Ryan -- you want to put on weight in all the right places, in all the right ways -- he'll tell you how! And Marcus, when are you going to do a YouTube for all the Teammates who'd like to see this live?! HOOYAH!!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

What's Your Input and Output?

Teammates, losing your love-handles and losing 10lbs means you need to focus on two things: Output and Input. Output is the number of calories you burn in a given 24 hr period, and Input is the number of calories you eat in a given 24 hr period.

Output:
• Make sure you’re conducting some long cardio workouts – run/jog/fastwalk, bike, swim – whatever, at least three 60 min sessions a week where your pace should be where you can speak 10 words or so before taking a breath.
• Secondly, make sure when you conduct your bodyweight exercises – pushups/crunches/squats/lunges/pullups (this is all you need) – you should progressively make them harder, to the point of muscle failure (form failure). This will help you build muscle which will in turn raise your metabolism (your ability to burn more calories at rest in a 24 hr period).

Input:
• A simple formula is to eat for your target weight. For example: let's say you’re 210lbs, but your target weight is 200lbs – then you’d multiply your target weight by 10 for 2000 calories per day.
• Now if you’re ramping up the muscle building exercises and trying to really build more muscle, you’ll need to supplement more protein and should also consult with a nutritionist (which I am not). Eat more often but in smaller amounts – try eating 6 meals a day to stave off hunger pains.
• Drink half your body wt in fluid ounces of water/day (e.g. you weigh 200lbs, then drink 100 floz of water/day).

Most importantly, don’t you dare ever give up! Stay Fired UP and let me know how it goes!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

How to Lose Your Love-Handles

Teammates, whatever you call it -- love handles, muffin top, Molson muscle or spare tire, men and women everywhere are trying to lose abdominal fat. Just got this great set of questions: I have bought your product and started using: it is a great workout. I am also trying to lose my “love-handles”. I know this will work some of those muscles but can you suggest another exercise to target mid section? Not looking for another tool, just a suggestion of sit-ups etc.

Also I have heard that sit-ups may not actually do any good. What is your opinion? If crunches are a better option please instruct on a basic exercise I can work into my routine. I run three times a week but I still seem to keep an extra 10 pounds just above my waist.

Jacob – thanks for your questions! Here are 2 things to think about while you attack your lose 10lbs mission:
1. You can spot tone but not spot reduce – that is to say the muscles you work will get stronger and more toned depending on the intensity, frequency and amount of resistance you place on them; HOWEVER, your body does not burn fat in the area you’re working on – example, just because you do crunches doesn’t mean you burn fat in your abs – your body will burn fat from whatever it decides. So every time you exercise know that you’re getting stronger and certainly more toned, and yes, you’re burning fat but it is not where you might expect to burn it (scientists still don’t have a solution to which fat gets burned first and why).

2. I’m not a fan of traditional Situps – I’m a fan of conducting what I call an Atomic Crunch: hands on your ears, curl your upper torso 30 degrees off the floor while simultaneously lifting your bent knees to your nipples on your chest – do both at the same time and you’ll find that your lower back is supported, your upper abs will scream while your all important lower abs will be activated and eventually tighten (helping you get into a smaller pair of pants while strengthening your core). For further intensity, conduct these Atomic Crunches with “bicycling” your legs – that is alternating left knee to right elbow, then right knee to left elbow.

Stay tuned for Part III: focusing on Output and Input to lose 10 lbs. Most importantly, don’t you dare ever give up! Stay Fired UP and let me know how it goes!

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

Follow me on Twitter to check out last month's Operation Lose 10 Pounds.

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.

Link Your Passion & Your Purpose

Here's the formula: follow your passion and link it with a purpose . This is not rocket science folks - it's just hard work. It’s easier, though, when the work you’re doing is work that fires you up. One of my life’s passions is fitness – it has transformed my life from the days of being an asthmatic, sickly little kid to an adult with the confidence and courage to pursue what matters most to me in my life. Passion is a great start, and I would argue an absolute must for those considering embarking on a mission. But passion alone won’t be enough firepower for you when the going gets tough. You need to link this passion with a purpose, and the stronger the link, the stronger your resolve.

In the case of starting Perfect Fitness, and not quitting when we were down to the last few dollars, my purpose was wanting to tell my children to follow their dreams, just like their dad. If I failed and turned over every single stone so doing, then fine. But we hadn’t turned over every stone, even with the few dollars left, and under that next stone was the Perfect Pushup. I created a link so strong that failure just wasn’t an option. I could recite hundreds of SEAL stories where SEALs had a similar mentality on their missions and they found a way to succeed because they had built such a strong sense of purpose with their passion, that their persistent action was overwhelming fire superiority for anyone in their way. That’s exactly what I want you to think about:

• what’s your passion?
• create your purpose
• take persistent, unrelenting action to accomplish your mission

More to come, but I want to plant this seed with you now, because life is too short not to follow your dreams!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

FOX Biz interview re-cap

Teammates, did you all follow Mike's great barbeque advice?

If you missed the interview I did with David Asman on Fox Business News, here's a link. Check out the stage manager demo'ing the Perfect Pushup.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Watch Alden on FOX Biz Friday

Teammates, set your Perfect Pushups in front of the television tomorrow! David Asman*, the anchor of FOX Business "America's Nightly Scoreboard" is interviewing me -- 7 pm ET.

According to www.foxbusiness.net, “America’s Nightly Scoreboard” (7PM-8PM ET) is a fast-paced, primetime hour where viewers get a daily fix on who’s in, who’s out, whose stock is rising and whose star is falling. The people, the issues of the day, the companies and their CEO’s – all fair game. The Scoreboard tallies the hits, runs and errors."


CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

* Picture of David Asman courtesy of www.foxbusiness.com

Pushup is an Active Plank

Where in the world is the Perfect Plank? Teammates, Sean Glass has checked in with a picture of him pushing out Perfect Pushups on deck -- that's the Aegean Sea you see! (No Walking the Plank jokes teammates). I asked a journalist interviewing me the other day whether she had done her pushups before she called. Negative! So I asked her if she did yoga. Which she did ... which allowed me to point out that a Pushup is just an Active Plank, a move well-known to yoga practioners.

Here's how to do a Perfect Plank Pose, courtesy of CM Teammate Stew Smith (author and demonstrator!).


Plank Pose – Keep your back straight and abs tight while placing your elbows and toes on the floor and holding for as long as you can. Build up to 1:00 minute. Advanced is 3-5:00.

Plank Pose advanced – Pushup – Up Position – Tighten abs and keep your back straight. If shoulders bother you or arms are not built up – do this same exercise on your elbows where only your elbows and toes are touching.

Keep your pictures and stories coming! Send 'em to getfit@perfectpushup.com

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Martha's Vineyard Sandy Secrets

Teammates, where in the world is Tom Rancich? He and his VRHabilis partner, Elliott Alder, have been making Martha's Vineyard's South Beach safe for beach lovers.

Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times published a story on July 2, Navy vets put warmaking training to peaceful use, which featured the US Navy veterans co-owners of VRHabilis. Here are some excerpts:

"A group of Navy veterans have used skills honed over the course of their military careers to remove practice munitions dropped decades ago at former target ranges along South Beach (pictured above). The popular stretch of sand and surf that fronts on the Atlantic Ocean is far removed from the world's conflicts that shaped much of his training, but for Elliott Adler, co-owner of VRHabilis, the cleanup is an opportunity for veterans, some of whom are disabled, to do meaningful work. Tom Rancich, a former Navy SEAL, is a partner in the company and once commanded a specialized unit that included Mr. Adler.

Since April the men and their four employees have worked out of a small trailer parked on the beach. They have methodically moved along the shore searching the underwater terrain for any lost munitions. Safety, for the public and the crew, has been a primary concern. While one diver is in the water another is suited up and ready to assist at all times. Signs warn the public that they are not allowed within a set exclusion zone."

Bravo Zulu Tom and Elliott! Teammates, watch for a repost of one of Tom's popular blogs, "When Did You Last Do a Pushup?"

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Soccer Shape-up Workout

Teammates, one word: AWESOME!

“My name is Taylor M. I am 18 years old and got the Perfect Pushup about a year ago. My goal was to transform my body for the next step in my life, college. At first the objective was to be able to attract girls but after seeing the first results I achieved something greater. I learned determination, gained confidence, and was given a new positive out look on life. I did a photo shoot with a family friend and was wondering if I would be able to show Charlie Mike my photos so he could see my progress. If you could give me his email address that would be amazing. He has changed my life and I would like to personally thank him.

(THE NEW AND IMPROVED)
Taylor M”

Here’s Taylor’s workout. If you have a story of success you want to share with the CM Teammates, send it, along with a picture and your workout, to getfit@perfectpushup.com. Bravo Zulu Taylor!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

WORK OUT CYCLE NUMBER 1 (3-Weeks)

Day 1 Chest and Upper Quad

Day 2 Biceps and Hams

Day 3 Shoulders, Traps, and Low Quad or Ankle

Day 4 Triceps and Calves

Day 5 Back, Traps, and Abs

WORK OUT CYCLE NUMBER 2 (6-Weeks)

Day 1 Chest

Day 2 Back

Day 3 Legs

Day 4 Arms

Day 5 Shoulders

It's very important to add a week off when muscles aren’t recovering as well. Also, no two days would ever be the same. I alternated between 2 workout cycles. For example…for chest -- for one week I might do cable flies and save dumbbell flies for the next week. In a given month none of my days are the same because I keep them each diverse.

The Perfect Push Up was such a GREAT tool. I was able to invent new exercises that gave even more diversity to my workout as well.

For cardio I tried to run at least 3.8 miles after I worked out. Usually 1-2 hours after lifting, in order to rehydrate, reenergize, and burn any extra lactic acid. I try to run 3.8miles or more 3 or 4 times a week depending how many soccer games I’m playing. The specifics and thought behind my workout routine is hard to convey in an email. A lot of research was done to make sure I got the most out of every workout.

Taylor M.