The 60 Staggered Push-up Challenge to Enhance Your Body in 30 Days

Are you looking for a new challenge to get in better shape for the warmer months?

Then why not attempt the 60 Staggered Push-up Challenge to enhance your body today? 

The Staggered Push-up:

This is an advanced exercise since it incorporates more core, shoulder, and triceps stability than the Traditional Push-up, and therefore, this push-up assimilates more strength in your rotator cuffs. Moreover, the “staggered” position of your hands will help in creating more overall strength when performing other push-ups that otherwise start with your hands shoulder-width apart. The Staggered Push-up builds lean muscle in the primary movers of this exercise which are the: anterior and medial deltoid muscles, pectoralis major and pectorals minor muscles, triceps, and gluteus maximus muscle. This push-up can be considered a “moveable plank” since the core is utilized for strength just as much as the upper body is during performance. Correct staggered push-ups should be performed with the upper body, torso, and lower body moving as one unit. 

Starting Position: 

Begin with your arms in a traditional push-up position, but then stagger your hands by moving one upwards about six inches (away from the shoulder), and the other downwards (towards your waist) about six inches, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Your legs are locked, knees and feet are together with your heels up and your body weight forward on your hands, all of which create a more challenging core workout.

To Perform: 

Once you rise up from one push-up, continue to execute the next repetition while keeping your core in the neutral spinal position. The optimal goal is to have your gentle nose touch the floor with every repetition. The elbow that is forward should be bent at 90-degrees while your rear elbow is bent at 40-degrees.

Tips: 

Particularly while performing this push-up, it’s vital to maintain the neutral spinal position (top of your shoulders, mid-back, and gluteus maximus muscles are all perfectly aligned together) for engaging optimal core movement muscles. Most importantly, this positioning in your spine encourages more overall strength for your body when performing movement patterns and helps develop optimal posture. Additionally, actively engaging your gluteus maximus muscles helps perform this push-up more easily. It’s crucial that the gluteus maximus muscles are strong because when they are weak, various compensations can occur in the body. Compensations can lead to the over-stressing of certain muscles, which can result in strain or injury. Specifically, muscular imbalances in the pelvis can prevent you from performing and maintaining the neutral spinal position during Staggered Push-ups. Stronger gluteus maximus muscles help prevent muscular imbalances that can occur in the pelvis. 

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Shaun Zetlin

As the son of a professional bodybuilder, Shaun was exposed to weightlifting and exercise at a very young age. After overcoming his own physical limitations having been born with club feet and gross motor skills, Shaun made it his mission to share his passion and knowledge of proper fitness and health to help others meet their fitness goals.

For over ten years, Shaun has successfully run his own personal training business in the New York City Metro area. Able to relate and adapt to each individual, Shaun prides himself on developing exercise plans and nutritional menus to foster every client's fitness needs. His clientele ranges from the athlete, and senior citizen, to bodybuilder, and dancer. Shaun's specialties include: strength training, power techniques, corrective injury training, and core stability training.

In addition to the highly regarded Master Trainer status, Shaun is a certified personal trainer of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). With NASM Shaun also holds specialized certifications in: Pre- and Post-Natal, Corrective Exercise Practices, Cardiovascular Weight Loss, Youth Training, Senior Citizen Training, Balance Training, Core Stabilization, and Self Myofascial Release (SMR). Additionally, Shaun is certified by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Sports Performance Nutrition Specialist, with training in the Female Athlete, Knee & Shoulder Rehabilitation, and Marathon Training. Shaun earned his Bachelors degree in English Literature and Writing from the University of Delaware.

Shaun's first full-length book, "Push-up Progression Workout for a Stronger Core" is currently available worldwide both in paperback and e-book formats. It was featured as one of three top books in 2013 for healthy living as selected by Dr. John Whyte of The Discovery Channel. His latest book, "Push-up Progression (2nd Edition)" has already achieved great success and notoriety in the world of fitness. It is currently featured in bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom in paperback and available wherever e-books are sold. Shaun has had a multitude of articles, program designs, and tips published within a variety of books, magazines, and on websites in the world of fitness and beyond including: Price World Publishing, Demos Medical Publishing, Livestrong, Rodale Books, OnFitness Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Brides Magazine, and GO: AirTran Magazine. Additionally, Fitness Professional Online recognizes Shaun as an "expert," answering questions for other fitness and health professionals.

Shaun also has media experience in both television and radio, ranging from fitness modeling, to hosting his own weekly radio fitness show.

Latest posts by Shaun Zetlin

• The Role of Exercise in Stress Management - May 9, 2017
• X-Push Up - December 27, 2016
• Fit Pros, How To Properly Progress Your Client’s Push-Up? - October 26, 2016