Too used to your own bodyweight? Let’s fix that.
As we’ve mentioned before, bodyweight exercises are a great way to get a nice, steady burn without relying on outside equipment, or even leaving the house. The downside to bodyweight exercises, however, is that if you’re using your entire muscle mass to move that same muscle mass, then sooner or later, you’re body’s just going to get used to it. At that point, it’s just like standing; it’s not something you have to put effort into. To remedy this, you need an exercise that forces you to move more of your weight with less of your muscles. You need the archer-position bodyweight skullcrusher. That’s eleven syllables of pure workout right there.
The APBS shifts the vast majority of your bodyweight onto a single muscle group- the triceps, to be specific. That boils down to lifting almost all of your bodyweight with a single arm. Hope you weren’t too attached to that shirt, ’cause the sleeves are gonna get ripped.
According to Ebenezer Samuel, fitness director of Men’s Health, “every muscle throughout your core and torso is working to help you stabilize and avoid compensations. Meanwhile, your triceps is working in isolation to raise your entire body.”
Here’s how to do it:
- Your starting position is a plank, elbows under the shoulders and cores and glutes tightened.
- Move your right arm out at straight 90-degree angle. Shift your torso leftward, keeping your weight in your left arm. Make sure those cores and glutes are tight!
- With your torso tight, straighten your left elbow, gradually moving the torso upward. Pause, give your triceps a squeeze, then move back to the ground.
- Repeat 6 to 8 times for 3 sets.
If that seems simple, trust me, the weight will more than make up for it. Add this to a bodyweight set, or do it on chest day to really give your upper body something to sweat about.
