Handstand Push-Ups on a “Total Gym”

Not long ago someone e-mailed me to ask if I had ever tried “Handstand Push-Ups” on a “Total Gym,” where you can adjust the incline so that you are using approximately 68 percent of your total body weight.

My answer is: Great Idea—Awesome Workout—and Yes, I tried it after a friend asked me to do so, and give him my feed back.

My immediate impression was that it provided a solid workout and it certainly focused on the deltoids and triceps very directly. It was also easy to perform push-ups with body facing down or body facing up (in other words, on your back).

My sense is that this would be a great way for a person lacking in strength to start at a very low angle of resistance and gradually work his way up to 68 percent of his body weight. Believe me, if someone can knock off 30 reps at the steepest angle, he has developed some remarkably strong and enduring deltoids and triceps.

There’s only one downside to the whole thing. My workout preference—and every book I’ve published—have always been based on the concept that all you need for a great workout is your own body and some knowledge of how to use it.

That said, the only obvious problem with training on a “Total Gym” is that it makes you dependent upon a “Total Gym.” But if you have access to this piece of equipment, then I say, Go for it!—J.P.