Bodyweight Training - Step Up the Working Mans Exercise

Make no mistake about it, step ups will creep up on you and kick your ass. Simple, yet highly effective. This is an exercise that seems to be forgotten when it comes to other bodyweight exercises.

It's simple, all you do is find a sturdy bench and start stepping then step down and do this for a few minutes. Here's the thing, because very few people use the stairs this will be brutally hard for most.

If you think this exercise is not worthy try a 10 minute workout and I'm not talking about the chick T.V. workout step classes. I'm talking finding a bench at least 12" high and going all out for 10 minutes.

Here's another thing, for all you prisoner workout junkies who get sucked in by marketing of prison workout books, this exercise is actually a prison exercise but only a real prisoner who writes a book will add it in there, not the marketing genius. Why? Because it's a boring looking exercise and hard to sell.

We do this everyday every day and don't even realize it, and if you are one of those people that can't walk steps without a rail or need to put your hand on your knee to push off, you need to stop reading this and start reading somebody Else's site.

You can use stepping as part of an workout program that will build strength, quickness, balance, stamina and all you need is some stairs or a sturdy bench.

Simple work that you can try:

Do step ups 20 each leg as quick as you can, turn around throw your feet on the bench or stairs your using and do 20 pushups - Repeat this for 10 minutes non stop if you can. Really try it and tell me how easy it is.

To push a little harder use weighted back packs or a sand bag on your shoulder and see how it is for the working man that is a laborer, tougher yet.

Check these world records out for weighted step ups I did 158 wearing a 50lb back pack in 5 minutes on 15" bench. Paddy Doyle came back and beat it doing 164. Step ups on a 15" bench wearing 100 lb back pack 105 in 5 minutes is a feat.

I have done 7 sets on a 17" bench in 10:00 minutes 40 step ups each set and 20 pushups legs on bench for a total of 280 step ups and 140 elevated pushups.