During my time in the accounting field, I used one-arm push-ups extensively to promote strength
when my time was limited. It is common to work 12-16 hour days in a financial reporting environment,
and doing traditional “workouts” is impractical and dangerous after such a brutal and stressful
workday. Unlike many of my peers in the fitness industry, I don’t espouse a “What’s your fucking
excuse” philosophy. Life has legitimate challenges, and a one size fits all, no pain, no gain approach is
not the answer. Sometimes it is not about working harder but rather smarter that will move us toward
our goals. This brings me to today’s topic. Grease the Groove!
GTG is something I learned from the father of modern kettlebell training Pavel, no last name needed.
The idea is to “practice” a move through the day instead of performing a traditional workout. At its
core, GTG allows volume accumulation without building fatigue and provides an elegant protocol with
a great ROI with minimal risk. Anecdotal & scientific evidence tells us that performing high-intensity
movement for a few repetitions at a time and with plenty of rest in between can serve as a tonic for the
nervous system. You’ll feel refreshed, but most importantly, you’ll feel badass when you put this plan
into action. And we all know that it’s all about being badass, primarily if you work in accounting
because no one appreciates accountants. But I digress.
There is a strong argument that neural density plays a much more significant role in strength than large
muscles. This is how gymnasts, martial artists, and acrobats manage to perform incredible feats of
strength with minimal muscular development. Their ability to visualize the movement is greater than
the average person’s. Their nervous system acts as a superconductor that amplifies strength by the
sheer amount of perfect practice they engage in regularly. GTG does just that for your movement and
nervous system. All without building fatigue or excessive muscle mass, and instead, GTG upgrades
your software and hardware to the latest and most powerful systems available.
So how can you employ this ingenious and valuable technique in your regime? Let’s get to it.
The assumption is that you have anywhere from one to fifteen minutes at various times throughout the
day to get a little physical activity in and wake the heck up! Whether you are doing data entry,
reconciliations, or financial analysis, sitting for prolonged periods can wreak havoc on the body. The
very nature of the work can do the same to your mental state. That is why taking a brief (and I mean
brief as in one-minute) break can be a lifesaver when you are held hostage by the financial close. If
you know you will be working anything over twelve hours, consider setting a timer to alert you every
two hours that it is time to move. While moving every hour would be ideal, it is also impractical to break
away from a problematic reconciliation on which you have found your grove and are suddenly crushing
it. So do one hour if your work environment allows. Otherwise, go for the two-hour goal.
When the alarm hits the two-hour mark, stand up and lengthen your spine. Place your feet parallel to
each other, level your hips and get tall by driving your heels into the ground and the top of your head
towards the ceiling. Take care to lengthen while maintaining proper alignment from head to toes.
Common mistakes include tilting your pelvis forward and lifting your chin up. Many beginners tend to
hold their breath as well when performing this postural awareness drill, so be sure to fill your lungs.
Next, place your hands in front of your body with your elbows by your side and perform wrist circles,
followed by elbow circles and finally scapular camshafts. Now that you have warmed up the main
joints associated with the one-arm push-up in a neural manner, you are free to knock one out. Be sure
to start on your less skilled side so that when you switch sides, you’ll be on the “stronger” side, and it
will feel easier to perform. Also, it is a cool Jedi mind trick to finish on a solid repetition as you head
back to your work. Next, brace your deep core musculature by contracting your pelvic floor, transverse
abdominis, obliques, and rectus abdominis. Sniff air in through your nose and let some, not all, out
through pursed lips. You have now created intra-abdominal pressure and are primed to perform the
one-arm push-up safely and efficiently.
Here are some essential strategies to follow.
1st: Select the one-arm push-up variation that suits your skill level. If the form is not clean, you can get
hurt and discouraged. The idea is to give your nervous system an “I feel good” injection by stimulating
it powerfully, and performing repetitions with poor form will not be helping you accomplish that. So,
perfect form!
2nd, Don’t get carried away with the volume. It will feel good to stimulate your proprioceptive system
by combining dynamic joint mobility and a full tension, body-weight exercise, but you must exercise
prudence regarding volume. If you decide to go all gung-ho and perform ten repetitions instead of
singles, you will fry your nervous system and be even more of a wreck on day two of the close. You
know, the one where your boss kicks back all of your recs, and you get a solid three hours of work on
things that don’t even relate to the close. Yeah! That day… Day two. So please don’t overdo it with the
movement, as it is meant to help you feel better, not worse than before. Even if you have a full fifteen
minutes and the neural juice to crank them out, don’t go above five reps at a time. This is supposed to
be a strength-building exercise that should be performed slowly and under total control. If you are
getting more than five repetitions, you are either a Cirque De Solei performer or doing it wrong, just like
the reconciliations.
3rd, Go to a separate area whenever possible. For example, suppose you are only doing joint mobility
on that particular break. In that case, it is perfectly acceptable to stay in front of your computer and
even seated if that is all you need to reset and refresh your system. If you work in a cubicle, try to find
an empty conference room or office to perform your drills. If you have an office, go in front of your
desk to have a little more space to maneuver.
4th Everything I have described here can be applied to the one-legged squat or pistol to use the
parlance of the times.
While I went with a rather humorous depiction of what this might look like in an office setting, the
protocol works well for many professions, all of which have a much higher probability of doing it than
accountants do. That’s kind of mean. Oh well, it’s true.
For example, if you work in a gym environment, this type of training is not only welcomed, but
convenient as you have both the environment and equipment to do your greasing and grooving. When
I worked at Urban Bodies in North Park, San Diego, in 2007, I decided that I wanted to train for a onearm
pull-up. I did just that by performing a one-arm negative before the start of every personal
training session. In a few months, and without breaking a sweat, I got my one arm pull. Suppose you
are a police officer working long shifts and want to avoid being sore from your last workout but still
need to develop adequate attributes to support your profession. In that case, GTG provides a solution
and saves your hard sessions for when you can line it up with a few days of rest. That way, your
performance on the job never has to suffer due to poor training decisions. The same can be said of any
first responder, as GTG keeps you fresh for the fight.
All levity aside, the dangers of sedentary professions are well known and widely accepted. Sitting is
commonly called the new smoking in corporate wellness circles. High blood pressure, chronic fatigue,
diabetes, postural disorders, depression, high divorce rates, and the list goes on and on. The industry
has to take action to combat these genuine and hazardous trends or risk becoming synonymous with
dysfunction and disease.
A StrongFirst workshop can help you deliver an educational segment on your next professional
development day. Help your organization spark a shift away from the unhealthy habits rampant in
corporate America and begin on the path to a wholesome environment. Human beings can not just be
productive for their employers but also thrive in their personal lives when they are stronger and
healthier.
