The 3P workout method

This is a very interesting concept. I came up with this when I was wrestling with my cousin about 2 years back and even though I was a regular gym goer, I felt sore the very next day. At this point I was intrigued to see what exactly I did during the wrestling session that it engaged the muscles that I had not worked on? The point to note is that the soreness was present in the smaller muscle groups in places like the calves, the lower part of the lower back, the end tip of the traps (shoulder muscles that attach to the neck) and the inner triceps. After thinking about it for some time, I realized that there were two major aspects to the entire wrestling session – Pushups and pulling. However, these were not the traditional controlled push and push movements that we do in a gym. There were a lot of jerks and sudden burst of power involved. After a lot of pondering and recalling I came up with the 3P method which can help you burn fat and tone up/define the muscles that you really want to show. The 3P stands for ‘Pull Push Partner’ routine. The thing is that you cannot do this workout alone, hence the term ‘Partner’. Here is what you need to do.

Look for an open area where you have at least 50 meters of space – like a track. You will start with a warm up which can be anything as long as it gets the heart pumping and makes you feel a bit warm. Now grab your partner’s hands in whatever way you feel comfortable and start pulling. The pull should not be a continuous pull, think of a rowing machine; the difference is that you are standing up and moving one step backward after each pull. So after each pull, take a step (or two) back and pull your partner towards you with one powerful jerk. As for the partner, he/she should not try to pull back but provide resistance. The partner’s arms and forearms should make an angle of about 90 – 130, back should be straight and knees slightly bent. These steps are very important to avoid injury. You are not to stop between pulls, it should be high intensity, high power and high speed.

Once you complete the 50 meters, start pushing your partner. The concept remains the same that the partner will provide resistance and you will get a GOOD workout. Repeat this 3 – 5 time and then you become the resistance provider and your partner can get the workout.

Some points that are very important – You and your partner should more or less be at the same level of fitness. You don’t have to be exactly the same but some what similar. WARM UP is absolutely vital. You don’t want to pull a muscle or anything so make sure you are warmed up.

I have actually used this technique on a few of my partner clients and it has worked very well because by the end of the workout, you will FEEL like you have had a workout. The workout reminds me of this machine where you sit and pull the handles, then push them with a big wheel on the side that provided resistance. At one time it was said to be the best machine for full body workouts. If you want to be innovative, you can replace your partner with some other kind of resistance provider like say a small car. Anything would do as long as you can pull and push it.

The 3P method works on the HIIT and Supersets concepts which are both excellent for fat loss and muscle gain. I for one always enjoy this workout so I would urge you to have a go as well. Please do leave comments on what you think about the 3P workout method.