When I showed the Spiderman Push Up to my friend and business partner Ryan Smith, he said immediately, "Maybe we should call that The Villegas!" I didn't get it. Then, Ryan reminded me that Camilo Villegas, the pro golfer, has an unusual posture on the green as he tries to determine the line. It
looks a lot like the end position of the Spiderman Push Up.
A Spiderman Push Up is a push up but in the down position you pull one knee up toward your shoulder. Then, when you push back up, you return the leg to the original position. On the next repetition, you move the other leg in the same way.
Why do this drill? Well, it's one way to increase the intensity of a push up. A regular push up uses about 70% of your body weight as resistance. A Spiderman Push Up increases that load another 10% and it creates an unbalanced load; more load on the side of the leg that has moved.
If a regular push up is too difficult for you, you can modify it by starting on hands and knees instead of hands and toes. I also like to use a heavy band to counter the weight of the body. Here's a video of it.
Since this is an advancement of the regular push up, look for the common form faults and either correct the faults or make the drill easier to perform.
