Never one to rest on his laurels, Hugh Jackman is still finding new ways to build muscle and challenge his body at 57. Taking to Instagram, the Hollywood actor recently shared footage of himself performing deficit chain push-ups.
They're every bit as brutal as they sound – and fitting for the actor best known as Wolverine. With a heavy chain draped around his neck and his hands elevated on two weight plates, Jackman performs an advanced push-up variation that takes him through an extended range of motion.
'Best to stay fit,' Jackman writes, 'rather than chase it. I remind myself of this every time Beth [Lewis, his trainer] wants another set.'
How to Do Deficit Chain Push-Ups
- Set up two weight plates, yoga blocks or anything else that provides an elevated surface for your hands. Position them so your hands are shoulder-width apart.
- Grab a chain and drape it around your neck, ensuring it's comfortable before getting into a high plank position.
- Place your hands on the elevated surface and brace your core and glutes to create full-body tension.
- Lower your chest towards the ground with your elbows below your shoulders, creating an arrow shape with your body. Continue below hand level until you feel a deep stretch through your chest.
- Push back up explosively, pressing the floor away until your arms are fully extended.
- Repeat.
Why Deficit Chain Push-Ups Work
Increased Strength
Once regular push-ups become too easy, it's important to progressively overload the movement. Elevating the hands increases the range of motion, while adding a chain increases the resistance.
The exercise also provides variable resistance, matching your natural strength curve so the movement is most challenging just as your chest comes off the floor.
'The deficit builds strength at the hardest, weakest point of the movement, which carries over to bench pressing and standard push-ups, and it improves shoulder mobility and control under load in that deep position,' says Gary Lockwood, CEO of 24/7 Fitness. 'Jackman achieves a fuller, better-developed chest, stronger and more resilient shoulders, and improved pressing strength at end range.'
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Increased Range of Motion
By placing your hands on an elevated surface, your chest can travel below hand level at the bottom of each rep, creating a deeper stretch through the pecs.
'That deeper stretch is where the magic happens,' Lockwood explains. 'The main benefit is greater muscle activation through a longer range of motion. Training a muscle in its stretched position, particularly the chest and front delts, has been shown to be one of the strongest drivers of hypertrophy. You're essentially getting more work per rep without adding load.'
Reduced Risk of Injury
'Like Hugh, I am a man in my 50s and I no longer enjoy the injury risks of heavy flat benching. I imagine Hugh feels the same and wants the benefits without the injury risk. Deficit push-ups are a great alternative,' Lockwood adds.
Deficit push-ups also place less stress on the joints and connective tissue than heavy pressing movements, while the increased range of motion encourages stricter technique because you can't shorten the rep.
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