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One of my quests for physical fitness happened about the same time that Jack Palance did his famous one-handed Oscar push-ups, so I decided that it would be totally rockstar if I could do that too! I mean, here was a seriously antique guy, wiping up the stage with the whipper snappers who didn't have upper body strength, and me? I set a goal. My plan went like this:

Step 1: Learn Trick to One-Handed Push-Up
Step 2: Achieve One-Handed Push-Up
Step 3: World Domination

In fact, my training schedule jumped right over traditional push-ups all together (note: you are NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THIS). Instead, I'd lay in the middle of my living room floor, make the triangle with my body and then sit there and try to push up with one hand. After all, I had loads of upper body strength! Unfortunately, I also had loads of upper body. It was not a comfortable way to watch television and after about a week, I just went back to my fitness routine of swimming a mile a day (which gave me a glorious ripple on that muscle that goes under your boob...yeah, not too clear on anatomy either, but boobs perky for the first time ever!)

Whenever I think of push-ups, I always think of them as a punishment, probably from every army movie that ever was (Stripes, anyone?).

But really, Louis Gossett Jr.'s shouty Sergeant wasn't full of bunk (although I must point out that this article is super mondo sexist). The common push-up is a good measure of health and fitness and is apparently very important, even when you get to use both hands. Plus, it's something you can do right in your home with zero fancy equipment. Even if you ease into them "girl style," kneeling rather than balancing on your feet, you're still getting loads of upper body resistance. Plus, it can become a weird family togetherness thing: Erin challenged her husband to a Push Up-Off in their living room when she missed her boot camp training class.

Personally, I think I'm still a little scarred by the President's Fitness thing when I was in high school, with "push-up" having the same kind of emotional response as "electric chair" or "live maggots" or "Croc shoes." I think tonight I'm going to try a couple while watching The Biggest Loser, but in my head I'm going to call them "fast yoga."