My girlfriend started pushing my car after she saw how much bigger and stronger my legs got from pushing trucks. After a few workouts she was hooked. Nothing has ever worked better for reducing body fat in her legs and hips. These are troublesome areas for women. I do not think that it is site specific fat reduction. I think it is a combination of overall reduction in body fatness with a slight increase in lean mass in the legs, thus creating the illusion of localized fat loss.
I would start with a small car with a gross vehicle weight (GVR) of under 3000 pounds. You can find this right on the inside of the driver's door. As you open it up look on the frame and you should see a sticker with the GVR. Mark off about 70-100 feet and just push the car that distance.
Do not push for speed, at first you want to work on body positioning. Ideally you would form a 45 degree angle between your feet and hands. Since this varies due to a variety of factors, suffice it to say that you want to push with arms straight on the bumper or trunk, head up.
Start by pushing off of both legs, then move one leg on front of the other. You will need someone to steer the car. Just keep the car moving by walking forward until you cover the target distance. Then, walk to the front of the car and lean against it, pushing the car the same distance backwards.
Your partner is allowed to scream motivational words to you.
Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat 2-3 more times. You will want to keep track of your time for the distance. You increase your training by trying to move the car faster. Each time your goal will be to beat your previous best performance.
Do not do cardio or other sprint work on this day. Do this twice per week and weight train, nothing else. After a few weeks you can work up to 3 times per week, but I have found that 2 times is usually enough. You will be amazed at how much leaner you get with much less time spent on exercise. You can work up to heavier vehicles. I pushed a 10 ton truck 70 feet in about 17 seconds. When I started I was only able to push a 1.5 ton car the same distance in about 20 seconds. Tom
If you really want a great workout from pushing cars, try doing this: You don't need a steering partner, only yourself. Roll the driver's side window down, unlock the steering wheel (don't have the ignition in run position though), close the door and start pushing the car where the windshield post and front of the side window meet together. Steer the car with your right hand (left if you drive on the opposite side of the road from America). This gives an awesome workout to you.
How do I know? I'm a retired auto mechanic who's had to push many a cars in this fashion for years. Everything from little Geo Metros to big as a battleship '74 Cadillacs. My longest push was with a mid-sized car for 1/2 mile on flat ground (took car out for test drive, and it stalled) this way. Would be more impressive if it matched Henrick's truck pull... Good luck, have fun and be careful! Shawn
