In my 12 years as an automotive technician, I must confess that the latter part of this career is where the "big picture" came into view. In the beginning, maybe we all start the same, changing oil, batteries, and tires. For me this started back in 2006 when I had just got out of the Navy, I was 22 years old and the only experience to speak of was from being in the engine room on a ship. I did well during my time in the Navy and advanced to the top position in my department, but this life was not for me. So upon exiting, I started working for Freightliner as a diesel technician. Of course, they started me out light with wheel bearings and maintenance, but I took on the big jobs as well and soon became the main heavy-line guy. This was a good job, and if I look back on what helped me succeed I'd have to say it was a combination of 1-being patient while the shop tests your abilities. 2-being on-time every day and staying on task. 3-studying the product literature to understand it fully. 

The next phase of life moved me to a new part of the US, and with that, I took the first job available at Sears Auto Center. This place was terrible, the staff was full of high school students who were either acting aloof or stealing inventory. It was relatively easy to advance to the next levels there, but I could not get along with the staff or management. I kept applying to dealerships for a lube-tech position and finally got hired at Honda. This is where I started to let the negative attitudes of those around me affect my ability to focus, I was arguing with people and started making mistakes. I eventually got laid off due to these personal failures on my part, and this followed me on a deep level for many years. So you can see here how important attitude is, a good one can keep you appreciative and focussed ​where a bad one can distract you and create conflict. Fast forward through the next 3 jobs I held at various shops and the same thing happens, it starts out great and I advance quickly. However lurking inside me is a general feeling of being unappreciated, and I fall into the same behavior over and over again. ​

At some point I finally figured out that the industry ranks you based on certifications from ASE, I bought a book and studied for A1 for 2 weeks. I felt pretty confident and went to take the exam, but I barely passed. I was both relieved and surprised at the same time, I thought I knew what I was doing by now. Guess not. This stunned me and I didn't take another ASE exam until it was time to re-certify. Years later with a lot more field experience is when I got serious about my career and passed all 8 exams within the same quarter. This is when I made the Youtube video below sharing how I studied and what materials to get. So the other important message here is to take certifications seriously. There is no shortage of technicians out there who will say ASE's don't prove anything, and hey maybe that's true on some level. However, what I offer in response is that you get a  regular refresher course  on how every part of the vehicle works. Another positive is that employers will pay for the tests!...and most managers will give you a raise based on how many you can pass, so hey that's a win-win-win for a tech right! 

About 5 years ago I met a senior master technician who would always take the time to explain how something works or help with a diagnosis, let's call him Rick. Rick was an older man full of grey hair and knowledge, I remember how every time I would ask him about an issue I was having with a car he had the same first response. "did you see anything in the data?". I would sigh and tell him I forgot to look and hastily started taking things apart. Then he would remind me how your brain and the scanner are the two most important tools, and how your expensive Snap-on tools won't help you here, and work smarter not harder, blah blah blah. I can say now with absolute certainty that he was right. This is another reason how the ASE's are so beneficial, especially A6, A8, and L1. After studying and passing those exams I became ten times more accurate with data diagnosis. Time is money.

The last topic I want to touch on is quality control or checking your work at the end of a repair. This can mean many things based on the type of repair you performed, but ALWAYS do a road test! Don't be that guy who lets a car run in their stall for a while and calls it good, most issues won't show up until you put the related components under a prolonged load. I'm not saying to spend a half-hour out driving, but at least do 10 minutes with some freeway and don't be afraid to go full throttle when merging. The customer will do the same thing so be sure to give them back a car you have put through real-world tests. When you return from the test drive, put the vehicle back on the lift if you replaced a component that may leak. Don't just assume it's ok based on how the ground looks under the vehicle [this has tricked me before]. If you encounter a customer that has returned for a re-check or comeback, its good practice to also do a QC road test with them or management. This way at least everyone can verify the repair.

All of the information in this publication is just from my personal experience in southern California. In the automotive industry, there are several people who make it to leadership positions based on their years of service, or sometimes who they know. Nepotism IS a real problem as well.  However, we can do nothing about that, all we can do is focus on ourselves and our reputation. Decide what direction you want to go whether it be field engineer, shop foreman, service manager, or even shop owner..and work towards that. Be the best you can be and have a good attitude, get yourself on LinkedIn and network. I get offers all the time from recruiters on there, it's obvious the industry has a lack of good technicians. Let's change that.

I'm no stranger to the gym, I have been doing some type of workout since my high school days. I was one of the top powerlifting competitors at state finals in my region every year. After graduation, I joined the Navy and again, even on a rocking ship, I was always in the gym. After that, I have been an automotive technician and wanna-be race car driver. So I resorted to the push-up to keep me some-what in shape, no gym fees or drama. I would follow this "Navy Seal Workout" on bodybuilding.com.

You can see here that the above program gradually increases your total number of reps each week either through adding another set or adding 5 reps to each set. This is essentially training you with volume increases. I found this to be an easy progression since I wasn't hitting my max at any point, however, it does get difficult during the second 9 weeks when you're doing up to 400.

After dealing with this issue for 2 years I finally decided to slowly start strengthening my body again, I had lost most of my muscle mass by this time and had put on 10lbs. I wanted to avoid the traps specifically, but do something to regain my strength. So naturally I went back to the push-up, full range of motion but I started very light. I started doing 20 every morning, the next week I did 25, then 30, etc. I maxed out at 45 and stayed there for several weeks, so I decided to add sets to do 100 every day. The first set was 45, then 30, then 25, resting 2 minutes between sets. I was sore for the first week but recovered and the 100 became easy as well. I believe I did the 100 per day for a month before I got bored and wanted more challenge. 

Now that I was feeling extra confident, I decided to start doing 100 before AND after work. That 200 per day lasted about a week before I started getting a serious burn sensation in my shoulders. I took a week off, then recorded myself doing pushups to check my form. I was sagging my back. To correct this I watched a bunch of videos on how to do a proper pushup and decided to add an audio aid for proper cadence. At the same time, I stumbled across a video of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the '80s talking about how he "trained to failure". So naturally, I incorporated that as well. The cadence video is below:

The plan: Max out 4 sets and only rest 2 minutes. I did my first set of 40, then 20, 20, 20 equaling 100 reps total. I continued with this method but only did the workout every other day, I wanted my body to get a full rest day to maximize results. Here is how the rest of the month went:

Day 7: 40-25-20-20=105
Day 9: 40-25-20-20=105
Day 11: 44-29-20-20=113
Day 13: 44-27-20-25=116
Day 15: 45-30-20-20=115
Day 17: 45-25-25-20-115
Day 19: 50-30-20-20=120
Day 21: 50-30-25-20=125
Day 23: 55-30-25-20=130
Day 25: 55-30-25-20=130
Day27: 55-30-25-25=135
Day 29: 55-30-25=25=135
Day 31: 60-30-25-20=135

Well...sadly there wasn't much of a difference in how my body looks. When I examine the before and after pictures you can see just a bit more definition in my chest, shoulders, and back.  The more obvious gains came in the form of strength, my max went up 20% and my following sets (endurance) gained 5%. 

These are strength gains I never saw when just shooting for a number like 100 or 200 per day. The "reps until failure" technique is vastly more difficult, and it had me shaking and breathing harder than I ever had before doing pushups. So in conclusion, pushups alone are not enough to keep your whole body strong and if you want to get the most out of your pushups (maybe any workout) shouldn't you be pushing yourself to the extreme edge, while maintaining proper form?

I don't know how long it will take to grow muscle mass with pushups, I'm not even sure you can. I feel stronger, but the visual gains aren't there. I know you need heavier weights and fewer reps to build muscle, so does that mean you need equipment for mass as well? Can you wear a weight vest and do pushups and get the same result? 

I've decided to purchase dumbells and start testing the results of progressive overload for muscle growth, stay tuned as I will update soon with the results I've noticed. 

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts and experiences.