CORE CRUSHER: The “Crazy Eights” Pushup Variation
Summary
Jeff Cavaliere of AthleanX introduces a finisher exercise called “Crazy Eights” — a descending ladder pushup protocol performed on medicine balls. Designed to be added at the end of a chest workout, it combines upper body strength with core stability and an extended time under tension stimulus to exhaust muscle fibers that conventional sets may miss.
Key Points
- Use it as a finisher, not a standalone workout — perform it at the end of your existing chest routine when fatigue is already high
- The exercise is a tripod pushup on three medicine balls, which dramatically increases the core stability demand compared to a standard pushup
- The “Crazy Eights” protocol follows a descending ladder: 8 reps → rest 8 seconds → 7 reps → rest 7 seconds → all the way down to 1 rep, totaling 36 reps per set
- The rest periods shrink as the reps decrease, making the later rounds progressively harder despite fewer reps
- Medicine balls are more challenging than kettlebells for this movement due to the balance and stability demands
- Perform the full protocol 1–3 times as your finishing set
- The goal is to tap into muscle fibers not recruited during standard working sets by combining fatigue, instability, and prolonged time under tension
Exercise Details
Crazy Eights — Medicine Ball Tripod Pushup Ladder
Target Muscles
- Chest (primary)
- Core / stabilizers (significant secondary demand)
- Shoulders and triceps (standard pushup synergists)
Proper Form Cues
- Set up in a tripod position with both hands on separate medicine balls and feet on a third medicine ball
- Maintain a stable, balanced base throughout each rep and during rest holds
- Hold the top or bottom position during the prescribed rest interval — this is not passive rest, it is an active stability hold
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping or shortening the hold periods — these are described as the hardest and most important part of the protocol
- Performing this exercise earlier in the workout rather than as a true finisher, which reduces its intended effect of targeting deeply fatigued muscle fibers
- Choosing a surface (e.g., flat floor) that eliminates the instability challenge central to the exercise’s design
Sets/Reps Recommendation
- 1–3 rounds of the full descending ladder (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1)
- 36 total reps per round
- Rest intervals are built into the protocol (8 sec, 7 sec, 6 sec… down to 1 sec)