One Hundred Pushups Challenge

[QuirkyJessi]

My upper body has never had the greatest of strength. I've never even been able to do the monkey bars, lol. It's strange because even during a time of constantly lifting kids and working on a farm where lifting large bags of food/water was done multiple times a day, I still couldn't hold my own weight. As for push-ups, I can do about 15-25 (depending on my current state) and really don't think I could do much more than that, even with constant effort to increase, lol. I used to work out 3-5 times weekly with weight training and still sucked in the arms. Good luck to everyone else who is doing it, though. I'll try it with the next exercise you choose.

[Katalina]

I finally got up the nerve to do the initial test. I did 12 "real" pushups which put me at the top of level 2 (Over 40). Better than I thought.

[Sneakyheathen]

Originally Posted by Katalina

I finally got up the nerve to do the initial test. I did 12 "real" pushups which put me at the top of level 2 (Over 40). Better than I thought.

Yay for level twos!

[Bloggeries]

Originally Posted by QuirkyJessi

My upper body has never had the greatest of strength. I've never even been able to do the monkey bars, lol. It's strange because even during a time of constantly lifting kids and working on a farm where lifting large bags of food/water was done multiple times a day, I still couldn't hold my own weight. As for push-ups, I can do about 15-25 (depending on my current state) and really don't think I could do much more than that, even with constant effort to increase, lol. I used to work out 3-5 times weekly with weight training and still sucked in the arms. Good luck to everyone else who is doing it, though. I'll try it with the next exercise you choose.

Cop out self limiting / self fulfilling prophecy Jessi! If you can do 15-26 you can do way way way way way more after the 6 weeks. It's broken down into sets so it's not that hard. I mean 15-26!? That's more than the majority of people STARTING the program!

If you don't WANT to do it that's totally cool but don't sell yourself short saying you can't when we all know; especially you that you CAN!

[QuirkyJessi]

Lmao Rob! Did you miss the part about me working out quite a bit? I took a year course for college where I did weight training and was there 4 times a week...that's what worked me up to being able to do 25 pushups but I could never do more than that, even with almost 9 months of training. Give me situps, leg lifts, endurance tests....any of it and I'll be right there working up to it with you. There's something about my arms, though...they hate me.

[Bloggeries]

Originally Posted by QuirkyJessi

Lmao Rob! Did you miss the part about me working out quite a bit? I took a year course for college where I did weight training and was there 4 times a week...that's what worked me up to being able to do 25 pushups but I could never do more than that, even with almost 9 months of training. Give me situps, leg lifts, endurance tests....any of it and I'll be right there working up to it with you. There's something about my arms, though...they hate me.

I was just giving you a hard time

OK like WOW!

Just finished day 3 of week 1, 15,13,10,10,15.5

I'm sweating like I just ran a marathon; totally out of breath and I physically spent. I dropped on my chest half way through the 16th on the last set which was at least 15.

I want to do this but I realize I am going to have to make some changes like try and get more sleep; eat well etc. Pushups were never my strong suit.

That being said my chest and abs look way different then when I first started doing any pushups so we'll see what happens. I will have to be more serious though if I want to complete; end of week 1 shouldn't of been this hard. Then again I didn't get much sleep this week and last Saturday went out until 6AM .

Time will tell but wow harder than I thought so far.

[MikeFarho]

Hi all. Just finished #BodyPump 46 and day 3 of week 2 of hundredpushups.com

My 5th set was 17 pushups. That last one was really slow! I wanted 19.

Hey Jessi, It would be cool to see how a 6 week program does against a 9 month program.

Research has found that more than 3 weight workouts a week are less productive than 2 workouts per week. (ACE fitness trainer manual) Some pro bodybuilders work each muscle group only once a week. Pushups are a total upper body workout, more shoulders and chest than arms, unless your hands are close to your body. Then it is a tricep workout.

[MikeFarho]

Looks like you are going to pass me up Rob.! Good work! Week one was a killer for me too.

[Bloggeries]

Originally Posted by MikeFarho

Looks like you are going to pass me up Rob.! Good work! Week one was a killer for me too.

I may be out of breath but I have a smile on my face. Mediocrity is an atrocity.

Regarding X workouts a week. I remember reading and hearing that the majority of people "working out" quit sooner than later because they over-train. Over-training is a popular method of killing progress.

You stimulate muscles in the gym; you grow outside by sleeping and eating right.

[rjleaman]

Originally Posted by MikeFarho

Research has found that more than 3 weight workouts a week are less productive than 2 workouts per week. (ACE fitness trainer manual) Some pro bodybuilders work each muscle group only once a week. Pushups are a total upper body workout, more shoulders and chest than arms, unless your hands are close to your body. Then it is a tricep workout.

I have to agree with this - not that I've read the research, but just from experience and a basic knowledge of basic biology. We build muscle by straining it - like making tiny stress-tears in the fibre - so there needs to be downtime in between so that the muscle can repair: that's how it grows and strengthens.

When I was bodybuilding (don't get impressed, just low level regional competitions, back a good many years), I did train 6 days a week. But yes, it was a rotation of different workouts for different muscles groups. Not just different areas of the body, but divided into workouts for the large and small muscles in those areas too...

As for the 100 Pushup Challenge status report -
I got through Week 1 Day 2 last night (though it was after midnight again, by the time I got to it, despite Rob's nagging )... and can certainly feel it today! Not quite sure how I'm going to manage to get through Week 1 Day 3, if it leaves you big macho men with the panting wobblies...