Push-Up Confessions

The answer is ‘no’, 100 push-ups is still the Atlantis of our physical prowess. Michael dropped out of the running after two weeks, Kristine lasted until about week five and then even though she was still getting stronger she started to miss a day, then another, and then wasn’t doing push-ups at all. I made it to week six but wasn’t getting stronger enough to keep up with the regiment. I checked in with my friend Darren, who had supposedly also taken up the challenge. He wrote back and was having the same kind of struggle to keep up in the second half of the program. We think maybe the author just made a simple typo and meant 100 Push-Ups in 7 Months (not weeks).

So that’s about where I stand now. I’m still doing the routines, although not as religiously as I should, and I cycle between weeks four, five, and six. Another five months and I’ll be doing 100 push-ups no problem… or so I hope.

P.S. Stephanie, I apologize it took me so long to respond.

Week 5: Push-Up Challenge

Kristine and I just finished our 5th week of the push-up challenge. We’ve taken a couple serendipitous rest days but are still on track otherwise.

The number of sets has increased as well as the number of push-ups per set. Even with harder workouts we’re still making headway on the max-out final set. Kristine has gone from initially maxing out at 8 push-ups to a recently breaking through 30. I hit 50 a few weeks back and then backslide a ways as the sets got harder and I didn’t seem to be keeping up as well as Kristine was. But recently I’ve been gaining some ground back and maxing out at 55 after a long workout.

We look forward to performing a max set of push-ups once we’ve completed the 7-week workout two weeks from now. We’ll probably take a couple days rest after our last day of the program. We’ll stretch, warm-up and then take turns at completing 100 consecutive push-ups. Regardless of the outcome we’ll continue the push-up workout. It’s been a great workout that really doesn’t take much time at all. Kristine has also been flexing a whole lot more lately and kind of thinks her new muscles aren’t so bad, maybe even enviable–if that’s possible without being too egotistical.

100 Push-Up Challenge

Well, without Smith Rock, Yosemite, and Red Rocks we’re settling in to the very flat landscape of the place we now call ‘home’ by taking on some weird challenges. We’ve been to the library a couple times and picked up more books than we read total last year, but that’s our ambition coming out again. One book I picked up was 7 Weeks to 100 Push-Ups, by Steve Speirs. I used to do push-ups as a kid. My Dad was perpetually setting the goal of 100 for the number of consecutive push-ups he wanted me to be able to do. Even though I participated I was never really all that in to it. I’ve done push-ups as general exercise for the last few years on-and-off and without a routine. I seemed to have reached a comfortable plateau around 35. I checked-out the book even though I usually dismiss gimmicky crap.

I then got Kristine and my brother Michael to join the cause. I mean none of use could lose anything by going for it. The program begins by figuring out the number of maximum push-ups that you can do. I tested in at 32, which put me in the Advanced 2 program. Kristine did 8 and so would start out in the Intermediate 1 program. Michael did 15 and would follow the Intermediate 2 program.

The program says you only work out three days a week and so we’re following the Monday, Wednesday, Friday approach. We’re just over one week into the program and I’ve already maxed out at 50 push-ups, Kristine has just about doubled her max number of push-ups and has done 15, and Michael maxed at 25. This all feels pretty impressive for the little time that we’ve spent pushing up.

The three of us will be getting down on all fours and sweating for the next six weeks as we set our sights on the following badge. As soon as we reach our goal of 100 consecutive push-ups we’ll put up a badge for each of us on the left-hand column.

100! Mucho Gusto!