How fast can I reach 100 continuous push ups in a row?
In order to get myself into the best shape possible, I realized I needed a challenge to pursue. One of the things I miss the most about sports is the competition aspect of them. This includes practice, or training with a specific goal in mind. In the case of most sports I was training to perform in an upcoming game. If you are like me then one of the most motivating scenes ever filmed for a move in the Rocky 4 training montage. Something about that scene has me ready to train and push my body harder than I ever thought possible. When I was in high school I used to watch the movie Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwartzenger , before I would head to the gym to workout.
Sometimes we have to find a source of motivation outside of just wanting to get in great shape or look good. That’s why challenging yourself to reach a specific goal, like 100 continuous push ups , can help you to stay on track when you have difficult days. It is how you respond on the difficult days that will determine the results you are able to achieve. Having a goal in front of you that you are moving towards is a great way to stay consistent and on track.
It can take several weeks for your body to begin to show visible results of your training efforts and this can be discouraging since most people are looking for immediate results. If you have a tangible goal that has a way for you to measure your progress towards it, then you will know you are progressing and that you training efforts are producing results. As you are able to see this progress and track it, you will be more likely to stay committed to working hard and moving forward with your health and fitness goals.
This brings me back to the 100 continuous push up challenge that I’m starting today. Push ups are a great overall upper body exercise that really hit numerous muscle groups including your chest, triceps, back, shoulders, and more. When done properly the push up also strengthens your core and improves your lower body too. I did some research on the internet and discovered a website hundredpushups.com that has a really great training program that I’m going to follow. You don’t have to use this program and can find something else you prefer, but I do recommend a structure program of some type. This will help you stay focused and on track, which should provide better progress and overall results.
So according to the website, the first step is to take an initial push up test. Remember these are to be strict and controlled push ups, not fast and or sloppy. This test helps to gauge the proper starting point for you, so to cheat yourself here will definitely set you back! I performed my initial test and my result was: 30 strict and controlled pushups ( I might have been able to do more, but they wouldn’t have been with as great of form). Now because I’m 38 years old, this means my rank is a 4 out of 7 ( which is not too bad, but I’m excited to improve). According to the website the initial rank helps me to know where I should start my push up program.
With my start being 30 controlled and strict form push ups in a row the program suggest I skip to week 3 and start in the 3rd column, so that is what I’m going to be doing. This program contains 3 workouts , so I will be performing them on M,W,F. Here is a break down for the first week of workouts:
Day 1 ( 60 second rest or longer between each set)
| Push-ups | >25 |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | 14 |
| Set 2 | 18 |
| Set 3 | 14 |
| Set 4 | 14 |
| Set 5 | 20+ (as many as possible with great form) |
Day 2 ( 90 second rest or longer between each set)
| Push-ups | >25 |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | 20 |
| Set 2 | 25 |
| Set 3 | 15 |
| Set 4 | 15 |
| Set 5 | 25+ (as many as possible with great form) |
Day 3 ( 120 second rest or longer between each set)
| Push-ups | >25 |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | 22 |
| Set 2 | 30 |
| Set 3 | 20 |
| Set 4 | 20 |
| Set 5 | 28+ (as many as possible with great form) |
So there you have it, the is the first week of training for reaching my goal of 100 consecutive push ups. I will post a new update at he beginning of the week and explain how the previous week went for me and also to share the new weeks workout. Sometimes you may have to repeat a week if you were unable to perform the required repetitions, so I will be sure to let you know if that occurs. I’m planning to also try to put together a video for this challenge that will show the entire challenge from start to finish , but that won’t be done until I reach my goal of 100 continuous push ups. I may be able to do shorter update videos every few weeks or when there is some significant update to be shared.
I hope you will also join me in taking the push ups challenge , so we can push forward together and motivate one another. Doing challenges like this one are always more fun and rewarding when you can share the journey with other people. It allows you to have more drive on the difficult days and to celebrate each others wins along the way!
