As a child, I was a soft-bellied sloth.
In my young-adult prime, a mix of healthy outdoor physical activity, all-night dancing, and obsessive weight-training created a woman who could appear in public in a bathing suit without making people think of beluga caviar.
Over the past few years, however, the sloth has returned.
Not satisfactory.
Because you just know it’s the start of an irrevocable downhill slide into physical decrepitude and stretch polyester from a discount department store.
Sure, a walking program and healthier eating habits have started to turn around the waistline expansion, but there’s still good reason why I flee from certain fashions — and have no upper-body strength to speak of. (Jello arm flaps are looming in the near future, I tell you!)
And that’s why I’m cursing Kristen Healy.
Runner, knitter, spinner, geek, and otherwise quite a perfectly lovely person, KCH refused to let blissful ignorance lie on soft pillows.
Note the runner bit — that implies a modicum of fitness, and a good headstart on this 100 Pushups challenge she’s unaccountably sucked me into.
The only running I ever do, these days, is away from a camera…
But I digress.
Here’s the deal, for anyone else with a masochistic yen for self-improvement who might care to follow along (yes, misery does love company):
To improve your strength, fitness and general health all you need to do is commit about 30 minutes of your time per week, and follow the push ups training program as closely as you can.
It’s a 6-week program, beginning with an initial test –
Once you’ve collapsed in a sweaty heap on the floor and your arms have stopped trembling from the exertion, make a note (mental or otherwise) of how many, or how few, push ups you were able to perform.
Right.
And from there, we go to week 1 and choose the program that matches our starting rank.
Steve Speirs, the sadistic mastermind behind the challenge, claims that it’s possible to reach the 100 push-up mark in that six weeks, even if startng from my own level of astonishing lack of fitness.
Who is this guy, anyway? I’m all tired and wobbly from just looking at the website! But hey, a challenge is a challenge… and even a soft-bellied sloth can rise to a challenge, if you poke it hard enough with the mighty stick of potential public humiliation!
Whee-ha!
So… who’s in?
You go girl. I’m starting a new workout too! We’re so trendy
Vicky H
omg. i cannot believe i’m letting you talk me into this, but…ok. fine. i’m in.
YAY!!
Company for my misery, er… trendy fitness ambitions!
And before you ask — 12.
In the initial test, I managed to squeeze out a whopping impressive *coff* 12 push-ups. They were the girly kind, too. Pathetic!
I’ll be doing a lot of virtual cheering and imaginary push ups with you. My exercise is limited to going to the park with the dogs and the kids and walking to and from the car.
Ah, but Colin, I’ll bet you can also bend an elbow with the best of them? Dog sauntering is my primary exercise too…
Good luck with the push up challenge Donna. I’m sure you’ll be knocking out 100 in no time.
12? Impressive! Better than a lot of folks would do. Thanks for joining me in this - it’s so much more fun to enter with fellow masochists who will keep you honest.
Keep us updated on your progress…and good luck!
Welcome to the insanity! I just started week 4 today and it ain’t getting any easier (but that’s half the fun, right? right!?)
My best consecutive push-up count to date is 20 (full push-ups). Still a long way off from 100, but 100% better from when I started.
Good luck to everyone participating. I can’t wait to see a woman announce that she’s done the 100!!
Train hard; stay strong.
Susan
http://www.catapultfitnessblog.com
Oy vey. I’ve run across this challenge as well. It seems doable until you’re on the floor assuming the position.
I did purchase a stability ball (Swiss ball?) recently and have done push ups with the ball under my shins. That counts. Right?
I can squeak out ten. And my kid likes to mention that my arms shake. While I’m doing my push ups.
That’s not motivating. It does not instill confidence in a 40-year-old woman who gave birth to three children and is attempting to retrieve her formerly flat stomach.
By the way, if that rendering of the chick up there in the post is you, you’re doing well. You’re rockin’ the hip hugger jeans and tank top.
YAY, support! Companions in arm-wobbling efforts! Once again proving that Misery does love company…
@cardiogirl, can I just adopt you now? <3
The rendered chick is, indeed, me.
Or as close to me as the virtual model thingummie will create - according to my mirror, the reality has somewhat more shoulder and somewhat less boobage. Also, this is my 2nd most flattering angle. Also, you can’t detect the general squishiness and lack of muscle tone in the Virtual Jen.
But it’s pretty close - compare and contrast with the earlier version on Do I Look Fat in This Blog? from before the Healthy Eating Challenge took place!
p.s. Hip hugger jeans are relatively kind to not-tall short-waisted women
Awesome; looking forward to hearing about your results both here and at the forum!
Yes ma’am, I’m adoptable. I just need comments and love. That’s all I require. I’ll even do my business on a piece of newspaper in the corner.
I’m low maintenance.
Glad to see so many of my fellow microbloggers doing this. I am taking a short break this week. I finished week 2 and tested good enough (barely) for the 2nd level in week 3, but then 2 days in a row I failed to get more than half way through day 1 of Week 3. I’ll probably give it another shot tonight, and then do Week 3 next week starting Monday. Maybe at 1st level instead of 2nd.
Also working on 100 situps following the same program, on alternating days. Of course the disruption in my pushup schedule this week also disrupted that. :-p
Wolfger, don’t for a second think that you’re going to suck me into doing 100 situps, too!
Okay - progress report?
At first I was tempted to back off and do the next level down (column 2) of the program, afraid I wouldn’t be able to manage the required number of pushups, but Stubborn kicked in and I started off right after all…
Sunday was the ‘initial test’ (followed by much whimpering); Tuesday was Day 1 with 5 sets of pushups at 60-second intervals: 10 - 10 - 8 - 6 - 7+ (followed by more whimpering); and yesterday, Thursday, was Day 2 (12 - 12 - 10 - 10 - 10+) with 90 second intervals. I only managed to get through the minimum (7) on the last set on Tuesday, but last night did somehow huff-and-puff the last set past the (10) minimum to 12 pushups.
Heaven knows how I’ll make out this weekend, as the numbers keep rising!!
But, oh, do I ever feel virtuous!
So, how are the rest of you guys making out with your fitness programs?
Awesome! Good luck, you can do it!
I’m looking forward to checking this out–I’ve let my fitness program stall over the last few weeks of computer-based tasks. I’ve done a little running, a little walking, some Yoga…but my pushups are neglected. I made it to 20 yesterday…20 very, very wobbly pushups.
mmm, yes, stall… I’ve been stalling all day, mousewords! But with your kind encouragement, I’ll go now and do today’s routine: sets of 15 - 13 - 10 - 10 -15+ pushups, with 120 seconds rest in between each, during which to lie on the floor and hyperventilate. Some fun, huh?!
Good times, good times.
100 push ups is pretty impressive. Good Luck. I think my personal best was 75. Quite some time ago…
Okay, I officially started, and managed 10 - 10 - 8 - 6 - 8, with 60 seconds rest inbetween. Feeling a bit ~~w*o*b*b*l*y~~
Yay, mousewords! We shall wobble together…
Rob, you’re right, it sounds like a lot. But what’s that saying about a journey of a thousand miles…?
This is actually a very clever fitness program. We get to whine and complain, and yet in just one week there’s definite progress!
I was out in the beeyard today, hefting around those 80-90 pound honey supers with no more trouble than usual (which is not to say it’s easy - the trick is to lift with your legs…) But the point is, I was able to actually do physical work today, whereas last night at the end of those pushups… I could have sworn I’d be hospitalized if I tried to pick up anything more ambitious than, oh, a wine glass…
Astonishing!
Encouraging!
Empowering!
….and … not so much.
Full disclosure here, folks: I’ve had a hit of bursitis — “tennis elbow” for those who actually go out and play tennis, which I don’t, so why do I have this? Anyway, my clever solution here (after consulting with a few of my buff boy pals) is to go back and start Week 1 again, giving the arm a bit of time to recover while still building up the upper body strength. They swear up and down that it will be easier the second time around! Well, we shall see…