Northern California - Anyone want to do a push-up challenge in May?

Since I am still off the bike nursing injured knees, I figured I will need something else to do to stay sane.

So I decided to try to do 1000 push-ups and 250 pull-ups (if you need a bar, try www.getirongym.com - $30 at Walgreens and it doesn't gouge your doorframes or require any hardware) during the month of May. On a per-day basis, that doesn't sound bad at all, but sticking with the plan day in and day out is very tough!

Anyone with me? We can encourage and support each other here. Feel free to set your own goals- I have a puny cyclist's body, so I can't crank them out like some of you guys!

Who is in and what is your goal?

UPDATE:

Final results: 1350 push-ups, 53 pull-ups.

UH.....no.

For the past few weeks I've had a timer popping up every hour on my computer at work to remind me to do 20 pushups (Perfect Pushups) and 4 chin ups (chin up bar mentioned). I also put a Weider 200 Power Tower in the office for dips and hanging knee-ups, but the dip bars are a bit wide. It's a nice break for my eyes and back. After work, I'll try to mix up sets with the 3 minute mode in Geometry Wars Evolved 2. I'd like to get to 10 chin ups and try to be competitive with my kids on the monkeybars, but they got the 1/3 and 1/2 my weight advantage. I think the upper body work has helped quite a bit with fighting fatigue with my running and bicycling.

You want to do a total of 1000 pushups and a total of 250 pullups in May, or you want to do that EVERY DAY?

If it's the former, sounds doable. If it's the latter..uh I have to go to work I don't have time for that.

I think it is clearly 1000 and 250 over the month, not every day (and knowing the original poster, his job would not allow that many every day).

I could be persauded to participate. Can I do my usual exercise ball push ups though? they are better for core strength.

For 5 months 3 years ago I did 100 push ups, 100 sit-up/crunches, a 3-min. plank and a 2-min. V-sit. My core was hard, my upper body ripped and strong. It wasn't easy and I did it 5 days a week; still, it was mentally challenging to do.

I can't do any weight-bearing on my left wrist yet, so I'll modify my push-ups. I'll do them in a way that keeps my wrist straight, from a height -- like on my stairs, or counter tops. I'll play with that to see what gives me the most challenge w/o compromising my wrist.

It's a worthy goal. We cyclists can't ignore other muscles. Nobody wants to be able to ride a century but unable to open a jar of marinara. :( Oh, the shame. :o:o

My strength + conditioning goal for may is to work my way back up to 1,2,3,4 4,3,2,1 L + R kettlebell clean and press with the 16kg bell. Guess I could do pushups as well, but hitting the kb again is the main thing. I've been slacking for too long!

Check out this interesting article about 'working the negatives' -- suggests that if you do chinups you should have a stepstool to climb up, then just work the drop:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/betteru19.htm

For 5 months 3 years ago I did 100 push ups, 100 sit-up/crunches, a 3-min. plank and a 2-min. V-sit. My core was hard, my upper body ripped and strong. It wasn't easy and I did it 5 days a week; still, it was mentally challenging to do.

I can't do any weight-bearing on my left wrist yet, so I'll modify my push-ups. I'll do them in a way that keeps my wrist straight, from a height -- like on my stairs, or counter tops. I'll play with that to see what gives me the most challenge w/o compromising my wrist.

It's a worthy goal. We cyclists can't ignore other muscles. Nobody wants to be able to ride a century but unable to open a jar of marinara. :( Oh, the shame. :o:o

Damn that is awesome Deb. I'm sure you got it handled, but in your shoes I would ask one of my friends who's into mixed martial arts/brazilian jiu jitsu for advice on how to work out with a healing bone - those guys break stuff all the time. :eek:

Re: the marinara -- I saw some TdF interview video with dave zabriskie a couple of years ago where he was shirtless and looked like a scrawny 11 year old up top. It scared me...

http://www.hundredpushups.com/index.html

Cool- glad to see that folks are stoked about this! I say do whatever works for you (push-ups on your beach-toy ball ;) or use a kettlebell), just do something to challenge yourself.

Oh, and this is 1000/250 over the course of the entire month, not per day! I am impressed that you thought I could do 1000 push-ups in one day. Although I guess it would be interesting one Saturday to see how many I could do in one day. Eventually I would get to sets of 1 or 2, I think.

I'm down for the 1000 push ups in a month. But pullups are my Achilles heel...

I used to do 150 push ups a day, that's 25 reps and 6 sets a day, when I was in the military. Fast forward 25 years later, I think I can do 1000 in a month. Not much more I don't think since doing all those push ups in my youth screwed up my shoulder joints.

I'll do 30/day. I don't have a chin up bar though and the door frames won't support those hanging chin up bars. How about if I do lat pull downs with my Bowflex? Would I have to do my body weight? I'd have to buy more rods since I'm a Clydesdale and my Bowflex only comes with 200 lb.

Since I am still off the bike nursing injured knees, I figured I will need something else to do to stay sane.

So I decided to try to do 1000 push-ups and 250 pull-ups (if you need a bar, try www.getirongym.com - $30 at Walgreens and it doesn't gouge your doorframes or require any hardware) during the month of May. On a per-day basis, that doesn't sound bad at all, but sticking with the plan day in and day out is very tough!

Anyone with me? We can encourage and support each other here. Feel free to set your own goals- I have a puny cyclist's body, so I can't crank them out like some of you guys!

Who is in and what is your goal?

Get one of these and quit complaining.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/Cervelo%20Flats/Tom.jpg

I'm in.

5/2: 60 Push-ups ("PS/U"), 14 Pull-ups ("PL/U")

Cumulative: 60 PS/U, 14 PL/U

I do P90X and I do around 80 pull ups every Friday, and about 50 every Monday... also do quite a few pushups, and I'm pretty skinny - am building muscle but still not that much. 1000 a month and 250 pullups is quite low. If you want a challenge double it :D but I'm in!

Alright gang. We are more than a third of the way through May. How is everyone doing?

I'm still at zero. But I'm thinking more about pushups than before.

Aw man, I fell off the wagon somewhat and am doing it only once or twice per week now. But, in my defense, I thought the competition was over since no-one was posting their progress.

I actually hadn't read this thread until today, but I'll see how far I can get by the end of the month.

Just did 12 pushups. I haven't done pushups or lifted weights in years and that really hurt.

Aw man, I fell off the wagon somewhat and am doing it only once or twice per week now. But, in my defense, I thought the competition was over since no-one was posting their progress.

See, there needs to be a meetup in 2 weeks or something where you have to prove your progress. Then I'll join.

lol I've been slacking only @ 100. I had a few lazy garbage ones I couldn't add to the count.


I'm still at zero. But I'm thinking more about pushups than before.

If you are catholic, thinking something is just like doing it. I'm already up to 1000 pushups after reading this whole thread.

See, I did the whole 6-weeks to 100 push ups thing for like, 10 weeks before I gave up. What they don't tell you is that week 3/4 is a 30% jump, so I was stuck there forever. It was really more of a 6-weeks to 100 pushups if you can already do 80.

But that is a good program. Do 5 sets, 3x a week and you will see improvement. I went from a 25 rep max to over 40 when I finally gave up.

Pullups are harder, of course. I have a 12-rep max, but for 5 sets the numbers are like 3, 4, 4, 3, 3 with 60 seconds rest. I never saw much improvement from that, and scaling up just seemed impossible.

I can do around 20 standard pullups in 1 set if I really go for it around 16-20! Pushups I can do maybe 30 before getting tired, I have been working on these for the challenge but I have had exams so have been slacking! I promise on friday I will get back into it!

See, I did the whole 6-weeks to 100 push ups thing for like, 10 weeks before I gave up. What they don't tell you is that week 3/4 is a 30% jump, so I was stuck there forever. It was really more of a 6-weeks to 100 pushups if you can already do 80.

But that is a good program. Do 5 sets, 3x a week and you will see improvement. I went from a 25 rep max to over 40 when I finally gave up.

Pullups are harder, of course. I have a 12-rep max, but for 5 sets the numbers are like 3, 4, 4, 3, 3 with 60 seconds rest. I never saw much improvement from that, and scaling up just seemed impossible.


Same experience with the 100 push-ups website. http://hundredpushups.com/ I don't think I ever finished week 4 (without increasing the rest time between sets). The required progress is not realistic (at least for me), but even so I think it is a great idea and it gave me some structure (otherwise I never would have stuck with it). I ended up increasing from a max of 20 push-ups at the initial test to a max of 54 push-ups over a few months. I am now just trying to maintain, although I may try it again at some point.

12 pull-ups is pretty good! I just recently broke 10, which was as many as I could do when I was a skinny kid in 8th or 9th grade. I am pretty happy with that, since I weigh a lot more now! I think I may switch to doing sets of 3 or 4 like you do. Any idea whether it matters how long you wait between sets? For example, if I do my sets 10-15 minutes apart (like during the commercials of a TV show), will that not work as well as doing the sets a minute or two apart?

Hey Daven, how do you like P90x? Looks like a pretty intense program!

P90X is brilliant! Loads of people will say otherwise but I find I make decent progress with it, and it keeps me motivated. I wouldn't go to the gym everyday or would find working out really boring otherwise. With the video at least you get some instruction, some music and it doesn't take too long. You don't need much equipment either.

It is pretty intense, at the moment I am doing a modified workout as I already completed the standard one, so I altered it to my specific goals. However I may go back to the standard one just for fun :)

You can get the dvds on ebay pretty cheaply.

As for time between sets, I'm not sure it matters too much as you are still working more than you would do if you just stopped after the first set. I guess doing more in a shorter amount of time means more effort and therefore better results but doing more in a longer time is better than doing fewer overall :)

So it looks like people are tracking their progress off-line then, instead of sharing it on a somewhat real-time basis? Man, I'm suck stickler for structure!

Progress report - I'm not doing pull ups though since I don't have a way to do them plus my numbers would be embarrassing.

Just did 55 (20,20,15).

After careful consideration, I think I'll sit this one out. I'll certainly be up for the Burrito challenge in June though.

I can play 16th notes in time on the bass drums at 210bpm (840 hits) for a solid minute. Does that count for anything? My personal best when I was really really focused a few years ago was 234bpm (936).

I can play 16th notes in time on the bass drums at 210bpm (840 hits) for a solid minute. Does that count for anything? My personal best when I was really really focused a few years ago was 234bpm (936).

How do you measure that sort of thing. Doesn't 15-20 hits per second sound kind of the same?

hmm I don't do pushups but I do sets of dumbbell presses with 95s but recently switched it up to do incline presses @70. Let's face it, those dumbbells were getting too heavy for me to pick up off the rack :P I go most days, and lift at least 3 days a week.

I'm already doing ~ 18-24 pullups most days, so I guess I'm already on pace to do 250 in May.

Sometimes I even delude myself into thinking this is why I'm so slow up the hills ;)

I remember in middle school and high school...the PE teachers will time how many sit-up, push-ups, and pull-ups (along with other exercise routines) a student can do in a minute. The top guys can typically do 70+ push-ups or sit-ups in a minute; usually 40+ for pull-ups in a minute (I remember one guy doing 65, which if pretty darn impressive, as it's more than one pullup per second). I just tried to do 50 pushups (and I haven't done that for a long time)...and I think I just hurt myself. OK, not really, but arm muscles are certainly shaking.

Back with a vengeance!

5/12: 60 PS/U (20-20-20), 20 PL/U (10-6-4)
5/3: 40 PS/U, 12 PL/U
5/2: 60 Push-ups ("PS/U"), 14 Pull-ups ("PL/U")

Cumulative: 160 PS/U, 46 PL/U

So I jumped back into the Hundred Push-Ups thing and found that I was able to complete week 4, day 2. Very surprising!

Up to 740 push-ups for the month (although I am way way low on pull-ups).

Still going....

5/13: 60 PS/U (20-20-10-10), 21 PL/U (11-6-4)
5/12: 60 PS/U (20-20-20), 20 PL/U (10-6-4)
5/3: 40 PS/U, 12 PL/U
5/2: 60 Push-ups ("PS/U"), 14 Pull-ups ("PL/U")

Cumulative: 220 PS/U, 67 PL/U

Crap, I'm behind! Time to two-a-day!

Keep those push-ups going and soon you will have to change your name to 1JACKEDtripper!

After careful consideration, I think I'll sit this one out. I'll certainly be up for the Burrito challenge in June though.

Uh oh, I thought the June was the doughnut challenge and that burritos didn't come until July. Will need to alter my training strategy drastically! August is still the bacon challenge though, right???

And check out some of the great food options here: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

thisiswhyyourefat.com ???? Ouch!

05/12/2009 55(20,20,15), 30
05/13/2009
05/14/2009 40

total: 125

Getting into this late, but what the heck! Be fun to see how close I can get in 15 days. :-D
Just have to hit up a Walmart for a pullup bar, good a place as any to start. :p

P90X is brilliant! Loads of people will say otherwise but I find I make decent progress with it, and it keeps me motivated. I wouldn't go to the gym everyday or would find working out really boring otherwise. With the video at least you get some instruction, some music and it doesn't take too long. You don't need much equipment either.

It is pretty intense, at the moment I am doing a modified workout as I already completed the standard one, so I altered it to my specific goals. However I may go back to the standard one just for fun :)

You can get the dvds on ebay pretty cheaply.

As for time between sets, I'm not sure it matters too much as you are still working more than you would do if you just stopped after the first set. I guess doing more in a shorter amount of time means more effort and therefore better results but doing more in a longer time is better than doing fewer overall :)

I tried P90X for about a week. Now I'm back to the gym. It just doesn't feel the same has lifting weights. Don't get me wrong, P90X is in no way easy, it kicks your ass. But It pushes you in a different way.

But yea, I can't do pull ups worth crap, but I can probably do about 50-60 push ups in a row. Another reason why I work back twice a week now, just like the P90X schedule. Have to balance it out a little.

I tried P90X for about a week. Now I'm back to the gym. It just doesn't feel the same has lifting weights. Don't get me wrong, P90X is in no way easy, it kicks your ass. But It pushes you in a different way.

But yea, I can't do pull ups worth crap, but I can probably do about 50-60 push ups in a row. Another reason why I work back twice a week now, just like the P90X schedule. Have to balance it out a little.

yeah, it is definitely different but in a good way!

I plan to start my month challenge today with around 60 pullups and 100 pushups :) will report back later as to how I get on!

edit: ok I was really lazy and didn't do anything! Today I will try and not be lazy!

My first two-a-day!

5/15: 140 PS/U (4x20-4hr-3x20), 46 PL/U (12-6-4-4hr-3x8)
5/13: 60 PS/U (2x20-2x10), 21 PL/U (11-6-4)
5/12: 60 PS/U (20-20-20), 20 PL/U (10-6-4)
5/3: 40 PS/U, 12 PL/U
5/2: 60 Push-ups ("PS/U"), 14 Pull-ups ("PL/U")

Cumulative: 360 PS/U, 113 PL/U

This is so much easier than suffering on the climbs.

Here are my may workouts so far

May3
20 x 2 2h swing 12kg
10 x 1 each 1h swing 12kg
1,2,3,4 x 1 each clean+press
20 pushups

May 6
30 x 1 2h swing 12kg
20 x 1 2h swing 16kg
10 x 1each 1h swing 12kg
1,2,3 x 1 clean+press 12kg
3 x 1 each get-up 12kg
11 , 9, 7, 15 pushups

May 10
30 2h swing @ 12 kg
12+10+10+9+9 pushups

May 13
30 2h swing 16kg
15 ea 1h swing 12kg
5 ea snatch 12kg
1,2,3 ea clean+press 12kg
10+10+10+12 pushups
5 ea get-ups 12kg

May 18 (yeah I sat on my a-- all weekend, no a/c! :P )
40, 20 2h swing 16kg
15 ea 1h swing 12kg
5, 4 each side get-ups 12kg
15 , 15 , 15 pushups
5+5 each side highpull+snatch 12kg


190 pushups so far, but I'm really happy to be back in the swing of things (hah!) with the KB.

ok this weekend managed to get 100 pushups in, and today did 48 pullups :)

My push ups so far

CURRENT 568
DAILY AVE 36
PROJECTED TOTAL 1065

ok this weekend managed to get 100 pushups in, and today did 48 pullups :)

Dude, that is incredible. I view one pull-up as being about as hard as 5 push-ups. So that means you did the equivalent of 350 push-ups over the weekend! Wow!

lol thanks, that was in the p90x back and biceps workout which meant I did many bicep curls as well, on friday I should get nearer 100 pullups (legs and back workout) :D

I really want to be able to do 1 handed pushups, but they are so hard! I think I get away a bit easier on pullups as I only weigh 10 stones :)