do one hundred consecutive push-ups

I haven’t done a push up since I last posted, but I did do them yesterday at the gym and I managed to squeeze out 22 full-on push ups, then 25 in the next set. I was the also the only one to not do modified push ups in the class, woohoo!

I’m relieved that I haven’t lost a whole lotta fitness in this category (although at one point during the program, I was able to do 60-something straight), even though my arms have gone a bit soft. I did notice though that in my gym classes I absolutely rock at exercises for the triceps – more so than sets involving the biceps, which turns out I’m horrid at.

I do miss my arms though. For vanity reasons, I will start this again… Soon. ;-)

19-19-22-22-18-18-22-32 = 172

Set 1: I feel STRONG
Set 2: Experiment with weight placement
Set 3: Felt the effort, but no sweat and no burn
Set 4: Feeling warm and the work
Set 5: Great!
Set 6: Feeling the work again
Set 7: I felt the work, effort, warmth, burning, shaking – everything!
Set 8: Hit a mental max of 32

Not bad… I think my PR for the max for this session was 36, but that was so long ago and lately I’ve only reached in the 20s before needing a break.

20-28-24-24-20-20-22 max: 31

Set 1: Didn’t feel a thing :)
Set 2: No sweat!
Set 3: Still easy, but I can feel the effort
Set 4: Arms are warming up
Set 5: I can feel the effort, but not as much burning
Set 6: Placed arms lower. No burning, but there is definitely effort.
Set 7: Burn, effort, everything! I did 25 by accident. Oops!
Set 8: 31 max (didn’t bother going for 50). It took the entire effort of my arms, chest, core and legs to get to 31!

Overall, I think I did pretty good, although there isn’t any improvement from the last time I did W5D3 (eek). I might revisit Day 2 on Thursday.

Completed on Thursday, December 4, 2008

It’s been a week since I last did the program, thanks to this mysterious funk that clouds my days. However, the thought of regression thanks to my inability to get myself motivated was enough to get me to get to it yesterday. I wasn’t sure if I should do Day 2 or Day 3, but figuring that it’s been awhile since my last session, Day 2 seemed to be the best option.

19-19-22-22-18-18-22 max: 46

Set 1: Easy
Set 2: Easy
Set 3: Not hard and no burn, but I can feel the effort
Set 4: I’m starting to get taxed…
Set 5: This may be only 18 push ups, but they were QUALITY push ups. I can feel my strength!
Set 6: Good so far. Maybe I should have gone with Day 3 today.
Set 7: Minimal amount of burning
Max: Took breaks at 22, 25, 35, 46

Okay, so this wasn’t much of an improvement than last week, but after waking up this morning with soreness in my chest and arms, I’m pretty satisfied.

Additional Note: I started this exercise with a terrible attitude after a hellacious run, yet I finished with a runner’s high? Have push ups ever given any one a sense of euphoria? Weird!

This was actually done on Friday, November 28 in the privacy of my hotel room. Yes, the new me is that committed! (big grins)

19-19-22-22-18-18-22-46 = 186

Set 1: So easy, like a warm up
Set 2: Still easy, but my arms feel a bit stiff
Set 3: Harder, but still not hard
Set 4: Arms are burning! 45 seconds is such a big difference from 60 second rests
Set 5: Getting tired all over. I wonder if it has to do with the run I did earlier.
Set 6: Feels easier than set 5 (strange!)
Set 7: Oh boy, this was hard. I was happy to get to 22.
Max: Took breaks at a second or two where I just hung myself up in a in Plank position at 25, 31, 36, and 42, but I did get to 46. Wooohoooo!!!!

36-40-30-24 max: 21/30/35/41

It looks like I haven’t done a push up since last Thursday, but I actually did do some on my own last Friday – or was it Saturday? Hmm. Not important. Regardless, over the weekend, I decided to start the week over again – a good decision that was, because I did worse than the first time I attempted it. * sigh

Set 1: Wow did I just pump out 36? I hope I didn’t mis-count.
Set 2: Slowed down considerably at 35. Starting to sweat and my joints are cracky!
Set 3: Shaking at 30. Mental.
Set 4: I am so sweaty! It took my abs to get through it. 40+? Yeah right!
Max: Collapsed at 21. Got back up and pumped some more until collapse at 30 again. I am mad about my progress (or lack thereof) so I pump out 5 more for 35, then 6 more for the kill.

20-20-24-24-20-20-22 max: 25

Set 1: Super easy cheesy Parcheesi (I love that game!)
Set 2: Ditto
Set 3: Warmth in the arms and body, similar to how I felt in Set 4 in Tuesday’s session. Feeling a little ill-confident at this point.
Set 4: Arms are burning!
Set 5: Arms burned a little less, but I can “feel” the workout. Elation floods my body and the poor attitude I started with today went out the door. WHOOP WHOOP
Set 6: Since only 20 push ups were needed, I went slower for a better workout.
Set 7: Oooh I can feel it in the chest a bit.
Max: I knew 50 was out of reach, but I talked myself into doing at least a couple more than the max last time (25). What surprised me was that I thought I’d reach 27 only, what a pleasant surprise to blast past that to 31!!!

Notes: I did a upper body few movements beforehand in attempt to alleviate the cracking, which seemed to work. As far as progress, I’m not sure whether or not I want to continue to Week 6… I might do the exhaustion test just to see where I stand and then go from there.

20-20-24-24-20-20-22 max: 25

Set 1: My arms felt a bit stiff, but otherwise very easy
Set 2: Felt my body weight in this one, but done with no sweat
Set 3: Getting slightly warm…
Set 4: Getting warmer… Starting to feel the need to focus.
Set 5: Getting harder, mental power needed to get to the 20.
Set 6: Even harder, my neck keeps cracking and the breaks feel short.
Set 7: Arms are burning!
Max: I knew already that I wasn’t going to get to max, but I told myself (in a very stern voice with a finger wiggle or two!) that I must get to 25. I’m not sure if I correctly guessed my exhaustion point or it was power of suggestion, but at least it was somewhat of a decent number.

I skipped my push ups on Wednesday because… well, I didn’t feel like it! (Go ahead, wiggle that finger at me. Baaad girl, I know!) I’m so over the program that it was really difficult to get down to it, although I’m really glad that I completed it.

19-19-22-22-18-18-22 max: 36/50

Set 1: Easy. Like a Sunday morning!
Set 2: I felt my weight, but still super easy cheesy. (mmm cheese)
Set 3: Arms started warming up and my neck cracked every time I went down. Weird.
Set 4: Not as easy as previous sets, but still super easy.
Set 5: No problemo, though I’m thinking about putting a bell on the floor so I can ring it with my nose.
Set 6: Harder, but not “hard.” Cat is thinking about running underneath me. NOO KITTY!
Set 7: Less easy than Set 6, but Still not as difficult as I’ve had it before. Low burn in my arms, sweet.
Max: I ran head into a mental block at 36. I quickly wrote the number down and managed to get out 14 more for a total of 50. Not sure if that was my true exhaustion point, as it was a mental fight all the way. This set made me super sweaty!

36-40-30-24 max: 27

Set 1: My chest cracked with the first push up! Otherwise no problems here, pretty easy.
Set 2: 40 is an intimidating number for me at this point, but I was able to use mental focus to get through it.
Set 3: My arms burned through his set and got very hot. I was probably about one or two away from exhaustion.
Set 4: Heart thumping madly, I pushed through to 24.
Max: 27 The only reason I got to this point was because I told myself that I had to beat my max from Friday. It worked!

I produced duplicate results of last Friday, for the most part. In other words, I’m not really making progress, other than talking myself into doing two additional push ups in the max. Taking past experience from Week 4, I may move on to Day 2 and after I’m done with this week, go through this week again.