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This should’ve been the twelth test but I blew off testing Labor Day weekend. After two tests with no progress, this test blew away my former max. I cranked out 63 push-ups in a row without stopping, without adjusting hand position. I probably could’ve gotten more if I had adjusted hand position, but since it’s 13 more than my previous max I was happy with that. I think what did it was that I did zero arm work Friday and Saturday other than my Friday pushups. This allowed my arms to rebuild more than they normally have been able to build.

This is an increase of 215% over my original starting point.

Last night I did my new test and completed 50 pushups without stopping. That’s 7 more than last week, that’s a 16% increase. It’s also a 150% increase over my starting test. I’m actually happy with being able to do 50 in a row.

I’m blowing off the Monday workout today. I only got two hours of sleep last night due to ambulance calls, and have been on more today. My right ankle is sore, as is my right groin and upper back. I’m just not in the mood to do almost 200 pushups in ten minutes. Maybe I’ll do them tomorrow. Maybe not. Only time will tell.

I was planning on doing this test earlier in the day, but I’m running as paramedic today and every time I went to the gym I got sent out on a call halfway into my workout. I finally got it done a little while ago. I had a number in mind to stop at, and that’s the number I reached. I really had to push myself for that last one, but I’m sure you’ll agree that 43 is a good number to stop at.

That’s a 10.26% increase from last week, and a 115% increase since I started this program. I’m still thinking about giving up on it, but I’ll carry out this week before making a final decision.

I’m not really liking testing every week. It was nicer when I would test every other week, but at this point I’m still making progress so I can live with it.

Today I took my new test and completed 39 pushups without stopping. That’s an 8.33% increase from last week. It’s also one short of having doubled my starting number of pushups, which isn’t bad for eight week’s work.

I’ll be following the same pattern this week as last week since I didn’t change range. I’m not looking forward to the morning, because that Monday workout last week just sucked.

After only cranking out two more on my fourth test from my third test, this week’s test was the first one where I am testing every week instead of every two weeks. After doing a laid back hour long run, I hunkered down to do my test wondering if I would even get to the 31 I had done last week. I did in fact get to 31, and continued on to top out at 36. That gives me a 16% improvement from last test, though I still think the last test was faulty. (For the record, that makes an increase in ability of 80% in seven weeks.)

This moves me over a column on Week 5, so I’ll be following a different pattern of sets than last week. I looked at Monday’s sets with their 60 second rest and I know I’m going to be dying. I don’t expect to be able to complete the second set without resting, so that’s going to be my goal for the morning. Make it to at least the third set before having to rest during the set.

Sunday morning I got up and decided to crank out my new test first thing since I would be travelling that day and had no idea when I would otherwise get the test in. While my friend Bob was still sleeping, I went into the bathroom and cranked them out. Unfortunately it was awkward there and I hadn’t warmed up, so I wasn’t able to do as many as I might have elsewhere. I completed 31 though which bumps me up to the Week 5 training series. This is only a 7% gain over last week, so my 20% gains seem likely a thing of the past. Still, it’s a 55% increase over what I did when I started seven weeks ago.

Monday workout:
After flying back from San Diego, I went into the gym Monday night and started back to my regular workout routine. Taking five days off may not seem like a lot, but I really wasn’t motivated. Still I cranked out my Monday set with the requisite 60 second rest.

30
22
22
20
15+10+5 (15 second rest/15 second rest)

Wednesday workout:
My trainer and I have our days screwed up since I wasn’t here on Monday and he didn’t remember to have me do the push-ups before we started working my shoulders and biceps with weights. I told him I’d do them later that night, and did in the lobby of the theatre while waiting for the projector to cool down after the late show of “Dark Knight”. These were with 40 second rests in between, and I cranked them all out. I had to work for the last few, but I didn’t want to stop and have to document a rest.

15
14
10
10
30

I’m now in my third time through the Week 4 series, though each time I’ve shifted a column to the right. Today was just 60 seconds rest in between sets, and it was definitely challenging. I almost had to stop on set five with just two to go, but after pausing for less than five seconds and moaning like a stuck pig I finished off the last two before collapsing. Wednesday I’ll be in San Diego, so I won’t have my trainer making sure I’m doing perfect form.

27
20
20
17
27

Having completed my second two week cycle of training, it was time again today to do my next test. I actually was a little concerned that when I got to around 16 pushups I was having to work to do them. In my mind I was wondering if I would even be able to get the 24 I did two weeks ago.

I passed 24 and continued on right up to 29. Those last ones were through sheer will power, and I probably could’ve done one or two more if I had really pushed myself. My brain though knew that if I broke 30 though, I’d be really amping up my training cycle so I stopped. This way I have another two week cycle of training before my next test, whereas I would’ve gone to weekly tests if I had done 31. This will work better for me since the second week is when I’ll be in San Diego.

Going from 24 to 29 is again a 20% improvement. To continue this trend, I’ll need to 35 at my next test.

This is my fourth week on this program, and this’ll be the only time my weeks match the plan week unless I have some incredible progress this week and jump to the week five levels when I test this coming Sunday. I doubt that’s going to happen though.

Today I did:
22
16
16
10+4 (10 second rest)
11+7+7 (15 second rest/30 second rest) Note: This was three more than I was required to do

So after completing my first two weeks of the program, I was due for my second test. I’m in the middle of a fast right now, so it probably wasn’t the best timing especially since I’d run twelve miles in two hours right before doing it.

So my new test result was 24 perfect form push-ups in a row, no rest. I probably could’ve pushed myself a bit harder and eaked out another couple, but I knew if I did that I would be jumping up another level of difficulty and I don’t feel ready to do that.

Doing just four more pushups after two weeks training may not sound like a lot, but it’s actually a 20% increase in what I had been able to do. When you look at it like that, you get a better appreciation of the progress.

Next test is in two weeks. I’ll need to be able to do 28 or 29 to keep the same progress.