One Hundred Push-Ups

Who's up for a new challenge? Andrew is taking on One Hundred Push-Ups. It looks to be the Couch to 5k of the push-up world, a six-week program designed to gradually build your strength for the mother of all moves. From the website:

"If you’re serious about increasing your strength, follow this six week training program and you’ll soon be on your way to completing 100 consecutive push ups! Think there’s no way you could do this? I think you can! All you need is a good plan, plenty of discipline and about 30 minutes a week to achieve this goal!"

Holy exclamation mark, Batman!

I like how they say "on your way" to completing 100 consecutive push ups, because right now my efforts are rather weak and wobbly and I'd be happy to work up to 20. We do a lot of push-ups in my kickboxing class but there's only so much you can progress with one class a week. I like the idea of a real concerted effort to improve - not only the quantity but the quality of the reps.

It's also a convenient wee challenge - I can do push ups anywhere, and unlike this stinking Moonwalk it's not going to take over my life. Or puff up my hands.

So I'm in, baby! I'm going to take the initial push up test tonight then start next Tuesday 17th, giving myself a couple of days to rejoin the living après-Moonwalk.

Anyone else fancy it? It'll be tops. And there's nothing quite like knocking out a few push ups to make you feel smug, strong and sexy.

Further reading on the joys of push-ups for young and old, large and small:

• New York Times - An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Push Up
• Fitness Fixation - More Determined Than Ever
• Stumptuous - Mistressing The PushUp

(Proper entry re Moonwalk later today!)

Comments

[1 · Posted by dg · June 13, 2008 at 12:05 PM]

You know it's bugging the hell out of me... is it "push up" or "push-up" or "pushup"... i have used every variation in this entry bar the one with a silent Q.

[2 · Posted by Katie J · June 13, 2008 at 12:14 PM]

Hi Shauna - you'd be pleased with 20?! Gosh if I got to 10 without collapsing I'd be amazed! (and extremely chuffed!!)

BTW it's definately not pushup. Mr Gates of Microsoaft doesn't like that anyway - he puts a squiggly red line underneath it! I prefer push-up I think

[3 · Posted by dg · June 13, 2008 at 12:22 PM]

Hmm... I like push-up too, Katie! I think I will go with that!

20, I know! Nothing like a bit of over-ambition to keep things interesting :)

But it is over six weeks, and I can currently do about 3 with great form, and 10 with rather shithouse form, so I'm aiming high. Hehe.

[4 · Posted by tokaiangel · June 13, 2008 at 01:01 PM]

I'm in! For some reason I've never been any good at push-ups, I've always wanted to improve. Why is it that they're supposedly so much harder for girls?

Hey, next year maybe we could do a PULL-UP challenge.... (if I could make it to one I could award myself a rosette...)

:0)

TA x

[5 · Posted by Christine · June 13, 2008 at 01:08 PM]

Omg

I'm so gonna do this! Thanks for the link!

I'd love to be able to do a few one armed pushups (a la Christina Ricci - http://www.fitsugar.com/1648667)

[6 · Posted by Jen · June 13, 2008 at 02:17 PM]

This looks great. I can do 10 good-form push-ups, but would love to do more (100 is inconceivable to me, but if they say so...). I'm also training for a half-marathon, so I'll just mix this in as part of the strength-training portion of the other program.

[7 · Posted by Cat · June 13, 2008 at 02:18 PM]

YES! I'm so in, it's something Hubby and I can do together. I've been crazy about pushups, I can do almost 1 whole pushup! lol am excited to finally have a proper plan on how to improve. If I can do 10 by the end of 6 weeks I'll throw a party :D

[8 · Posted by Kek · June 13, 2008 at 02:19 PM]

I love pushups. I aced the 1-minute pushup test 3 years ago. *smug grin*

Dunno about doing 100 - my thing is to try all the different funky variations. One of these days I'll master those Spiderman pushups. The one-arm kind, now that's a long-term project.

[9 · Posted by kristen · June 13, 2008 at 04:10 PM]

it is one of my life long goals to be able to do 10 real push-ups. I can do plenty of girly push-ups (knees on the floor) and even several sets of what I think of as 'pigeon push-ups' (real push up position, but i can't lower my body all the way to the floor, because i can't get back up, so i end up bending my arms as much as i can, which results in bobbing my head up and down like a pigeon), but the real full on all the way down push-up continues to elude me.

consider me in for the challenge.

[10 · Posted by kathryn · June 13, 2008 at 04:48 PM]

Oooh I love a challenge and I need to get better at pushups.

[11 · Posted by dg · June 13, 2008 at 04:48 PM]

COOL!!!! I'll have to make a list of all the Pushuperers and nag you at regular intervals :P

[12 · Posted by psychsarah · June 13, 2008 at 04:49 PM]

Count me in! I need a new challenge to get my butt in gear. I finished my first 10k race a month ago, buggered up my knee, and have been mainly sitting around waiting for it to magically heal... Push-ups won't hurt my knee, and it will be nice to feel smug and sexy afterwards!!

[13 · Posted by JEM · June 13, 2008 at 04:55 PM]

My hubby always makes fun of me because while I have strong legs I have no upper body strength at all. I can only do 1 full push. I am going to try this too, I want to impress hubby and myself!!

[14 · Posted by Kristina · June 13, 2008 at 05:05 PM]

I am so in! Thanks for the heads up on this challenge. I'm probably sub 5 right now on how many non-girly push ups I can do. I'm excited to see how many I can get up to!

[15 · Posted by Grace · June 13, 2008 at 05:13 PM]

"Holy exclamation mark, Batman!"

oh giggles. I'm totally using that phrase!

[16 · Posted by Bryher Hill · June 13, 2008 at 05:22 PM]

I can do one push-up, if I try really hard. Then I collapse!!

[17 · Posted by Meagan · June 13, 2008 at 06:16 PM]

I think I might be up for it. I'm always trying to build up my guns, though I can only manage about 7 or 8 right now.

P.S. This might be my first comment, but I've been reading your blog for ages. You rock, Shauna.

[18 · Posted by marta · June 13, 2008 at 06:18 PM]

I'm in! I keep telling my son that push ups are one of the best exercises a perosn can do, but do I do them? Nope. So yeah, count me in!

[19 · Posted by Sagan · June 13, 2008 at 06:29 PM]

100 CONSECUTIVE PUSH UPS?! Wow. I'd love to be able to do that. Think I might have to try this:)

[20 · Posted by Wendy · June 13, 2008 at 06:50 PM]

I might try this one after I've done my Race for Life, which is next week - eeeek! Yep, I'll be needing a new challenge so I may give this a whirl.

[21 · Posted by Sharon · June 13, 2008 at 07:09 PM]

I just discovered your blog a few months ago - worked my way through the archives and now I'm hooked! I'm definitely in, too - I have a treadmill in my basement that I run on 5 times a week, and I do exercise DVDs 3 times a week, but I like the idea of being able to do 100 push-ups - seems inconceivable right now, but anything more than 5 would be an improvement!

[22 · Posted by Sarah · June 13, 2008 at 07:36 PM]

I'm in.

I always do the girlie version. Just got down and popped out 12 proper ones and after 2 glasses of wine too. Woo Hoo.

[23 · Posted by The Lard Arms · June 13, 2008 at 07:39 PM]

Blimey! If my upper body was EVER crying out for something, anything, THIS was it!!! Count me and my lardy arms (always hidden!) in!

AND GOOD LUCK FOR TOMORROW. The walking makes your hands swell, the Moonwalk has taken OVER your life but I promise, promise, promise, you will feel IMMENSE pride AFTER you have crossed the finish line. Be prepared...it may take a while for it to sink in!

Big, big kiss.

Moonwalk Veteran (of one race!!!!)

[24 · Posted by Marla · June 13, 2008 at 08:55 PM]

Oh, I'm in! You know me and pushups. I'll start with you on the 17th.

I find the schedule VERY amusing, though. I progressed from 1 pushup to 10 pushups over a period of MONTHS. It cracks me up that I'm supposed to be able to increase by several reps per day. But whatever, just like C25K, you can repeat a week when needed.

(I do "regular" pushups, though, not knee pushups, so 100 reps is pretty daunting!)

AND GOOD LUCK ON THE MOONWALK CHICKIE!

[25 · Posted by Laura Brandon · June 13, 2008 at 09:11 PM]

This sounds cool! I think I might give it a try!

[26 · Posted by Kada · June 13, 2008 at 09:16 PM]

Push it, push it real good, Shauna! :D

This is something right up my alley. Unfortunately with my tendons still weaker from the antibiotic reaction last year, I'll be bookmarking it for a later date.

Hope your Moonwalk goes as smooth and easy as Michal Jackson's does.

[27 · Posted by K · June 13, 2008 at 09:30 PM]

Must be something in the air, for I have started a pushup campaign this week as well.

Or a pushups-eventually campaign, for I've never been able to do even one, other than the kind where you lean on the edge of a counter. And I know that's cheating, really.

I don't know why I'm so weedy at them. I'm starting off as Krista recommends, just lowering myself (without thudding to the floor) and hoping that eventually I'll be able to make it back up again.

[28 · Posted by Marie · June 13, 2008 at 09:52 PM]

Ok, I'm in, but I'm also training to run 10k.
And I'm a wimp, so I'm guessing it will take me way longer than 6 weeks.

[29 · Posted by Kimberli · June 13, 2008 at 11:51 PM]

Me too! I'm in. Gotta run and do the initial push up test.

Have fun on your Moonwalk!

[30 · Posted by Rosemary Grace · June 14, 2008 at 12:04 AM]

I'm still working my way up to doing ONE proper one, or even one proper good form on-the-knees push up! Matt and I are attending the "Beach Boot Camp" class at our gym, this is the first week and my entire body is sore! I'm the least fit, and biggest, person in the class, I'm also the only one in the class who keeps falling over, the instructor is really cool, he's impressed I'm giving it a go.

If my aching arms let me, I'll join in the challenge, I already set "get decent at push ups" as a specific goal. Is June "push up month" or something?

[31 · Posted by Shazam · June 14, 2008 at 01:01 AM]

Good luck with the Moonwalk!!!! :)

[32 · Posted by Penny · June 14, 2008 at 04:34 AM]

Inspirational video - Woman challenges herself to 20 pullups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR6PKaw5YJE

[33 · Posted by Erin · June 14, 2008 at 02:38 PM]

Wow sounds like a good goal! Maybe I'll join in too!

[34 · Posted by Stub · June 14, 2008 at 03:10 PM]

I shattered my wrist when I was 20 and don't have full range of motion so proper push ups are impossible - unless I do them on my knuckles. Which I have done in the past and one time got up to 10 I think. I'll have a go with you!

Happy moonwalking!

[35 · Posted by sam · June 14, 2008 at 03:10 PM]

I'm in, I'd love to be able to do just 1 proper non-girlie one so if I can get up to 100 then i'll be over the moon!

[36 · Posted by kerry · June 15, 2008 at 12:53 PM]

Ah love it! I'm definitely in - except I'm having surgery in a week and a half but as soon as I'm cleared to exercise - I'm in!!

Like the idea of a pull up/chin up challenge too :)

[37 · Posted by yummy mummy · June 17, 2008 at 07:07 AM]

Well done... A HUGE effort! can't wait for more news! just clicked on the 100 push up challenge tab... will investigate further!

[38 · Posted by Nyad Oio (aka Zingopink) · June 17, 2008 at 01:15 PM]

This thing is so cool, my whole family is doing it! Yay! I did 12 excellent form, my 11-year-old son did 30, my husband did 57 (OMG), and my girl (9), asked how many the boy did, and then did precisely one more than he. Ha! I think she can do 40, actually. ;)

Thank you for bringing this to light, and thank you for all you write. It helps so much in the daily struggle to find caloric and fitness balance.

[39 · Posted by SeaBreeze · June 17, 2008 at 07:43 PM]

Good for you on the 100 Push-Ups Plan. I'm going to try to undertake it on August 1st. Good luck!

[40 · Posted by rand(om) bites · June 21, 2008 at 06:53 AM]

I so want to join in! But I can't take on any commitments right now - wah :-(

[41 · Posted by MizFit · June 21, 2008 at 05:51 PM]

still pushing onward (DANG THIS IS HARD)

you?

Miz.

[42 · Posted by fohlung@yahoo.com.au · June 28, 2008 at 12:17 AM]

OOOOOH! I CAN join this challenge. Wall push ups are about all I'm up for at the moment, but they're better than being all pouty because I can't join in! LOL

[43 · Posted by Americanlass · July 01, 2008 at 04:50 AM]

YES!! I am so joining you on this one!! Right now I can do about 8 1/2 before I completely implode, so 100 will be a big challenge for me. whoo!

PS - I've been lurking for a week or so now, poring through your archives, but I'm finally caught up enough to where I can say hello without feeling silly. Hello!

[44 · Posted by Americanlass · July 01, 2008 at 04:52 AM]

PS again, nag away - I'll need a handy helpful pushup buddy to keep me interested :p

[45 · Posted by Melanie · July 06, 2008 at 05:03 PM]

OK.....so I just came to your site and granted haven't read a lot but is it push up as in exercise? or push up as in Bra? I've seen both types of push ups discussed..HA....I'm kidding, I know which is which. Looking forward to reading more!

[46 · Posted by tiedtogetherwithasmile · July 13, 2008 at 05:01 AM]

This is fantastic, I'm starting tomorrow! If anyone wants to be my push-up buddy, I'll need one!!