Mikey's Pushup Challenge!!

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Bigmikey, Sep 4, 2012.

  1. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    I've got this going at my site and after mentioning it to Southpaw figured why not start it here as well?

    This may not appeal to many of you, but some will find it fun and challenging.

    The deal is first thing upon rising drop and do one set of pushups to failure (or as close as you dare risk it) and then doing another set at night prior to bed. It wont reshape your body or turn you into a hulk, but it's a fair way to build a little upper body strength and endurance without adding a mess to already established workout/training programs.

    Each day, post your results here and lets see who gets the furthest the fastest!!

    An August 27th, one of my members did 2. Just 2. Last night she did 7. I'm sure at her current rate of advance she'll be double digits by next week. I dont care how you slice it, thats impressive! I'm up to 48 and have a fair shot at 50 here tonight!!

    Who's in??
     
  2. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    im in!
    i doubt ill reach fifty...
     
  3. warriorofanart

    warriorofanart Valued Member

    Sounds like a great idea!

    I'll start in a couple of days, right now I am not in the best shape :)
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    You have to give us a strict form guide Mikey, I've seen what some people class as push ups :D

    Mitch
     
  5. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    Properly stolen from my site (after properly stealing it from Men's Health :D )

    Since there are so many of us really getting into the pushup challenge I thought this would come in handy.

    A well-executed pushup is a beautiful thing: It makes trainers smile and nod with respect. Trouble is, that doesn't happen often enough. "What you usually see is a person whose head is jutted forward and hips are sagging, both of which signal an underlying weakness or just poor form,” says Michael Mejia, C.S.C.S., owner of B.A.S.E. Conditioning in Long Island, New York. "Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles."


    [​IMG]

    To test your form, get into a pushup position and have someone place a broomstick or dowel rod on your back. It should touch your head, upper back, and butt, and remain in contact with all three points as you perform a pushup.

    Use Mejia's cues to do a pushup with perfect form.

    1. Brace your core. Make yourself as long as you can (stretch out!), then imagine you're about to be punched in the gut. This stiffens your torso, which helps prevent the movement of your spine. You need to hold this contraction for the duration of the exercise.

    2. Squeeze your glutes tightly. Then hold them this way for the entire exercise. This helps creates an inflexible bridge between your torso and legs, which keeps your hips from sagging.

    3. Keep your elbows tucked. As you lower you body, pull your elbows toward your rib cage, instead of allowing them to flare out. This reduces stress on your shoulders.

    NOTE: 3 only applies to traditional pushups, using a traditional hand placement. The trainer in this little tidbit is suggesting the elbows stay in tight and therefore the hand placement stays close to the torso. Not bad by any stretch. But moving hand placement can greatly affect how the load of the exercise is handled by the muscles being used. For example, hands wider apart and rotated so that fingers point at 90 degrees to your torso will bring more chest, and biceps into the movement than with traditional placement.
     
  6. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Hand release pushups count?
     
  7. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    Not sure what those are, Nojon.
     
  8. warriorofanart

    warriorofanart Valued Member

    Quick question:

    During conditioning in wrestling I was taught to look forward when doing push ups, and for some reason it seems to put more stress on my body. Is there a reason for that? I had people tell me to look down when I did them later on. I am a little confused.
     
  9. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    The Dr is in!
     
  10. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Just a note:

    "As soon as you get out of bed" really means "when you finally think of it as you're packing your lunch and getting ready to walk out the door to work." So make sure you clean the kitchen floor tonight.

    And

    "Right before you go to bed" really means "right after your first long bout of forum posting" because when you go lay in the bed, you're probably taking your computer with you to "just check" and see if anyone else posted, and then you end up being awake the next couple hours.
     
  11. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    If you CAN look forward, look forward. Absolutely!
     
  12. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    LMAO, guilty of the first, not the second. Thank GOD cause that just sounds sad, lol....
     
  13. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Hey now! The second one is the only reason I'm posting this post now! :mad:
     
  14. warriorofanart

    warriorofanart Valued Member

    Thanks Bigmikey! I shall be doing that for now on!
     
  15. Ular Sawa

    Ular Sawa Valued Member

    I put something on the floor to hit the chest on so I know how low to go when doing push ups. It's easiest to borrow one of the dog's toys since they're all over the place. Trying to work to the numbers I used to be able to do. I do them early in the morning. I'm not really sure if that's the best time of day so I'm interested in when other people do them.
     
  16. warriorofanart

    warriorofanart Valued Member

    I try to workout early in the day or else I won't be motivated enough later on. I found working out early in the morning, especially before breakfast, keeps me alert throughout the day.
     
  17. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    In, although I ain't doing nothing till I've wee'd in the morning, I always wake up dying!

    Do we post at the end of each day or each set?

    Edit: got a weak 28 when I woke up, having trained chest and shoulders last night.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2012
  18. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I'd be too embarassed to post my numbers. :(
    I'll wait to see what others do before joining in I think.
     
  19. Ular Sawa

    Ular Sawa Valued Member

    Today is one of my push up days. I did 61.
     
  20. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    I will post the previous night and that days morning together.

    Last night I had..... *drum roll*...... 51!!!! This morning I had to bail as the storm caused us to lose power, shorted out my furnace/ac unit and generally caused havoc. I'll make them up at some point.
     

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