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Right I've done my initial tests for the press-up and sit-up challenges. 20 press ups and my arms almost buckled under me! 50 sit ups (or crunches as per the website). Not a bad start lets see if I can stick at it!
Has anyone completed the challenge?
I do this occasionally. Winter training mainly as a change from a fairly basic weights circuit. Never really went right through the programme tho. I get bit bored tbh!! Do sit-ups, squats and I add a dips programme too!
Out of interest, not having done any for decades, I thought I would do an experiment and just see what happened to the number of push ups I could do if I just did a maximum effort once daily. In my late teens - 40 years ago - I could do about 120; it took me several months to build up to that. So far on consecutive days, I have done 10,13,17, and 21.
Presumably this represents increased recruitment rather than strength.
If any one else cares to give this a go I would be interested to hear their results.
I had started something similar, using three different exercises rotated daily. Day 1 Push-ups, Day 2 - Pull-ups, Day 3 - Squats. My aim was to build up to 5 sets of 20 for each and take it from there. Unfortunately this has been sidelined after just over a week by getting whiplash and stuffing my shoulder up slightly when some tw@t smashed into my van and drove off.
All being well it starts again tomorrow :)
Good luck Rob - I find pull ups so much harder than push ups - I could only ever do half a dozen maximum, and without some weeks of preliminary isometric hanging with the bar under my chin I could not even do one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Furness
Sorry to hear about the hit and run - it seems to happen far too often.
The programme can get a bit boring. Good to work through at least once if you want to be able to knock out 100 though.
I was part way through this 50 pull ups program http://www.7weekstofitness.com/ before I picked up my ultra training in March. Was up to 27 by the time I finished. Not got back into it since. Instead, I now work through this circuit once a week:
10 sets of...
6 pull ups
10 press ups
4 squat & shoulder press (30kg bar)
But each set of press ups I do a different type:
One each of these http://su.pr/8lnT0M; plus a set of these http://t.co/svbAtG1d; plus a set of regular press ups.
Good luck though guys :)
Well seeing as a few of you are at this ive just had a look and ill be starting the challenge too, going to give the 100 push up and 200 sit up challenge a go.
....... 25 today - surprised it is going up so quickly.
4 sets of 25 today, seems a rest did me good. At the moment, they're fairly fast push-ups but still good form. Pull-ups tomorrow, target of 5 sets of 8...
First night 28 Push ups, 32 Sit ups lets see how we go from here.
Seems to be catching on this. Will have a crack.
Did the test. 60 push ups and 58 sit ups. Presumably I'm supposed to be able to do more sit ups than push ups? Wouldn't surprise me if I had a weak core as will explain why i'm forever carrying niggles. Mind you I did the sit ups pretty much straight after the push ups which might have had an impact...
So far: 10,13,17,21,25,26,-(forgot to do any!),30. So the number I can do has tripled in a week - if only leg strength improved so quickly; I guess it would if I was truly starting from zero.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
So far: 10,13,17,21,25,26,-(forgot to do any!),30; and it continues: 30,33,29,33,35. They are hard work - presumably I cannot do any more as my muscles have become too acidic to go on. In a gym of course I would be doing bench presses and would have increased the weight to keep the number of lifts to under 10.
I probably don't have the physiology quite correct here but the thing is Mike its all well and good developing or aspiring to develop a huge upper body physic by doing all of these pressups, but think of all the O2 that is needed to keep it fired up. As an ex Climber with over developed upper half and a puny set of legs (arms like legs) I'd much rather now when running have my blood supply go mainly to my legs than be diverted to my arms!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Hi SimonQuote:
Originally Posted by Corniceman
This all started when I was reading some coaching material and it mentioned doing push ups in lots of 10, and it occurred to me that I might have trouble with this. Sure enough 10 was my absolute maximum, so I thought I would do a simple experiment and see what happened, with the above results.
I am not trying to change my upper body appearance/size, but it would be nice to be able to do what I ask others to do when coaching, and occasionally when scrambling some upper body strength is called for. As for blood being diverted away from my legs, it is my understanding that the shoulder and arm muscles have a relatively trivial blood flow through them when running, and that the actual volume of flow is unlikely to be altered much by increasing the number of push ups I can do, all other things being equal.
As to your legs being puny it does not seemed to have held you back in any way!
.... and continuing on - after the 29,33,35 above it went: 35,38,0,0,0,39,37,37,40. The 0's were a weekend away when I did not feel up to doing them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
It may be that leg strength could be improved considerably by a similar regimen - but it would be hard to measure without using weights.
Free standing hindu squats, Mike - same regime as the 100 press ups type of programme. I used to do up to 500 in my very, very fit days. Can get up to about 200 now (not right now) before getting distracted
I doubt my knees would cope with many of those!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nigel
Very good for the knees and they build great power. In fact I should start doing them again but 2 days before Langdale a bit too late to start methinks.
Have done 40 or more push ups - up to 46 - six times now. Certainly the first 20 feel so easy, a marked contrast to when I started when 10 was a real effort. It has certainly helped on scrambly descents where upper body strength is essential to prevent over rapid progress. With respect to leg strength I have been timing the ascent of Wansfell Pike - from when the steps begin to the top - and have improved from 20 minutes to 17 - it is a shame I live in Suffolk!
Been working on press ups for 3 weeks. I could only manage 6 when I started...now up to 3 x 20 and getting stronger. Using winter to work on core strength but now a bad neck from 60 sit ups a day. Looking for alternatives if anyone has any suggestions.
sounds like your doing the sit ups by pulling on the back of your head,
try doing the sit ups with your arms folded across your chest or rested upon your shoudlers
Cheers Dylan I'll give it a go
You need to avoid just focussing on sit-ups. It's a sure-fire way to do your back in, by causing a muscle imbalance around the core, which causes the spine to be pulled in just one direction. I did it, and ended up with back problems that took another 18 months of intense activity with a Swiss ball to sort out!
As my physio at the time said, you need to look at core exercises like building scaffolding around your spine. The best single core exercise is the plank, but a simple regime of plank, side planks, properly done sit ups (that is no kneck pull and a straight back), knee rolls to mobilise hips and back raises does the job pretty well. Instead of trying to do a few hundred sit-ups every day, I now do 20 mins of these exercises on a Swiss ball, 3 times a week (in front of the TV with a beer!). My core is much stronger and I rarely get back problems these days.
Thanks for advice. My workout is now a mix as advised and the new technique for sit ups seems to be effective. My wife has started doing the same exercises so should both benefit from the advice. In fitness and on the eye :closed:
I dropped off the 100 challenge but regularly do pyramid type workouts with pushups and the plank is a staple to the core conditioning! Plank and squeeeze those stomach muscles hard! 3 x 30 seconds burns!
Trying to get my Mrs to do the same - and for the same reason!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Markollyh
I now do 2 to 4 strength and conditioning sessions a week, each lasting an hour or so - push ups are included and spread throughout the session in lots of 20 - currently 7 different types of push up - hands wide/hands together/feet on chair and so on - so 140 per session in total - very different from 2012.