100 push-ups WOOT (and sit-ups and squats)

[Good Row G]

Kinda feel like this is a dubious Woot, but hey, it's mine! A new PR daily record! 100 push-ups, sit-ups and body squats, done over the course of maybe 20 minutes in 4 sets of 25 reps.

Yeah!!!!

I call it a dubious WOOT because in some way it felt pretty bad and in some ways was easy:

My friends and I are in an annual challenge where we do 50 push-ups, sit-ups and air squats daily in May, 60 in June, etc. Last year I cheated and only did 5 days a week and dropped out in June. This year I've been perfect so far. As we agreed, when we miss a day, we make up the reps the next day. I missed yesterday, my first in May, so I did my 100 today.

Problem is, I can feel that I am tired and over-trained. Dumb thought it may be, I want to keep up with this challenge. But it doesn't feel like I'm getting much stronger. At least not fast. Great, it seems like I can knock out 25 push-ups in good form for an unlimited amount of sets. Really, that's kinda cool. But I struggle to do 30 at once.

Possible ways forward:

- Lose weight. That would make push-ups easier, but I'm not as committed as I should be to rely on this as a strategy

- Push through the over-training. Just push. Make myself do one more and one more and one more.

- Mix in some strength training push-ups, like raising my feet or trying to clap. That sounds promising!

- Mix the sets up. Instead of my standard 30 push-ups rest 20 push-ups, maybe scale back to 20-20-10 until I feel stronger. This seems lame and like a step backwards.

- Accept that I need rest days. Also seems lame. But I'll do it if I have to.

Any other ideas?

WOOT, WOOT! Never really imagined I'd be doing 100 push-ups, no big thing, just close my door at work and knock it out. 300 test here I come!

[The Tin Man]

Woot! But

- Push through the over-training. Just push. Make myself do one more and one more and one more.

Is never a good idea. Unless you want to get hurt/burn out. Do you really think you can "push through" this every single day for the next 6+ months?

[Good Row G]

Yeeeaaaahhhh. Couldn't be more sheepish about that. Pushing through is my general MO, but in this case is clearly a bad idea.

I'm coming to peace with the idea that I need to mix it up in a way that gets the rest and recovery my body needs.

Hard for me to be proud of where I am, and at the same time accept that I have to change course, at least slightly.

[ETFnerd]

you could mix it up a little...

[The Tin Man]

Hard for me to be proud of where I am, and at the same time accept that I have to change course, at least slightly.

That feeling is understandable. You've done what you've been doing to become quite badass and impressive. Now it's time to take things (including rest) up a notch to become even more badass! You've been doing these workouts, but what is your goal other than to do it with your friends? To become stronger? To do 100 in a row? To finish the challenge because it's a challenge?

To become stronger: definitely work in either explosive push ups or decline pushups or work towards one-arm progressions

Do 100 (or some amount) in a row: keep doing what you're doing, but trying to add more to a max rep set. It sounds like you're getting very good at doing lots of sets of 25 push ups but not much more than that.

Finish the challenge because it's a challenge: Maybe you could do this, but it would be at the expense of your health and not to the benefit of it.

The good news? You clearly have the determination and drive to work out consistently! That's a big struggle for most. You just need to sprinkle in some strategic programming and you're in great shape!

[Good Row G]

Prophesy, ahh. He had me at the smirk. And held me with the creatively awesome routine.

Started this thread in a funk, and almost deleted it because of the negative tone. But hey, you guys actually make me face the issue and consider "strategic programming." That doesn't sound bad. I've actually got some ideas. Working with the strength / endurance / rest needs.

Since I discovered I can knock out 100, I'm going to try keeping the max set, do total of 100 a couple days a week (120 next month / 140 in July) and then take a couple of planned and frequent days off. Maybe give some of the other push-ups a try too, get out of the comfort zone in a good way. If that's too much, so I scale back.

More than working myself into the ground, my goal is a strong set of 40. Keep to the challenge, at least in spirit. But be smart about it.

And smile knowly while doing it! Yeah, baby. Break out my inner Prophesy.

[Elastigirl]

Congrats! Not a dubious woot at all. You and your friends have an impressive challenge and you're doing great, Now with the advice you've been doing you can totally rock it.

[Good Row G]

Ok, I would never make it as a sports trainer. It's so hard to know what's going to be a good day and what isn't. Sometimes when I'm sick and tired, my set feels strong, and vice versa.

Having pondered this thread, and accepted the need to rest more, I came up with the idea of doubling up the volume a couple days a week so I could take two days off on the weekends. So, Monday's 100 was to make up for last Sunday off, and I followed that up with 100 on Tuesday and another 100 today so that I could have next weekend off.

Know what? The last two days felt good, energized. I hit my goal of a max set of 30-25-25-20 for pushups, and 40-40-20 for situps and squats. Good form, and less and less time to complete. Even got off the ground a couple times in my pushups.

Breaking the 100 barrier was really good for me. It wasn't just a fluke! Now I'm less scared of missing a day or taking rest when I need it. And guess I'm stronger than I thought.

Woot, woot! Thanks guys!