Push It Real Good

Back in November my friend Chris offered up a challenge on Facebook to perform 10,000 pushups during the month of December.  He calculated it out to 322 per day with 340 on the final day.  I'm usually up for a challenge and this one sounded interesting.

It wasn't until I actually started doing the pushups that I realized how real the challenge was.  Would the arms get stronger or would they fall off.

I kept track of each day on a notepad and I'm glad I did.  It gives me something to review and see how the month progressed.

I mixed things up by performing a variety of "pushups".  I did the standard plank pushups on my toes. I also did them on my knees.  I used the rings at Crossfit low to the ground.  I threw in some hand stand pushups against a wall or kneeling on a chair.  The triceps were also worked with dips on the edge of a chair. 

The different exercises allowed me to use different muscles and avoid overuse injury and keep in muscular balance.

I pushed with sets of 10, 20 or 30 depending upon the exercise, and how tired I was.

Here is my day-to-day recap.

12/01    Started off strong with 292
12/02    212
12/03    50 - I was sore from the first two days.
12/04    380 - This included 30 Handstand PUs and 50 Rings PUs at Crossfit
12/05    400 - While I was swimming I did 100 press-outs on the edge of the pool
12/06    350
12/07    350
12/08    300
12/09    300
12/10    450 - Time to start catching up.  I was only 200 behind pace.
12/11    450 - 8 shy of goal pace
12/12    300
12/13    150
12/14    400
12/15    400
12/16    0 - Despite this being a Sunday I was busy with work all day
12/17    400 - only 290 behind pace
12/18    400
12/19    240
12/20    0 - This was a work travel day.
12/21    200
12/22    0 - A run/swim brick in the morning had me shelled for the rest of the day.
12/23    60 - Had the family over for Christmas dinner.  Barely time to breath.
12/24    0 - Tired and busy
12/25    400
12/26    0 - I was not 1,566 behind pace
12/27    600 - Time to start cranking them out because of several zeros.
12/28    1000 - I was on vacation but it felt like work to get all of them in and I was 1000 behind pace
12/29    400
12/30    516 - The 16 was to make it an even 1000 the final day
12/31    1000 - Did my final 10 as the countdown for 2012 began.

I woke up the morning of 12/31 and thought to myself....there is no way I'm going to get this done.  But then I remembered some comments posted on Facebook from various friends. 

Cristi.........if anyone could do it, it would be you!

Shawn.......You can do it Eric. You and Chris inspire me to do more...........You got this.

Eric B........If u r awake 12 hrs a day...u can set an alarm to do 33 every half hour...you can do it. PTMATBWF = Push the Mind and the Body Will Follow

I..Can..Do..This.

Aimee and I ran two hours in the Cuyahoga Valley.  At different times I would drop to the ground and pump out 20 pushups.  During that run I did 400 pushups.

Back at home I did another 400 in the early afternoon.

Before heading over to our neighbors house for New Years Eve I did another 190...saving the final 10 for midnight.

I did it.  It wasn't the most optimal way of going about it.  With December being such a busy month between work travel and the holidays it certainly added to the challenge.

 

Once again there is proof that anything is possible.  Ninety percent of any challenge is getting on top of it mentally.  

How have you challenged yourself lately.

Game On.