. . . at myself, for sure. I've never really been able to do a pushup (a chinup is waaay out of the question). I'm not sure why, because I have these huuuge broad shoulders that once (ok, 20 years ago) could row a little boat a long long way. I guess the issue lays with my arms, which are puny and a little on the flabby side, and with my determination, which is sadly lacking. I get down to the ground ok, and then when I start to push UP, I make it about 2 inches and then whooosh! my form collapses and I'm kissing the floor. This is a basic truth.
"Waaah! I can't do a pushup! Pushups are haaaaard! Pushups are for dudes, or really fit people, not normal(questionable) people like me. You'd have to be craaaazy to want to do pushups. Only obsessive people do that. There's something wrong with them."
This is pretty much the way I feel about pushups. Swap "pushups" for "running" and that could've been a direct quote from me say, five years ago. Now I can run a marathon, and even further.
So when I read this post by Cyndi, I thought SUUURE! why not! sheesh, I had to start running one day didn't I, why can't I start this? and thought about it and downloaded the app for it and planned on starting it and then, in true ME fashion, promptly pushed it from my mind and forgot all about it.
And then. Cyndi called me on it, said she had already completed Week 1 and how was I doing? Um, whoops, I was kinda hoping YOU forgot about it, too.
But I do well when called on my behavior, and today I manned up and started the program. Well, I did the initial test, which is to see how many "good form" pushups you're capable of. Me? A big fat "0". So, it's "girlie" pushups for me, those ones with your knees bent and ankles crossed -- this supposedly takes up 50% of the weight. In the initial test I did 5 of these with good form, count 'em, 5! According to the program, this gives me a ranking of "1". I suppose I should be happy to rank 1 in anything . . . (yeah, there's 7. 7 isn't worse than 1.) At least I can do the knee-type; there is a modification that has you standing next to a wall and pushing off that, if you can't do any other type. So I'm not that bad.
I figure I'll do the full 6 week course, doing the knee pushups the whole way, and then perhaps I'll gain enough strength to do "real" pushups -- then I'll repeat it again, the "proper" way.
I'll try to stay honest!
Anyone want to join us?
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6 comments:
Dont' make me come over there and sit on your back and scream obscenities at you ala Jillian Michaels.
Here's an excellent link about getting to awesome push up form: http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pushup
I did that challenge a couple months ago.
I suck. I quit. I did 20 on my initial test, and a few weeks into it I could still only do a max of 20. It's my plateau. I can't get past it.
Just because a challenge is there, doesn't mean you have to do it...mind you, I did Ironman for that reason, and then I did it twice more just to get it out of my system, so there is no accounting for common sense.
I think this endurance stuff kills brain cells.
It's all about mind over matter, you just gotta keep your head above your body!
When I went into the Army, they made girls who couldn't do at least one proper push-up go to a special physical training camp before they could go to boot camp. I was terrified of even LONGER boot camp and I think the only thing that got my ass up and down is pure adrenaline. I still can't do push ups and I have man arms.
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