Life Experiment #35 – 300 Push-Ups A Day
I ended my second 100 push-up trial after 9 weeks. During that time I’ve been working on a progressive three work-outs-a-week program to eventually be able to do 100 push-ups. I did increase my strength. I’m able to do about 50-60 max. And I can do a work out of 100 total push-ups no problem. But I’m still not seeing the results I want, so I decided to change up my routine and switch to doing a large volume of push-ups. This month I’m taking on a month of 300 push-ups a day.
Hypothesis: I believe that by combining my two approaches of doing a large number of push-ups (as I did in the first trial) combined with managed sets from my second trial I’ll be able to increase my total muscle endurance. I think the best way to increase endurance to progressively increase the number and length of sets of an exercise. Marathon runners build endurance by running longer distance each day. Cyclists bike longer distances by consistently increasing the distance they can ride. In fact in get good at almost any you must continually practice it everyday. I think my strength will increase the most from daily work outs.
Push-Ups In The Military
Every new Navy SEAL must first go through BUD/S or Basic Underwater Demolition School. New recruits are put through hell week where they must endure hundreds of push-ups everyday. Most people in the military, including myself, had to go through a boot camp and crank out push-ups everyday. Almost every time recruits see improvement in strength through these exercises. If that’s the case, then why not do push-ups everyday? Why only do them three times a week?
One thing I noticed from my last push-up trial was a noticeable increase in endurance after doing 4 or 5 sets. I thought I’d be tired after doing a whole routine, but I noticed that the more push-ups I did the more my muscles adapted and I was able to complete more. But my experience with my first trial proved that pushing and straining my muscles pass the point of failure proved to unproductive for growth. Doing smaller sets over and over seems to produce better results.
World Record Holders
Charles Linster set the World Record for Non-stop Push-ups back in 1965 at 6,006. In an interview on Recordholders.org he stated that “I owed my January push-up records to Heifetz’s maxim of raising standards. Every day I performed at least one more push-up than the day before. I was like a mountain climber, using these minimums as “base camps” from which I could launch new push-up heights when feeling “good.” But the greatest result of my three new personal bests was the breaking of a psychological barrier. Until that time, I was convinced that records could only be broken by small increments. By more than doubling my personal record in less than three weeks, I knew that I didn’t have to settle for being merely good at the push-up, I could be great.”
Crystal West who set the World Record for Pull-ups said she could barely do one pull-up when she began, but persisted set the World Record for consecutive pull-ups at 345. What these record holders all have in common is their daily persistence to increase their numbers. They decide on how many they wanted to do and push themselves each day to do more. Even if they could only do a few reps at first, each one of them persisted on doing more each day. I believe that applying this strategy to push-ups with allow me to eventually hit a 100 push-ups.
My Routine
For this trial I’ll be working out twice a day with sets of push-ups
throughout the day. Here is my twice-a-day workout:
- Push-ups – 5 sets x 20
- Sit-ups – 5 sets x 20
- Pull-ups – 5 sets x 2
- Hindu Squats – 5 sets x 20
- Chin-ups – 5 sets x 3
My routine involves doing one set of each exercise, then moving
til the next until I’ve done 5 sets. We’ll see if better results from this method.
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