I’m a goal oriented person and with speed skating season coming to a close, I thought it would be good to make a plan of things I can do in the upcoming months otherwise from April until September this space would be filled with posts like: I Was Going To Exercise But I Drank Wine Instead or How To Spend Your Summer Horizontally.
While I may still write those, and yes, there will be research involved because I’m a professional, I’d like to intersperse them with other things. Some which consist of me actually moving.
Awhile back on twitter I saw the hashtag #100PushUps. It’s a program that can teach you how to do 100 push ups in 6 weeks. Intrigued, I went to go check it out. Turns out they have a few programs like 200 Squats, 200 Sit Ups and 150 Dips.
Next week I’m going to start two of the programs: The 100 push ups because it’s the original program and 200 squats because I need the lower body strength for speed skating.
Before beginning the program you do an initial test to determine where to start and how to plan your program.
I was able to do one full body push up. ONE! I will now be doing a knee push up version of the program. Apparently I have the upper body strength of a seven year old girl.
My lower body, however, is a different story. With the squat test I was up to 70 when the doorbell rang. It was the Jehovah’s Witness who comes to visit me every few weeks and keeps coming back because I can’t BE MEAN TO HIM. He’s super sweet, even when he’s explaining how the end of the world is approaching and my family is going to die. Not wanting to start all over again after he left, I’ve decided to use the start mark of 70, which it turns out is quite excellent for someone my age.
As I was laying in bed last night it dawned on me. I have the the upper body strength of a straw man and a lower body strength that is ranked as “excellent”. You realize what this means right?
I’m a T-rex.
Wanna join me in the hundred challenge?
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Alright, I’m game. Count me in but I warn you, as you completely kick my sorry ass in both pushups AND squats (you’re a nutter) AND you rub it in…I have mad sword skillz. Mad I tell you! It is Mondayas I read this so I will do the test this week and get moving next week.
I may hate you next week.
This might be something I could get behind. No equipment and can be done in the privacy of my own living room, right?
ha! you’re one funny chick – a t-rex!
sometime over a lot of wine I’ll tell you about my now 3-year (without success) endeavour to do a pull up…it’s a sad story. good luck with your challenge – you’ll do great
Very intrigued. Might have to check these challenges out myself. In the meantime, can you hear my applause? Man, I’ve got strong hands!
- I put my back out last year trying to do the plank. just saying: I’ll participate with applause.
I’m not even going to tell you how many squats I was able to do.
The answer *might* rhyme with TREE.
Count me in! I’ll be starting out on my knees too…er… I mean doing push-ups on my knees. *snort*
That t-rex has remarkable brows. I wonder how she managed that with those short little arms? And I’m in. Need the push ups more than anything, but the sit ups are need for the four-baby-belly muffin top.
At least I have the skiing (well, most years, only a litte this ‘winter’) and kayaking to build some sort of arm strength. I always mean to actually specificlly work on that, but somehow end up drinking wine instead. Legs, though, yeah.
I’m pretty sure I remember reading Apolo Ohno describing himself as having a T-Rex type body.
Apolo Ohno has an upper body? I was so busy looking at his massive thighs I didn’t notice.
I love kayaking and am hoping to do more this summer. And by more, I mean at least once.
I’m sure he gets that a lot….
A friend of mine *actually said to me* earlier this year “You’re a speed skater? Can I feel your thighs?”
I’ll be out paddling for sure once something resembling summer arrives, but what I really ought to do is actually swim. I mean, once summer arrives.
But such a cute T-Rex. And join you? Maybe when you bail and drink wine.
I’ll need you to bring the glass up to my mouth, okay?
I’m in! Knee push ups for sure though. I’ll attempt the squats too. Off to read more about it. Monday – it’s on!
Bring it girl!
I was never able to do a push up when I was a teenager, I would always end up laughing because it was just impossible for me and I was healthy back them. I would give you virtual strength, but I would probably still end up laughing (at myself, not you).
You can laugh at me, I’m good with it
HAHA, T-Rex! I’ll check it out! This could be fun!
Now…..about that 10K race in May……(ahem).
Jessica
I’m going for a run right now – just syncing up my iPod
Ok Rex, you already know I’m in. “The upper body strength of a straw man.” Hahaha!
We need to have a pinwheeling arm, slap fight.
Oh man, I can do dozens of squats, hundreds of crunches and leg raises, but you ask me to flip over and do a push up? Hah, I’m knees, baby, all the way.
So what does that make me? weak on top, super-human in the middle and strong on bottom. Some kind of super-hero centaur?
I’m in!
Hmmmm….a centaur or a centipede. I’m not sure.
haha!! I’m a T-rex too, but because I can’t weight bear on my wrists. I can however do 100 squats cause I’m awesome like that. Carrying babies on my back gave me great legs!
They have a way to do push ups so it doesn’t hurt your wrists. Just saying.
I’m in. Bring it on!
Woot woot
I certainly NEED to join the pushup program–a couple months ago I was talking to a fellow skater and she said she was a bit sore from having done…wait for it…250 pushups that day (she’s a rower in the offseason). I confessed that I, too, had done pushups that day… .75 of them, to be exact. Yes, POINT 75, as in “got down and got halfway back up.” However, I doubt that I WILL be joining you…since I have to rest up during March, you know, for the start of the new “offseason season” in April. We can compare aching body parts after I start dryland in April, though…(oh, and good job on the squats! Try some one-legged ones, too…they’re great for balance!)
Kaari, you would be so proud of me. I’ve been doing one-legged squats on a wobble board. I can only do two or three before falling off – but it’s a start!
Awesome! I’ve done a couple of those…I think two or three is as far as I got, too. Hmm, there’s another thing I probably should start doing again after my month off…
I’ll be a cheerleader!!
ok fine. but does it have to be push-ups? I’m the gorilla arm wrestling champ which makes me your polar opposite.
I will gladly join you in drinkIng of wine but as for the push-ups… You’re on your own
I’m gonna hang with Maija on this one, if that’s ok!! I have *just* enough strength to pour the wine, I think!
Ill join you. You’ve got one pushup up on me. It’s only up from here.
That’s the right attitude!
I suck at push-ups so naturally I’ll join you. When do we begin? Pinky swear that I’ll be honest.
I’m starting on Monday – it’s three days a week for six weeks. After I do the six week program with knee push ups I may attempt the full body ones.