This challenge involved doing 100 push ups and 50 pull ups for six days a week over a total of three weeks. The challenge can be seen above and is available for download here
The Exercises
- Push ups: chest to floor on every rep, performed at speed. Focus on pulling the shoulders apart at the top of the movement (optimal for shoulder health).
- Pull ups: Gripping the bar overhand with a slightly wider than shoulder width. Bring the body right up to the bar and return to full arm extension at the bottom of each rep.
Perform these two exercises as you see fit. I chose to have two minutes rest and complete 6-8 pull ups and 10-15 push ups per set. Don’t go to failure on any set.
Results
After completing the program the original article suggested taking five days off to allow the body to fully recover. My final measurements and pictures were taken on day 25 (the last set of exercises were day 20).
I made a point of activating my lats and chest before completing the exercises in order to maximise growth. I chose scapula pull ups and simply pushed my hands together at different angles to activate the chest. This definitely made a difference and improved the mind-muscle connection, something many bodybuilders emphasise.
The 100 push ups and 50 pull ups challenge results were impressive considering my age (31) and training years (15). Someone younger with less experience could certainly see better results from the same effort. If you do this I recommend focusing a lot on correct technique. I you don’t have the initial strength level to complete a good set of 5 to 8 pull ups then this program is probably too advanced.
As featured on Men’s Health
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