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WEEK 5
14 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 21,27,23,23,31+2
Cool downI did this in the late afternoon and felt really good, 2.5 mins rest between sets and 3.5 mins before the final set.
16 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 15,15,21,21,15,15,36
Cool downAnother late afternoon session, this time a mixture of outside and on my kitchen floor. I could tell from the sets of 21 that I had more in the tank and I was really pleased to match the desired reps.
18 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 15,15,22,22,15,15,36+2
Cool downAlmost identical to the previous session and a very similar result. The target was 38 and I thought I had it but I faded after 30. The final sets for next week are 42+, 46+ and 50+. They seem unattainable if you think in terms of adding 4 reps every time, but by percentages it’s really more like doing a set of 10 and asking you to reach 11 next time.
The two things that have really helped this week (in my opinion) are the 2.5 minutes rest and choosing late afternoon. A quick online search confirms that body temperature peaks late afternoon and so I will continue to train pushups at that time.
Here’s a sped up version of my final set on 18th April
WEEK 6
21 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 18,28,24,24,31
Cool downCompletely blanked on the need to do more in the final set, the target was 42 reps. I could feel my bicep straining quite a bit so I added an extra stretch for it afterwards.
23 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 18,18,24,24,19,19,32+9+5
Cool down25 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 20,20,26,26,21,21,37+9+4
Cool downA best effort in this program at 37 reps, pleased considering this was the 7th set.
WEEK 7
28 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 20,32,26,26,25+9+9+7
Cool downDeveloping some intense tightness across my elbow in certain positions and also my upper traps. There’s definitely something that is either being missed by the post-workout stretches or that just can’t handle the volume.
30 Apr
Warm up
Push ups – 20,20,24,24,20,20,23,34+10+8+3
Cool downThe volume is too much, I’m knackered by the final set. Using 2.5 mins rest until the final set and holding firm at 52 bpm.
2 May
Warm up
Push ups – 24,24,31,31,26,26,24,29+9+7+7+8
Cool downHuge amounts of cumulative fatigue have built up in my arms and I felt tired before the first set. For the final set I tried to sneak it up to 54 bpm but that turned out to be far too fast so I dialed it back. I was using 3 minutes rest between sets and barely finished some of these.
Today is Tuesday, I would say the earliest I would consider a max effort set would be Sunday. I’m tempted to do something in between especially given the extreme tightness across my elbow. I have Kelly Starrett’s Becoming a Supple Leopard which will likely have some nice exercises to go through on Friday.
100 reps is very unlikely but I’m expecting to land north of 50.
7 May
Warm up
Pushups – 58
Cool downAs with my first test I did this mid-morning and with a metronome set at 50 beats per minute. My body doesn’t feel completely recovered but it may be I need a load of soft tissue work to fix that.
9 May
Warm up
Pushups – 60
Cool downI gave it 48 hours and tried again, this time mid-afternoon and with a metronome at 52 beats per minute. I felt worse going into this than I did 2 days ago but due to scheduling I can’t really fit this in any other time. I was happy to reach 60 but wanted more.
10 May
Weight – 71.4kg, 16.3% body fat
Measurements: Bicep tensed (36.5cm), Chest (103cm), Waist (81cm)Bench Press – 1 x 110kg
I was pleased to see my 1RM hasn’t moved, and in fact this went up a little smoother than my attempt back in March prior to this program. That said, I have put on 2.3kg (1.7kg is muscle) so by body-weight strength I’m weaker.
Here are my 58 reps
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