Push-ups are a basic physical exercise performed in a lying position and represent raising/lowering of the body with the help of hands. But can such a fairly simple action replace the gym, develop endurance and even give you mass gain?
Sam Stryker, editor-in-chief of the Buzzfeed news site, decided to take on the arduous challenge of doing a hundred push-ups over the course of a month. The man was inspired by a video where his colleagues were engaged in such a “challenge”.
In his normal life, Stryker is a swimmer and trains 4-6 days a week in his pool. He has a pretty good physical shape, but to maintain it requires a large financial injection and a lot of time. Sam decided to find out if push-ups could be a worthy substitute for the gym.
Tehnică
The Buzzfeed editor-in-chief decided not to rely on fate and went to Astrid Swan, a well-known fitness trainer, for advice.
Here are a few tips gleaned from Swan.
1. You can’t relax your back and torso muscles. This is a major mistake for beginners. The muscles of the torso should be rigid, like while holding a plank.
2. Start the test with 10 approaches of 10 times each.
3. If you feel strong enough and capable of 100 push-ups, you can increase the number of repetitions in an approach to 15-20, but if you feel pain in the muscles, reduce it to 5.
4. 100 push-ups is an unrealistic number? Start with 20. You can also do push-ups from your knees if full push-ups aren’t working for you yet.
5. Concentrate on the exercise and how it feels. Stop immediately if you feel pain.
6. It is very important to perform the technique correctly. If your exercises only remotely resemble push-ups, don’t waste your time. This can lead to injury.
7. The timing of the exercise is undoubtedly important. If you are a lark and feel good in the morning, try to perform most of your push-ups before lunch while you are still full of energy.
What can get in the way?
Over time, Stryker began doing fewer and fewer push-ups in the mornings, saving them for later. However, after dinner, he realized he hadn’t even done half of the exercises. Motivation began to fade, and the man had to work hard to continue the challenge. What could prevent you from completing the challenge?
1. muscle pain. And the pain will not go on for a few days, but much longer.
2. If you put everything off until the last moment of the day, it will be much harder to do push-ups.
3. The feeling of results will not come immediately.
How not to give up? Motivation for the work done
Sam was able to complete the challenge without missing a single day or push-up in the program. In the process, he came up with a few chips for himself that helped him get through the challenge:
1. Little quests with rewards. Reward yourself for each approach: you did 10 pushups – you can eat a candy bar, 10 more – watch a TV show.
2. Notifications on your phone. Set reminders for every hour: “Do 10”, “Let’s do push-ups”, “Do a good push-up” and so on.
3. Do push-ups anywhere and anytime.
4. Social media posts. Try highlighting your challenge on social media: every positive comment will motivate you to keep going.
Workout Results
Sam didn’t notice results until the end of the third week. His muscles continued to ache, but he started to feel much better. In addition, his strength and endurance improved.
Here are a few of the benefits you’ll get by taking the challenge:
1. Increased muscle mass. The chest, shoulders, abs, and back are pumped the most.
2. Improved performance in sports, especially if your arms are actively involved.
3. Improved self-esteem. If you make it through the 30-day challenge, you’ll probably be proud of yourself.
Conclusion: can 100 push-ups replace the gym? Absolutely. Your appearance will be transformed and your endurance will improve.