The Pushup Challenge

[badboybrian]

I read this article in Men's Health magazine. Its a test to see how fit you are. I welcome everyone to give it a shot and tell us how you did and what you think you need to work on. Im gonna try this at the gym tonight after I get off work. Tonight or tomorrow I'll give an update.

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The test
Do as many pushups as you can in 3 minutes.

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Rules
1 Rest whenever you want, but keep the clock running the whole time.

2 For a rep to count, you must maintain perfect form: elbows locked at the top, chest 2-3 inches above the floor at the bottom, hips not sagging, and knees not touching the floor.

3 Pace yourself however you'd like, but it's best not to rush. Take a 15-second break once you slow down after your first burst. Then take longer breaks as you become more tired. But don't push yourself to total fatigue.

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How you did:
< 55 pushups
Below average

55 to 74 pushups
Average

75 to 99 pushups
Good

100 to 110 pushups
Excellent

111 or more
Extraordinary

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Problems to look for:
If you can't do 15 pushups with perfect form . . .
Your chest and triceps are weak. Strengthen them by doing regular high-rep (12 to 15) sets of the bench press and triceps pushdown. Also try pushups in a power rack on a barbell so you can set your body at an incline, making the pushup easier. As you improve, lower the barbell until you're doing regular pushups.

If your hips sag during pushups . . .
Your core is weak. Solution: planks and side planks. These exercises build stability and endurance in your core and mimic the movement needed to succeed at pushups. They're also great ab workouts.

 

[Binge_Artist]

61.

 

[Bridesbiscuit]

92. (12 according to rules section 2).

 

[cocamatic]

I'm gonna try this...

Just had breakfast though, so I'll wait a while... Hemp protein shake, yogurt, 2 bananas, and red vein Thai kratom... breakfast of champions.

-

Ok I just did 38 and felt weak. I swear I'm built so weird... I can do chin ups, of all things, like a mofo on speed.... I can dead lift around 500 lbs. But when it comes to pushing exercises I feel like I'm in a different body.

I can bench press more than my body weight and all, but maybe it's my triceps... I have no idea.

This is a cool "challenge" though... I have a feeling if I try it again before bed I could get into an average spot. I have more strength later in the day for some reason.

 

[madswagga]

will get back to you

 

[TakeItAll]

65 but I already did weights earlier this evening and since being labelled average offends my competitive nature I'm going to try this again fresh sometime.

 

[badboybrian]

45 and embarrased.

i need to work on my weaksauce.

 

[moonyham]

only 9000.

Damn!

No seriously, i have joint problems, i cant do pushups

 

[stinkfoot]

ok, this thing is kinda b.s.

can we expect a 55 yr. old man to do the same amount of pushups as a 21 yr old man?

no.

why?

because he's old and he can't do 75-90 pushups in 3 minutes.

they should have included some kind of age chart...

i guess they expect everyone who reads men's health to be 21-35 yrs old.

 

[badboybrian]

how is it b.s.? sure your reasoning appears valid. i guess it would only be b.s. to you if you ARE between 21-35.

i did find an article to help you go harder, faster, longer
http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/mental_skills_for_endurance/


What surrenders first, the brain or the body?

Feels like the body, doesn't it? When your stride gets choppy on the running trail or your form goes wobbly in the gym, you tell yourself to go a bit more, but your body won't let you. So your mind drifts to a hot shower and a cold beer. It's quittin' time.

There it is: Your mind drifts. Your body's got plenty more, and scientists have proved it. Researchers at the University of Cape Town in South Africa have pinpointed where the stop order comes from. It has to do with receptors in the brain called interleukin-6.

"Our brains turn on the pain before we actually run out of fuel," says Timothy Noakes, M.D., a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town. It's a safety measure—the brain tells the body to shut down to protect it from injury.

In short, our brains screw with us. They stop us from getting the most out of our workouts, and from losing that last 10 pounds. Guys like Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps have figured out how to fool the brain and body into giving more. It's a bit more than "I think I can." But not much. Here's what the experts say.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/mental_skills_for_endurance/

 

[Jamshyd]

^ Interesting, and really begs the question: why does evidence, even scientific, shows us that the brain is actually physically wired so as to reject exercise?

 

[That-Strange-Guy]

ok, this thing is kinda b.s.

can we expect a 55 yr. old man to do the same amount of pushups as a 21 yr old man?

no.

why?

because he's old and he can't do 75-90 pushups in 3 minutes.

they should have included some kind of age chart...

i guess they expect everyone who reads men's health to be 21-35 yrs old.

I seen an 85 year old ex navy seal able to do 3.6 pushups a second. Age does not equal out of shape.

 

[stinkfoot]

my point wasn't that old guys can't be in good shape.

my point is you can't expect a 55 yr old to be in the same shape as a 21 yr old. ....which is obvious.

so, they should have a scale based on age.

 

[yougene]

^ Interesting, and really begs the question: why does evidence, even scientific, shows us that the brain is actually physically wired so as to reject exercise?

So we don't rip our muscles lifting cars over our heads.

 

[Jamshyd]

^ I understand. Maybe I should clarify what I'm getting at.

It is common knowledge that exercise is essential for a healthy body, and yet a closer look reveals that the body seems to be designed specifically to reject exercise and other such activities. How does this apparent paradox reconcile?

p.s. sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[thujone]

ok, this thing is kinda b.s.

can we expect a 55 yr. old man to do the same amount of pushups as a 21 yr old man?

no.

why?

because he's old and he can't do 75-90 pushups in 3 minutes.

they should have included some kind of age chart...

i guess they expect everyone who reads men's health to be 21-35 yrs old.

you shoulda been in my highschool math class to witness my 55 year old teacher doing more than double the amount of pushups the spry young 17 year old could muster. we timed him and he was doing slightly more than one pushup per second for over a minute straight and it really did seem like he would have kept going, like the fucking energizer bunny on two gallons of 5 hour energy drink and a bulb full of meth.

i guess physical fitness is like in all things... there's no substitute for experience. the teach was easily doing hundreds of pushups daily since at latest his 20s while the unsuspecting student was beasting at the bench press and building no endurance.

the sensei at my local dojo is also 55 and his physique is EXACTLY what it was when he was 30. i have no doubt he could do pushups for a day straight. so yeah, for the vast majority of people who don't take fitness that seriously and go hard till they're 35-40 then decide "fuck it, i have a wife and family i can afford to grow a beer belly" they will never attain that level but the people who do train into their 50s like they did in their 20s are definitely capable of it

 

[yougene]

^ I understand. Maybe I should clarify what I'm getting at.

It is common knowledge that exercise is essential for a healthy body, and yet a closer look reveals that the body seems to be designed specifically to reject exercise and other such activities. How does this apparent paradox reconcile?

p.s. sorry to hijack the thread.

In a natural environment, there are other internal and external pressures to "exercise". Your reptillian brain might be saying no, but your emotions or mind is saying yes. vice versa

The question to me is why does evolution modularize internal structures and pit them against one another? Not really relevant to this sub-forum though.

 

[Mehm]

I haven't exercised for strength trained in a long time.........

I did 65, barely

 

[aanallein]

you shoulda been in my highschool math class to witness my 55 year old teacher doing more than double the amount of pushups the spry young 17 year old could muster. we timed him and he was doing slightly more than one pushup per second for over a minute straight and it really did seem like he would have kept going, like the fucking energizer bunny on two gallons of 5 hour energy drink and a bulb full of meth.

i guess physical fitness is like in all things... there's no substitute for experience. the teach was easily doing hundreds of pushups daily since at latest his 20s while the unsuspecting student was beasting at the bench press and building no endurance.

the sensei at my local dojo is also 55 and his physique is EXACTLY what it was when he was 30. i have no doubt he could do pushups for a day straight. so yeah, for the vast majority of people who don't take fitness that seriously and go hard till they're 35-40 then decide "fuck it, i have a wife and family i can afford to grow a beer belly" they will never attain that level but the people who do train into their 50s like they did in their 20s are definitely capable of it

Yea there is a guy at my Gym who is 56 and he seriously looks 36 and he's rockin a lean physique and has incredible strength. If you train for it, you can do it. My cousin was just talking about a 75 year old who has hiked all the highest peaks in the USA.. guy is a beast.

 

[TakeItAll]

^ Interesting, and really begs the question: why does evidence, even scientific, shows us that the brain is actually physically wired so as to reject exercise?

I have absolutely no evidence for this however my personal belief is that the brain is wired to do things in the most energy efficient manner.

If you think about it there is very few things in the real world that ever require lifting you body up and down 50-70 times in a push up motion without stopping.

I used to encounter this phenomenon when teaching kung fu. You would ask a student to make a particular movement based on the structure of the human body that was effective for fighting but if their brain drifted off their body would find a more energy efficient but less martially effective variation instead without them realising. So you just keep an eye on them and keep correcting them until the more effective method becomes habitual.