Another Challenge

[kodi]

Here's another challenge for anyone that might be interested. It's doing pushups. I know some are probably not allowed to do these but for anyone that is able it could be interesting. I'm in and will start mine tomorrow.

http://www.hundredpushups.com/index.html

[Bionic Man]

My marfans doc and surgeon allows that I can do knee pushups but not full ones. I do lots for karate and they wipe me out pretty quickly. Still feels good to build the upper body strenght though. I'd be curious to hear what other docs say. Naturally I don't think I would try doing them immediately after surgery and would want to be sure people were getting permission from their surgeon before taking them on.

good luck!

[SumoRunner]

I started it in January and two weeks into it I hurt my back - an old recurring thing that's been with me for years. I'm not sure if it was from the PUs or shoveling snow that caused it, so I took two weeks off - from the PUs that is, can't do anything about the snow. I'm going to try getting back into it again this week starting from the start again.

At the end of week 2 I did 81 in 5 sets but didn't try the week 2 test of continuous PUs. I have no doubt I could have done 35 non-stop at that point. I was doing 25-30 every day after my morning runs last summer, so I wasn't in bad shape to start. I've never done 100 in my life.

[ponygirlmom]

I'm starting today, too!

[ctyguy]

I've moved away from using free weights to doing almost exclusively body weight training. Im doing 100 pushes a day (5 sets, 20 reps per). I haven't been doing them EVERY day but I am managing at least 3 to 4 times a week. Usually if I am sore its muscle related, never my sternum. Im 11 months post op now but I can say it was a good 5 or 6 months post surgery before I could do them and not feel "something" in my chest/sternum area.

If you really want to see just how weak you are, try some pullups ! Im using an assisted dip machine in the gym and can do sets of 10 but when I tried without the assist I was lucky to get to 5 ! My trainer told me I have no business doing curls with free-weights if I cant do 10 pullups un-assisted. So pushups, pullups, lunges, and squats are the big 4 for my workouts now for the big muscle groups. The rest is all core work, which I hate :)

[Debbie]

Hey Kodi, thanks for the post and the link. Did you notice on the link there is also a challange and program for sit up's?? I think I am going to try the sit-up's -my mid section could use it :p Thanks Debbie :)

[SumoRunner]

So I did restart from day 1 again yesterday and no backache yet. I'm wondering is it better to do only the stipulated 3 days a week or would adding a couple low intensity days to the schedule help?

[kodi]

So I did restart from day 1 again yesterday and no backache yet. I'm wondering is it better to do only the stipulated 3 days a week or would adding a couple low intensity days to the schedule help?
I started yesteday and started at day 1 in the 11-20 category. I managed to do them all but it was a stuggle. My form might have been off at the very end. I'm sticking to the program of 3 days a week. I have enough other things going between rowing, swimming, biking and walking to do any more. Hopefully I'll be able to start running again in the next week or so.

[spartangator]

Hey, cool, thanks for passing along the site. What a useful program for everyone trying to get upper body strength back!

[Debbie]

Hey Kodi, well I started my sit-up's 3 days ago, so far so good. I'm doing 15 in the morning and 15 at night, I want to start off slow and build up. I tryed doing girl push-up's but could only do 5, I guess my arms need work too. I have been able to get some good rides in this week, see ya next Sat. :D:D
Take care Debbie :)

[SumoRunner]

Allrighty then, back to week one of the pushups. I popped off 50 Mon, 58 Wed, 64 Fri, but I also threw in a few extra, 15-20, on Tue and Thu. I'm doing them before my runs now whereas last summer I was doing my PUs when I returned home from my runs.

I'd like to throw in a few situps too but that may be too much at once, maybe in a few more weeks.

[kodi]

Allrighty then, back to week one of the pushups. I popped off 50 Mon, 58 Wed, 64 Fri, but I also threw in a few extra, 15-20, on Tue and Thu. I'm doing them before my runs now whereas last summer I was doing my PUs when I returned home from my runs.

I'd like to throw in a few situps too but that may be too much at once, maybe in a few more weeks.

Good for you. Is that all at once or over the 5 sets?

[SumoRunner]

Sets. It was only the first week. The plan calls for 5 sets 3 days a week and at the end of wk 2, 4 & 6 you do an endurance test. Supposedly after 6 wks you can do 100 non-stop. I've never done that many in my life. I don't know what my previous max was. I never bothered to record such things but I do remember doing 35 after a 10 mile run just last summer. I doubt I've ever done more than 50 in one go.

[R&N Brown]

This is a good topic, I have not had the opportunity to hear what others on the board are doing and at what point post-op.

I'm about 6 1/2 months post-op right now. I started back to the gym, about 7 weeks ago with my cardiologist permission. I am able to do things now that I haven't been able to do for 10 years.

Every couple of weeks I do 1-minute drills. Two weeks ago I did 36 push-ups in the 60 seconds. No real sternum pain although my collarbones get a little sore at times. (But it still really hurts when I sneeze!)

Right now I’m doing strength exercises 3 days a week, 70-90 minutes.
3 days a week of cardio & core, about 60 minutes.

I know we have many runners and cyclist on this board, It pretty admirable what you are accomplishing. Would anyone care to share what they are doing for circuit training?

[SumoRunner]

Week #2 of pushups. Mon-Wed-Fri: 68-78-86

I've been tossing in an extra 20 on the in-between days but I don't think I'll bother continuing that. Those are not what's making improvement. The 5th set of each session is go-until-failure which, like weight lifting, is what does all the good. I think what I want to do now is start with some situps on alternate days. I've been putting those off until I get used to the PU work.

Ran 22 miles last week too, but that's normal. I've averaged about 1,000 miles a year for 30-some years.

[kodi]

I just finished week two and my total for all five sets was 82, 21 was in set five. Don't think I ever did that many in my life.

[SumoRunner]

Week #3. I couldn't keep up with the numbers in the third column but exceeded the second column workout. Mon-74, Wed 85, Fri-96. I think I'm going to back off next week from week 4 and redo week 3 at the higher level before moving on. I don't care if it takes me 12 weeks to complete the 6 week program. It's still the most PUs I've ever done before in either case.

[kodi]

I struggled with week 3 also and actually only did one day. I'm going to regroup and repeat week three. It's also the most pushups I've ever done before. Even if they aren't perfect form they are decent.

[SumoRunner]

My second attempt at week #3, Mon-87, Wed-102, Fri-112. I still couldn't complete the final day though. I exceeded the counts on Monday and Wednesday but Friday was too big of a jump. Two sets of 30 in a row were beyond me. I'm moving on to week 4 anyway to see how far I can get with that. Still, I'm making tremendous progress. 112 pushups is not a small number.

[ChouDoufu]

i know it doesn't count, i'm too early to do the program, avr+48, but after
doing some 1/4 and 1/2-mile runs....and one really painfully slow (10:15)
one mile slog, decided to see how the sternum was doing.

tried some pretend pull-ups first. hold onto the bar and slowly put
weight on my arms. no pull ups, too scared.

but then tried some girlie push-ups. managed 15 before the sore arms
made me say enough. form was bad, and not really lowering fully,
but no sternum pain, just a little 'tickle.' i'm sure i'll pay for it tomorrow.

[kodi]

I just finished day 3 week 3 with a struggle. I know my form didn't hold up for the max but I did squeek them out for a total of 120. Didn't think I'd ever be able to do it. Half way thru.:D

[SumoRunner]

I'm trying a different tack, alternating hard day & easy day. I learned a long time ago with running that I need to do at least a couple miles 5-6 days a week to stay "loose" and be able to handle the tougher days. Three days a week has never been enough for me. So I threw in one set of 25 pushups on Sat and Sun to see if helps me keep up with the program. Mon and Wed coming up don't look too hard but next Friday will be the real test.

[SumoRunner]

Completed week #4 with little problem, 160 PUs this morning. I did better by including a short set on the "off" days. I also took more than the recommended time between sets on Firday. Instead of 2 minutes, I took rests of 5 or more and got through it in good form. There are a couple achy muscles as I sit here later but that's the price of admission.

Mon to Fri : 113 - 30 - 120 - 30 - 160

453 total for this week so far, but I've got a 4 mile race to run tomorrow so I'll pass on the PUs. Not sure about Sunday.

[SumoRunner]

The 4 mile race went well - for a fat old crip that is - I was still 17th of 18 in my age group. This was a local championship race so all the top guns were out. To score in the men's 60+ group you'd have to be running faster than 7 minutes per mile pace. I finished in 40:23 which was about 2 minutes faster than last year at this time. The first half went down in just under 20 minutes but I couldn't hold that in the second half. The legs just tired out. Most of my running the past 3 months has been on a treadmill indoors and that isn't the same as out on the roads.

[kodi]

Congratulation on both the pushups and the race. I'm going to have to repeat week four. On Wed I did it all but couldn't do the max for set five or even come close. I was out of town for the weekend and that just messed up everything else.
I have a 10K coming up next week and anxious to see how I do. Since the fracture in my left heel, I've only been running three weeks and quite slowly and cautiously. I managed 8.6 miles this morning so I know I can finish.

[SumoRunner]

Whoa! I started week #5 this morning and hardly made it through half of the workout. We had a family gathering this weekend with our 3 grandchildren in the house and I am beat. Shoot, running 4 miles or doing 160 pushups was a piece of cake, but two days with kids underfoot can wear you right out.

[SumoRunner]

I got through week 5 of the pushups plan, but just barely. (Mon - 126, Wed - 133, Fri - 133). I wasn't feeling so good Monday so I only did about 75% of it and the next two days were actually lighter workouts. So Wed and Fri I made the planned numbers. Now it's on to the final week #6 after which one should be able to do 100 continuous. I highly doubt it but I know now I can do over 50.

[SumoRunner]

I said last week I'd move on to #6, the final week of this program, but I took a look at what was coming in the plan and decided it would be more prudent to repeat week #5. I was able to exceed the week #5 numbers by a bit, including 50 in a row in the last set this morning, whereas the first time through I was a bit shy of the prescribed amounts.

I racked up 569 pushups in just the last 5 days and well over 3,000 since the beginning of the year. So now I'm really ready to move on to week #6 which will actually be my 10th week of doing this, having had to repeat so many. After age 60, it takes longer to do everything.

[Peggyanne]

How long after surgery (valve replacement and aneurysm repair) do they lift the weight lifting restrictions (approx. time)?

[SumoRunner]

I can't remember. I'm almost 18 years out now.

[SumoRunner]

There it is, I finished week #6, which is actually 12 weeks from week #1. I've had to repeat every week of the plan. Mon 205, Wed 150, Fri 176. I again had a problem doing the final maximum sets. But it's not quite over yet. The plan is now to rest for a couple days and try to do 100 in a row.

The best I've managed so far was 55. That's nothing to spit at but it's way low for what was in the plan. I may end up having to do week 6 all over again, maybe a couple times before I can pass the final test. But that's not such a bad thought anyway. I've gotten in tremendous shape doing this. I'm just guessing it's probably the strongest I've ever been in my 61 years.

[kodi]

You are making me feel like a real wimp. For some reason I did well thru week 3 then got too busy with other 'life' things. I managed part of week 4 but then stopped. I am going to get back with the program and maybe start mid-week 3. Congratulations on your dedication and consistency.

[SumoRunner]

OK, 12 weeks of the 100 pushups plan and I still can't get beyond 50 in a row. That probably sounds like crocodile tears, but I'm not unhappy about it, just more determined. I decided instead this week to shoot for a big total, so I've been doing between 150-200 each day (5 sets of 40 this morning) in an attempt to top 1,000 for the week. I have never in my life come anywhere remotely close to this. I'm at 835 now with two days to go. Piece of cake.

[twobike]

Notice any muscle in the arms? I would think so. Need to try this as I see the flab coming on. Sit ups would be good too.
Sharon

[SumoRunner]

I did 175 this morning to make it 1010 for the week (on 6 days). I'll rest tomorrow because I've got a 5 mile race on tap. I think I'll rest up for a few days, 1000 PUs takes a toll.

Yeah, I can feel the extra bulk. It's as though I can't put my arms straight down at my sides any more. The good part: I have not gained any weight at all, so in with the good, out with the bad. Looking in the mirror I can see better definition in the arms and shoulders but I don't see it much elsewhere. There's still too much overlying flab, plus a long time self-image that gets in the way. When I look in the mirror I still see Ed Asner.


http://www.ed-asner.com/asner.jpg

[runninn]

Don't ask how I know....impatience has its price!
I tried pushups WAY too soon....

[SumoRunner]

Yes, of course. All you folks with less than a year post-AVR ought to be careful. I think I did mention somewhere along the line that I was 17 years out and Kodi goes back to 2006. We're just trying to let you know how far you can go once you're ready. Knowing when you're ready, that's the tricky part.