HOW TO REACH 100 PUSH UPS?

 With 2013 having just begun, and the Brisbane Kung Fu Glory Board just having been set up, most of you will be working towards new goals for this new and exciting year. One of them being: the challenging “100 push-ups goal”.

In this article, I will try to give you some kind of idea on how to reach such a goal when it seems to be such an unachievable task. Whether you cannot do a single push-up yet or not, I promise you results!

First and foremost, NEVER SACRIFICE FORM FOR REPETITIONS! Repeat this a thousand times! This is extremely important. Doing 100 push-ups in one go is a difficult exercise, no matter what your level of fitness is. Keeping the proper form required to do your push-ups is therefore crucial if you don’t want to hurt yourself.

 

So what is the form?

Start on your hands and toes, hands a little wider than shoulder width apart and feet together. Your body is flat, like a plank, your shoulders are above your hands. Your abs and glutes are tight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go down, keeping your back as flat as you can. Your whole body should be aligned (still like a plank). Here, your abs and glutes are even tighter. It is very important to keep all your muscles engaged (especially abs and glutes) while you do a push-up, as it will help maintaining the proper structure for the exercise (like on the photo below).

If you go all the way down, where your chest touches the floor, make sure that your body is still flat and hard. If you are floppy or you relax your muscles, you will risk injuring your lower back. As you see in the photo below, my chest touches the floor, my elbows are up, my muscles are engaged and my backside is not sticking up. Notice as well that my head is up and I’m looking straight. Everything is aligned, from feet to crown.

 

The following photo shows what you should avoid at all times! It is better to stop and rest rather than go in this position. Notice that my backside is sticking up, my head is not straight anymore but pulled back and my lower back is arching. This is everything you DO NOT want to do.

For those of you that cannot do push-ups on your feet yet, a good way to start is to do it on your knees. The position is exactly the same except that your knees are on the floor (From left photo to middle photo). If you cannot do 10 push-ups on your toes respecting the proper form for the full 10 repetitions, I recommend you start on your knees until you can achieve that. If you can achieve 10 push-ups on your feet with the proper form though, do not do the knee push-ups. I know it is easier and you will be able to achieve more repetitions during your series but you will get more out of 6 series of 2 push-ups on your feet rather than 6 series of 10 push-ups on your knees (providing the proper form is respected).

     

 Another way of working your way to proper push-ups on you feet is to do them with your feet on the floor and your hands on a chair or a box (like in exercise P2 further in this article). Then you lower the height of the support week by week until your hands are on the ground. Form is the same, make sure you respect it!

Finally, I recommend training in front of a mirror if you are a beginner or if you are not sure about where your body is in space. This will help you make sure that you are in the correct position while you learn to feel where your body is when doing the exercise. Eventually, you won’t need the mirror anymore and you will be able to tell as soon as you start arching or you relax your muscles (they usually come together: arching = muscles relaxed).

Remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong about training in front of a mirror or asking a friend or family member to correct your position (provided they know the correct way to do it). It is not a shame to admit you are unsure about your position. Checking yourself out so you don’t hurt yourself is in fact very smart.

 If you train with a mirror:

–          Try to work facing the mirror or diagonally facing it so you can use your peripheral vision to see where your body is. If you work from the side, you will have to turn your head and it will break your structure, which defeats the purpose of the exercise.

–          Work slowly so you can see and feel what you are doing.

 Now, how do you get to a hundred push-ups?

 Well first thing: remember that when doing push-ups for this goal, you only need to stop at 90º (forearm and upper arm forming a right angle). You don’t need to go all the way down, until your chest touches the floor. Now, what does this imply? You’ve guessed it you clever cookie! Train going all the way down! It is indeed harder but it will feel a lot easier when it comes to doing the assessment for the Glory Board.

What follows is only an example of how you can get there. There are many other ways you can achieve this but this is a way that worked for me and I thought I would share it with you.

Oh! One more thing before we get into it: BREATHE!!

Always think about breathing deeply while you train. Do not block/restrict your breathing. By inhaling deeply you will have more strength and will help you during the exercises.

Inhale deeply while going down and exhale as much as you can while coming up (hard part of the exercise).

When the exercise becomes really hard, you can start breathing differently: inhale deeply while you go down, block your breathing during the hardest part of the effort and exhale. Blocking your breathing should be as short as you can and only in case of struggle during the last reps of your series. Otherwise, keep breathing normally: inhale while you go down, exhale while you come back up.

 

THE PROGRAM

I will take a week starting on Mondays for my program example but your week can start whenever you want depending on how much you work, when you train etc. Respect the resting days in between sessions though.

TEST DAY

 

1)     Warm up correctly (if you are attempting this goal, I assume you should know how to do this)

1. Get the blood pumping (running, skipping rope, star jumps…)
2. Stretch
3. Warm up the muscles: do a few push-ups (stop just before you are tired –even if this means doing 1 push-up)

2)     Rest for 3 minutes

3)     Do as many push-ups as you can (all the way down at a normal pace)

4)     Stretch

If you can do 30 push-ups or more in one go, go straight to PART 2 of the program. If you can’t or you feel like 30 push-ups was extremely hard, go to PART 1.

Remember that before every session, you need to warm up correctly. If you are unsure about how to warm up, ask a Sifu or an advanced student about how to warm up properly.

PART 1 – GETTING YOUR BODY USED TO THE EXERCISE AND LEARNING THE PROPER FORM.

For this program, push-ups need to be done at a slow to normal pace, insisting on the form of your body. Go all the way down!

Frequency of training:

 

1^st week:

 

Every day except on the week end:

 

Do 2 series of as many push-ups as you can. 1 minute rest between each series.

From the 2^nd week onwards:

 

Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

 

Do 2 series of as many push-ups as you can. 1 minute rest between each series.

Once you reach 30 push-ups in one go easily, go to PART 2 of the program.

PART 2 – LET’S GET INTO IT!

The goal in this program is to increase each series by one push-up every session. So if you do 6 series of 5 repetitions on one day, try doing 6 series on 6 repetitions the next time you train.

 

Frequency of training:

 

1^st week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

From the 2^nd week onwards: Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

Program:

P1: This is the basic push-up exercise described at the beginning of this article. Hands are a little wider than shoulder width apart, feet together.

6 series of 3 push-ups with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Stop at 90º. Go as fast as you can (BUT KEEP THE FORM!)

2 minutes rest

P2: For this exercise, you will be needing two chairs. Put your hands on the chairs. Shoulders right above your hands (photo on the left). Go down, keeping your elbow against your body. Keep your back flat. Feet can be wide apart (middle photo) or toghether (photo on the right), it’s up to you. I tend to prefer to have my feet together so I can tense my abs and glutes easily, which helps me keep the proper form. Whichever way you decide to go with, there will be a point of inflection in your body between your bum and your back – this is normal, don’t panic, just make sure that your muscles are tight and your back is flat. Keep your bum as low as you can to help with that.

6 series of 3 push-ups with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Stop at 90º. Go as fast as you can (BUT KEEP THE FORM!)

 

2 minutes rest

 

 

P3: Going back to the basic push-up exercise. This time, your hands are twice to three times your shoulder width apart (depending on how comfortable you feel). Same position as the basic push-up exercise except that the hands are wider. Make sure you respect the form.

6 series of 3 push-ups with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Stop at 90º. Go as fast as you can (BUT KEEP THE FORM!)

2 minutes rest

P4: Same position as the basic push-up exercise except that the hands are together. Make sure you respect the form.

 

6 series of 1 push-up with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Stop at 90º. Go as fast as you can (BUT KEEP THE FORM!)

 

The general objective of this program is to reach 8-10 repetitions on each series. Once you reach that, go to PART 3 of the program.

 

If you feel like you reached 10 repetitions easily, do not hesitate to spend more time in this part of the program and go up to 15 or 20 reps.

PART 3 – TOWARDS THE HUNDRED MARK!

This part is exactly the same as PART 2 except that you are going to do only half of the movement.

This means you go down a little bit under 90º (photo on the right) and push-up just a little bit over 90º (photo on the left) – so you arms are never completely extended or completely collapsed. Movements should be small and fast.

You should feel like your muscles are “swelling”. This is normal – and good. It is because the muscle is never in full extension and thus contracted the whole time of the exercise. It is important that you respect the resting time.

 The general objective of this program is to reach 8-10 repetitions on each series. Once you reach that, go to PART 4 of the program.

 If you feel like you reached 10 repetitions easily, do not hesitate to spend more time in this part of the program and go up to 15 or 20 reps.

PART 4 – YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!

In this part, the movement will be full. This means you start with your arms extended, go all the way down, until your chest touches the floor and get back up. Normal pace should be used.

Follow the program from PART 2 with only a change in amplitude (full movement).

The general objective of this program is to reach 8-10 repetitions on each series. Once you reach that, go to PART 5 of the program.

If you feel like you reached 10 repetitions easily, do not hesitate to spend more time in this part of the program and go up to 15 or 20 reps.

PART 5 – FINAL ROUND!

We are now going to change the exercises a little bit.

Frequency of training:

 

1^st week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

From the 2^nd week onwards: Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

Program:

P5: This is the same exercise as P1 except that your feet are on a table hands on a chair, about twice your shoulder width apart. Make sure that the distance between the chairs and the tables permit your body to stay straight and flat during the exercise. More than ever during this exercise, keep your body strong (abs and glutes tight and back flat). NEVER ARCH YOUR BACK, even when the exercise becomes difficult. If you need, come down, rest and start the next series. Go as low as you can and come back up until your arms are completely straight.

6 series of 3 push-ups with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Full movement at normal pace.

25 seconds rest

P6: This is the same exercise as P2, except that you are on the floor. There should no longer be a point of inflection between your bum and your back. Your whole body should be completely flat. Go all the way down (until your chest touches your hands) and come back all the way up (until your arms are completely straight).

6 series of 3 push-ups with 25 seconds rest in between each series.

Full movement at normal pace.

2 minutes rest

Dips: Hold your weight above the ground, hands on two chairs or parallel bars if you can access some (photo on the left). The distance between the chairs should be roughly one arm plus one hand as shown on the middle photo. Make sure this is comfortable and adjust it if needed. Do not go too much narrower than this though. Go down half way/to 90º (photo on the right) and come back up until your arms are completely straight.

6 series of 1 dip.

Go as fast as you can.

 

This is a very difficult exercise and should you decide to give it a go, you might not be able to even do one. THIS IS NORMAL! Don’t panic, persist!

This exercise can feel a little bit awkward and hurt your elbows and your chest if you don’t do it properly.

Therefore, I highly recommend that before attempting this exercise, you come and see me so I can show you how it’s done and I can correct your form.

Just for your information, one of my mates started this training and he could not do 1 dip! After a year or so, he tested himself and he could do 31 dips in one go!

The general objective of this program is to reach 8-10 repetitions on each series. Once you reach that, well done!

 

If you feel like you reached 10 repetitions easily, do not hesitate to spend more time in this part of the program and go up to 15 or 20 reps.

 

If you want to keep going with some fitness exercises, please see a Sifu or an advanced student for help and guidance.

A FEW NOTES

• Make sure that you test yourself every two weeks by doing what is described in the TEST DAY. This will permit you to keep track of your progress.

• It is also a good idea to keep a notebook with the days of your sessions and how many reps per exercises you have been doing and how many reps you did on your last test day. This will also help you see how much progress you have made and keep you motivated in continuing the workout. There is nothing worse than feeling that the fitness you are doing has got no results on you. Well this notebook will prove you wrong!

It should look something like this:

• Every month, you need to try and do as many push-ups as you can, as if you were to do them under Sifu’s supervision for the Glory Board. This doesn’t mean that you can skip you test day. Say you do your test day on one of your day off (like Saturday for example) then you can do the Glory Board trial on the Sunday.

• Say on one day you did 6 series as follow:

8 8 8 8 8 6 or 8 8 8 8 7 3 or … you get the idea

On the following session, still try and do 6 series of 9 repetitions. Most of the times, you will notice that the overall number of repetitions on one exercise will go up.

However, if you just did:

7 7 7 7 7 7 and on your next session you do 8 8 5 3 2 1

Stay on 6 series of 8 repetitions on your next session.

• People sometimes get discouraged because they are training alone. So feel free to get someone that has the same objective as you do and do it together. It doesn’t matter if one is doing series of 8 repetitions and the other one is doing series of only 3 repetitions. Just knowing that someone is making it hard for himself with you should make you smile and motivate you. And trust me, it is always very funny to see someone struggling doing an exercise…well until it’s your turn of course! Now, training with a friend doesn’t mean doing an exercise, then chat for a bit, then do another exercise etc. You need to be focused! You’ll chat after. Make sure that you respect the resting times and that you remember the number one rule: FORM OVER REPETITIONS!

• If you can’t train with someone else or you want to train by yourself (people like me prefer it because I can focus more on the exercises), put some music on or make sure you reward yourself with a hot chocolate or something afterwards. This will help you stay motivated.

• If you are Unsure about anything: ASK!

• Finally, if you want more exercises or a different program, come and see me. I adapted this from a French fitness book especially for the 100 push-ups goal but it can be done as a simple fitness exercise, to lose weight, become stronger, put on muscle or simply stay in shape.

REFERENCES

Lafay, O. Méthode de musculation: 110 exercises sans materiel (2004).