Timed Push Ups
I did my first timed push-up sets today. I discovered something ever so strange. When you really work on something, you (shock) improve.
As I started down this SWAT road a couple of months ago, the goals were honestly looking far far far away. I put my head down and decided, okay I am just going to do a little more and a little more each day and hammer away at this. My body started improving, I know it did, I mean I have been logging everything, but my brain was stuck in "okay let's see if I can do this" land. Many sets of push-ups have been preceded by that statement. Stupid me for not recognizing that, uh, yeah, I can, I am doing this.
Today, I dropped on the floor for my second set of push ups, and lo and behold, the million years I thought it would take me was in reality, 37 SECONDS!!! I was astonished. My husband laughed at me and said, "Well, of course you can! Duh! You have been working so hard! You underestimate yourself." He watched the timer for me on my third set and I did 40 under one minute.
There is a creature of doubt that lives a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle in my gray matter. This is the "okay let's see if I can do this" creature. The "if" creature. A fat and lazy blob with no metabolism that snacks on the word "if" and the phrase "we'll see." I have noticed that when I consciously end the "if" thoughts prior to an exercise (push-ups and pull-ups in particular), and physically move faster to my start position, the exercise is better, and I do more reps.
So, the creature has officially been put on a starvation diet consisting of me kicking it in the teeth, followed by me celebrating 40 push-ups under one minute, and 4 pull-ups in a row. Small victories. My goal in the next six weeks is to do at least 50 push-ups under one minute, six pull-ups in a row, 50 sit-ups under one minute, and a 440 run under 85 seconds.
I see the run as my next grindstone assignment. I really concentrated on the arm work first because I knew arm strength improvement was going to take some diligence; combined with the injured calf muscle, my running has been on the back burner. Aaaaand off to the track I go.
Train well,
Dag
As I started down this SWAT road a couple of months ago, the goals were honestly looking far far far away. I put my head down and decided, okay I am just going to do a little more and a little more each day and hammer away at this. My body started improving, I know it did, I mean I have been logging everything, but my brain was stuck in "okay let's see if I can do this" land. Many sets of push-ups have been preceded by that statement. Stupid me for not recognizing that, uh, yeah, I can, I am doing this.
Today, I dropped on the floor for my second set of push ups, and lo and behold, the million years I thought it would take me was in reality, 37 SECONDS!!! I was astonished. My husband laughed at me and said, "Well, of course you can! Duh! You have been working so hard! You underestimate yourself." He watched the timer for me on my third set and I did 40 under one minute.
There is a creature of doubt that lives a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle in my gray matter. This is the "okay let's see if I can do this" creature. The "if" creature. A fat and lazy blob with no metabolism that snacks on the word "if" and the phrase "we'll see." I have noticed that when I consciously end the "if" thoughts prior to an exercise (push-ups and pull-ups in particular), and physically move faster to my start position, the exercise is better, and I do more reps.
So, the creature has officially been put on a starvation diet consisting of me kicking it in the teeth, followed by me celebrating 40 push-ups under one minute, and 4 pull-ups in a row. Small victories. My goal in the next six weeks is to do at least 50 push-ups under one minute, six pull-ups in a row, 50 sit-ups under one minute, and a 440 run under 85 seconds.
I see the run as my next grindstone assignment. I really concentrated on the arm work first because I knew arm strength improvement was going to take some diligence; combined with the injured calf muscle, my running has been on the back burner. Aaaaand off to the track I go.
Train well,
Dag
:-)
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