Do 100 push-ups a day for a month. Here's what will happen to your body after that

Sergey was in good physical shape: he is a competitive swimmer and trains in the pool four to six times a week. However, with age, keeping fit requires more exercise and more money: the cost of a gym membership, a personal trainer, or fitness courses.

 

Unlike the gym, push-ups are free and do not require much time. Sergey decided to check whether they can be a worthy substitute for the gym, increase strength and muscle mass.

 

The correct technique

Before starting his fitness test, Sergei Botsman consulted with certified trainer Astrid Swan and got some advice:

 

The main mistake beginners make is relaxing their back and torso muscles. When you do push-ups, your torso muscles should be rigid, like when you hold a plank.

Start with 10 sets of 10 reps - that's enough.

If you feel you can do more, increase the number of reps in an attempt to 15-20, and if you feel pain in your muscles, you can reduce them to five.

If 100 push-ups seems like an unrealistic number to you, you can start with 20. Also, you can do push-ups from your knees if full push-ups do not work out yet.

Concentrate on the exercise and how you feel. Stop immediately if you feel pain.

Proper technique makes a huge difference. If your exercises only vaguely resemble push-ups, do not waste your time: mistakes in technique may result in injury.

The time of doing push-ups is also important. If you're a morning person and feel good in the morning, try to do most of your push-ups before lunch while you're still full of energy.

What gets in the way of completing the challenge

Somewhere in the middle of the fitness challenge, Seryoga started doing less and less push-ups in the morning, leaving them for later. Sometimes after dinner he realized that he had not done more than half of the push-ups. Overall, his motivation began to decrease, and it took a lot of effort to force himself to continue.

 

What can prevent you from completing the challenge:

 

Muscle pain. If your body is not used to this kind of exertion, your muscles will be sore, and not for the first few days, but for much longer.

At the end of the day, when you are tired and have exhausted your willpower, it will be much harder to make yourself do push-ups.

The feeling that you are coping with the challenge and becoming stronger and better will not come immediately. It may take more than two weeks.

What helps you get through

Despite the challenges, Seryoga didn't miss a single day or a single push-up. In the process, he came up with a few tricks for himself that helped him last:

 

Small quests with rewards. Reward yourself for each approach: do 10 push-ups, you can eat a candy bar; another 10, watch a TV show.

Reminders on your phone. Set reminders for every hour: "Do 10," "Do 10 push-ups," "Do good push-ups," and so on. That way you won't forget about your fitness challenge and leave the whole hundred for the evening.

Anywhere push-ups. During the day you can do push-ups at the gym, at home, at work. At first it may be a little weird to do push-ups in front of your coworkers, but then everyone will get used to it and you won't care.

Social media posts. Sergey posted photos and videos of his challenge on social media and received many messages from friends and strangers. His example inspired many people to test themselves and try push-ups for a month. Try highlighting your challenge on social media: every positive comment will motivate you to keep going.

What you'll get out of the challenge

 

Push-ups

 

Sergei didn't notice the results of the fitness challenge until the end of the third week. His muscles continued to hurt, but he began to feel stronger and more muscular. In addition, his performance in swimming improved.

 

 

 

The result of the experiment

 

 

Here are a few of the benefits you'll get by going through the trial:

 

Muscle mass will increase. The chest, shoulders, abs, and back will get pumped the most.

Performance in sports will improve, especially if your arms are actively involved. For example, in swimming, strength training.

Self-esteem will rise. If you survive the 30-day challenge, you will surely be proud of yourself.

These days, everyone is used to fast results and wants to feel the benefits instantly, but this challenge takes time.

 

Don't stop, and at the end you're sure to feel like a superhero.