Yesterday, after getting home from work, I wasn't feeling overly motivated to workout - a feeling that we've all battled against. Fortunately, I had planned my workout the night before and written it in our fitness log, which made it impossible to rationalize taking the day off! I had planned another full-body triplets workout (see previous posts for description of these mini-circuits).
As I went to the basement to begin, I began doubting the workout I had put together:
- Pushups
- Weighted parallel chinups (24kg)
- Reverse pushups
- Rack-pull deadlifts (275lbs)
- Weighted jumping lunges (24kg kettlebell)
- Kettlebell step-ups (onto a bench - using 24kg kettlebell in a racked position)
Specifically, I started doubting whether pushups were 'tough' enough and sufficient as the only chest exercise... A while back, I posted some thoughts on bodyweight exercises - that they're often overlooked, but are truly foundational moves that should not be ignored. I suppose I need to practice what I preach! After doing this workout, I was reminded of how challenging and rewarding a bodyweight move can be.
My memories of my drill sergeant:
When I was in the Reserves, I formed some distinct memories of a very intimidating drill instructor. He was a formidable man, who commanded immediate and full attention with his very presence. He also elicited immense (and equal) amounts of fear and respect from his troops. One thing that stuck with me at the time was how he spoke of doing a hundred pushups, as we individually struggled with far fewer in any of the numerous punishment sets that we were given on a daily basis.
Ever since then, I have always aspired to do 100 pushups - to see if I could do what this fearsome man was capable of. It was one of those psychological barriers (as much as a physical one) and I had only ever done about 85 in a row... That said, I was often doing these pushups amidst other chest exercises, oftentimes when I wasn't fresh.
He makes it look so easy!
With yesterday's workout, I started out with the pushups. After a quick warmup, I popped down into pushup position, cleared my mind, and started rapidly pressing out the reps. As I kept count and the numbers grew, I suddenly realized that I was feeling good - I was on a roll! As I passed 80 and approached 90, I realized for the first time that a long-held goal was within reach.
I kept pushing, past the pain, past the burning sensation, just focused on doing two reps at a time as I kept count and neared my goal...
... and just like that, I had inadvertently achieved a new personal record (PR) - 100 pushups for the first time ever!
Just like those pennies above, any individual pushup wasn't much on its own. However, combined, they were truly significant and taxing. As I finished the last rep, I rolled over on my back and lay there for over a minute, just gasping for breath.
Sometimes there are those moments, not necessarily when you're in the spotlight or in a competition, but where no one else can see you - where you're fighting against yourself and all of your instincts to give in and say "that's enough for now". By pushing through and giving it 100%, you can really surprise yourself and achieve something you didn't realize you were capable of.
- Alex
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