30 Day Push Up Challenge Update 2024
Has it really already been 30 days? Where the hell did January go? This year, I decided that I would use January as a springboard for improving my physical fitness. I decided to start with something portable, simple and not particularly time consuming. Less potential for excuses. It turned into my version of a 30 day push up challenge. I’m not quite ready to bare my nipples for a shirtless progress pic. Not sure that you’re quite ready for that either. Honestly, you probably couldn’t see them through my beard anyhow. I did figure that I would share how it all played out though.
A few times towards the end of 2023 I tested the waters by doing a few push ups here and there in my office at work between things. My tolerance and stamina were pretty pathetic. I started by doing a few sets of 10 reps and when I did, I would hit muscle exhaustion after just a few sets. Within 24 to 48 hour the lactic acid was really building up. The soreness would take several days to resolve. I didn’t do the push ups on consecutive days and it was very sporadic. I wasn’t trying to start a program at that point. I just wanted a preview of things to come.
My plan was very non structured. I just knew that I needed to get moving and I had a nebulous goal of working up to 100 push ups a day. Not all as one set and spread out as much as necessary. The hurdle that I faced is making it work around my work schedule, where I am often away from home for several days at a time. Or more.
More often than not, I don’t have access to weights or machines and I wanted to eliminate as many potential stumbling blocks as possible. I remember reading as a kid about University of Georgia alum and 1982 Heisman trophy winner Herschel Walker who built his physique using primarily using bodyweight resistance exercises. He was a beast. I imagine he still is. My goal wasn’t to become an elite athlete. It was simply to get my ass moving and start taking conscious efforts to improve my fitness and flexibility.
I treated the first five days as a warm up and didn’t count them in my 30 days. I need to mention that what I did was based mostly around practicality. My schedule can be unpredictable and I simply did the best that I could give the time available. Some days were better than others. That’s life. I made it a point not to push towards muscle failure, especially early on. I wanted to see slow, steady progress. This is what I did:
Pre-30 Day Challenge:
Day 1: 20 reps, 1 set
Day 2: 20 reps, 2 sets
Day 3: 20 reps, 3 sets
Day 4: 20 reps, 3 sets
Day 5: 25 reps, 3 sets
Up to this point, I was feeling reassured. I never pushed to muscle failure and I didn’t have any significant soreness at all. Practice was done. Time to start the real deal.
30 Day Push Up Challenge 2024
Day 1: 25 reps, 4 sets
Day 2: 25 reps, 5 sets
Day 3: 25 reps, 4 sets
Day 4: 25 reps, 6 sets
(Plus squats: 50 reps 2 sets)
Day 5: 25 reps, 4 sets
Day 6: 25 reps, 7 sets
Day 7: 25 reps, 6 sets
Day 8: 25 reps, 4 sets
Day 9: 25 reps, 5 sets
Day 10: 30 reps, 4 sets
I was feeling pretty good. My arms, chest and abs were all showing some growth and improved definition. I added a few squats on day 4 as a test since I ultimately plan to do a rotation of several exercises in a more rapid succession. Keep in mind, I’m not doing one set after another. I may be doing some in the morning, some midday, some in the evening and some at night. Tallying it up, the first 10 days, I did 1,245 push ups.
Day 11: 30 reps, 4 sets
Day 12: 30 reps, 4 sets
Day 13: 30 reps, 5 sets
Day 14: 30 reps, 4 sets
Day 15: 30 reps, 4 sets
Day 16: 30 reps, 4 sets
(1 hour walk / ~3.625 miles)
Day 17: 30 reps, 5 sets
(1 hour walk / ~3.6875 miles)
Day 18: 30 reps, 4 sets
(1 hour walk / ~3.5 miles)
Day 19: 30 reps, 4 sets
(1 hour walk / ~3.8125 miles)
Day 20: 30 reps, 5 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.0 miles)
I had a nice stretch at home, so I joined my favorite person on a daily walk. Nice, moderate pace. Sometimes the distances were more accurate than others, as we would sometimes get lost in conversation and forget to hit the lap counter. Another 1,410 push ups during this stretch. More muscle growth. No real soreness. Onward!
Day 21: 30 reps, 7 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.0 miles)
Day 22: 30 reps, 7 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.0 miles)
Day 23: 30 reps, 7 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.1875 miles)
Day 24: 35 reps, 6 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.0625 miles)
Day 25: 35 reps, 6 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.3125 miles)
Day 26: 35 reps, 7 sets
(1 hour walk / ~4.0 miles)
Day 27: 50 reps, 3 sets
(Push up: 25 rep, Sit up: 25 rep, Squat: 25 rep), 2 sets
Day 28: 50 reps, 4 sets
Day 29: 50 reps, 4 sets
Day 30: 50 reps, 4 sets
You can probably tell when I had to head back to work (the walks disappeared). I forgot to write down the mileage on the last walk, but that’s a good estimate. On day 27, I did a trial run of a three exercise calisthenics circuit. I’m not sure why I jumped from 35 reps to 50 reps. I got a wild hair and tried it, and it wasn’t that hard, so I ddn’t want to take a step back afterwards. As I increased reps, the last few sets of the day would push me closer to muscle failure and sometimes my form would suffer a little. Still no soreness. During this 10 day period, I did 1,795 push ups.
I didn’t create a calorie deficit during this 30 day cycle, but I did lose a few pounds and had some noticeable muscle growth. I still have a little side boob action to work on, but I feel less like Fat Bastard every day. Unless my math is wrong, I did a total of 4,450 push ups during the 30 days, significantly more than I set out to do.
I’m not really sure why I never got sore. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. Does anyone have any ideas about this?
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I plan to continue and keep tweaking this regimen into the unforseen future. I’m sure that I will start to add additional exercises soon. I can now consistently push out 50 rep sets. What should my next milestone be? I have a few thoughts.
Don’t let the numbers intimidate you if you want to give this a try. If you can only do five push ups, keep doing five push ups until you can do more. If you can only do one, do one. If you can’t do any, get down on the floor and wiggle around until you can push one out. Soil yourself in the process? Clean it up and keep trying. Stuck and can’t get back up? Keep your cellphone nearby just in case you need to call for a helping hand. Or maybe get one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” things. Once they help you get back up, get back down there and try again. You have to put forth the effort if you want to see improvement.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
“Of course, I’m not happy. Look at me. I’m a big fat slob. I’ve got bigger titties than you. I’ve got more chins than a Chinese phone book. I’ve not seen my willy in two years, which is long enough to declare I’m legally dead.”
