Week 5e, Day 2

Well, missed the Wednesday target for Day 2. Matt was on a field trip, so I had to pick him up at school at 5:00. Then I had to run back home to get Abby in her car pool to swim practice. Then I had to figure out how to get Matt some dinner (McDonald's, unfortunately). Then off to Boy Scouts for Matt, and First Aid/CPR for me (I'm now Red Cross certified). By the time I got home, it was 9:40 PM, and I was wiped out.

So, Day 2 on Thursday. Sets 1-7 went well. A little tough on the last couple on 6 and 7, but made it through. Got to 22 on Set 8 (minimum is 40) before I cried like a little girl and took a break. But last week, I only got to 16 on Set 8, so that's an improvement!

Now, how the heck am I going to get Day 3 in? Friday is Halloween, family coming over Saturday. Maybe I'm giving up the M-W-F routine.

Week 5e, Day 1

Completed sets 1-3 OK. Got to 16 on set 4 before doing a face plant. Set 5? No way. A bunch of little breaks.

And after that Boy Scout camping trip in the rain, I'm totally exhausted.

Week 5d, More excuses

As I predicted, the frenzy of packing and driving to the Boy Scout campout was enough to fill the entire weekend, from the end of Friday to late on Sunday. There was absolutely no time on Friday to do Day 3, and the rest of the weekend had me far too busy to take a break for push ups. In the tent? Under a tree in the rain? Perhaps next to the campfire?

Week 5e starts tomorrow. I believe I'll be able to get 3 days plus and exhaustion test in, and be back on track.

Week 5d, Day 2

Sets 1 - 7 went well (18, 18, 20, 20, 14, 16 with 45 second breaks that I may have stretched to closer to a minute, but not much more).

Set 8 wasn't so good. Made the first 16, took a short breather, then a few more, then more breaks. Man, that's a hard number to make!

One advantage I'm definitely getting - tonight I had First Aid / CPR class. I think I was one of the few of us who didn't look like they needed medical attention after doing several minutes of chest compressions! It's amazing how all that old training comes right back.

Boy Scout campout this weekend. We leave right after work and school on Friday. I may not get to Day 3 or the exhaustion test this week. I'll play it by ear.

Week 5d, Day 1

Going in to this week, I know I'm not finishing. I'll at least do the first two days push-up workouts, even if I can't do the rest.

Today, I did just about the same as last Monday. At least missing the end of week 5c didn't leave me with a setback.

Oddly, I felt completely sick to my stomach for about the next 45 minutes after finishing today. Yuck.

Week 5c, Excuses?

Friday should have been Day 3, except for 2 things. One is that I got a flu shot on Friday, and I think the needle hit something it shouldn't have hit. I generally don't complain about needles. I've traveled overseas enough for work that I don't think vaccinations are that big a deal. But after this shot, I had this shooting pain that went from my shoulder right down to my elbow. Excuse number 2 for Friday is that the after work hours were packed. Get home, figure out where the kids are (school was closed), get the kids changed, get rid of the kids, get changed, and get out to dinner with my wife and some friends for our anniversary.

Well, what about Saturday? Between Matt's allergy shot, two (yes, two, 2, dos, ii) Boy Scout events, a football game, a quick run to go geocaching to get my 300th find, picking up a friend of Matt's to get some quick dinner, and a haunted hayride, I had about 30 minutes of downtime, and decided not to do push-ups. Yep, that's right. I just didn't darn well feel like it.

Today, I just plain feel like garbage. There's a cold running around, both kids are sneezing, and I think I'm fighting it.

So I'm just going to start Week 5d tomorrow evening. And then I'll prepare for next weekend's excuses. Camping Friday through Sunday with the Boy Scouts.

Week 5c, Day 2

Pushed straight through sets 1 to 7. The last few in each set started to hurt about 2 or 3 from the end - not so much that I had to stop.

Set 8 was a different story. I made it to 17 before I had to take a quick break to stop myself from breaking my own nose. After that, I kept on to 40 in gradually decreasing groups. 17, 25, 31, 34, 37, 40.

Then I got to thinking. On Saturday, my exhaustion test without having done 120 push-ups first was 47. It doesn't make sense to do 120 in 7 sets, then still manage 40 in a row. What does seem to make sense is that I'll keep redoing Week 5 until I can get through it. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.

Keep on pushin'!

Week 5c, Day 1

Did sets 1 & 2 with no real problem. Had to stop after 20 on set 3 and restart. Likewise at 17 on set 4. I needed a bunch of breaks on set 5.

Still, it's an improvement over Week 5b, Day 1.

Although there will be a Week 5d.

Week 5b, Exhaustion Test

47. Not as many as I had hoped after last week's 44. A little discouraging, but still an improvement.

Off to week 5c! I've got some scheduling problems coming up the next couple of weekends. I may get moved off the M-W-F-Sa timing.

Week 5b, Day 3

Sets 1-4, pretty smooth.
Set 5, fought for the last 2, but made it.
Set 6-7, a few breaks.
Set 8, well, let's not talk about it.

As I said yesterday, this Week 5 was better than last Week 5. We'll see how next Week 5 goes.

At this rate of repeating weeks, I'll never have another birthday!

Week 5b, Day 2

Made it all the way through sets 1 through 6 with no breaks and no rug burn to the face! Almost made it through set 7, but had to stop at 13 for a short breather. Set 8 took a bunch of smaller chunks, and by that time, I was thinking about blowing chunks. Should I do this before dinner?

As long as I keep thinking I'm improving, I'll keep on pushin'!

Week 5b, Day 1

Well, there will be a Week 5c.

The first set (28) was no problem. It shouldn't have been, since I did 44 on the exhaustion test two days ago. I almost made it through the second set (35). At 27, I lost it. From then on, I could do more than half of each set, then a quick break to let the pain ease up, then finish in one or two more chunks. The 35-or-more at the end took me 4 chunks.

I still did better than the original Week 5, Day 1. Progress is progress!

Week 5, Exhaustion Test

44.

6 more than last Saturday.

I probably could have squeezed one more out, but my form would have been less than perfect, so I stopped with an honest 44 rather than a bogus 45.

44.

Looking back, that's exactly double the number I did on the exhaustion test prior to Week 1.

No, I'm not doing 100 push-ups here at the end of Week 5, which is really my 6th week when you count Week 4B, but I am making progress. I have no doubt that I'll eventually be doing 100 push-ups in a row.

Keep on pushin'!

Week 5, Day 3

You can't tell, but I'm typing, then deleting, then trying again. Maybe I should just wait until I've regained some control over my arms and hands.

Made it straight through set 6 (18, 18, 20, 20, 17, 17). Couldn't do set 7 (20) without stopping at 13. Set 8 (45) took me about 8 chunks to get through. After about 28, I couldn't get myself off the ground more than 3 times in a row. I added drooling on the carpet to tonight's exercise! Lovely.

Exhaustion test tomorrow, followed by a repeat of week 5 next week under the same column.

Week 5, Day 2

I looked at the count of push-ups and figured this wouldn't be so bad, except for maybe that 40 push-up last set. Then I looked more carefully and saw that I only got 45 second breaks! What the heck?!?!?

I had to take pauses on sets 7 & 8. Lots of pauses on set 8. My form got a little sloppy at the end, too. Week 5 hurts!