Fitness in a Minute

I won't lie: I dreaded going to the gym this morning because I was still tired even though I skipped yesterday's workout. Tuesdays are always a late night because our Troop meeting routinely ends after 9 pm and it takes some time to settle down once we're home. I was cold on the elliptical and zipped my hoodie up while it was 59F outside. But the sun's ablazing today and everything quickly warmed up. Eventually, the a/c kicked on but that was a few hours later.

I still enjoy watching my pulse rate jump back and forth on the monitor during HIIT cardio, but this is starting to get old and I need to change up my programs. I hate to give up something that works though. Over the weekend, my husband tested his newly acquired pulse oximeter. I discovered that my "resting pulse" is an unremarkable 61 (normal is 60-100), while my oxygen stats read 100%, but started to decline the longer the clip stayed attached to my finger. My husband was alarmed by this since it hadn't happened to him or my son.

I attribute that to my inability to withstand even slight compression. I know that's the reason that my heart rate appears to drop significantly when I'm pedaling at my fastest: I'm actually gripping the handles and pressing down on the pedals with greater force than normal, and that's not only making my fingers and toes go numb, but it's also affecting the pulse rate readings. Oh well...

My elbows feel pretty good and I get a few more hammer grip pull-ups, but mostly because I don't drop into a dead hang at the bottom of each rep. That would destroy my elbows! After all these years, I'm not able to improve my tendon strength so the best I can do is avoid causing too much damage. Then off I go to the cold and empty classroom behind the mirrored wall.

There's a fitness class starting in 17 minutes -- just enough time to do my core routine including push-ups. Push-ups are being considered as a cost-effective barometer of cardiovascular health requiring no fancy equipment. (There's that fireman study earlier this year.) The military uses push-ups as one indicator of fitness, requiring a minimum of 31-35 to enlist in the Army, and 45 for the Navy and Airforce. Navy SEALS require 42-50 in under two minutes. I don't know if there's a time constraint for the other armed services.

Now I wonder how many I can do within a 60-second parameter. It's a bit tricky to coordinate solo and I finally allow that starting a few seconds after I've hit the Start Button is okay. Of course, I'm knocking out push-ups as fast as I can, which is reasonable if you think you won't make a good showing in the time you have allotted.

What I discover is that I run out of steam before time is up, mostly because I've cranked out 66 push-ups and need to catch my breath for a second. There's still a good 15 seconds remaining and I push for more reps, but it's hard and slow-going. When I'm done, I've counted 80. Jeeze, I need to learn to pace myself better! Unlike pull-ups, there's no caveat against doing push-ups every day. Apparently, there's no such thing as too many push-ups, unless you're prone to shoulder injuries. (Since a minor labral tear in my right shoulder, I've had to swear off Hindu push-ups, but regular push-ups seem okay.)

At my son's kung fu class yesterday, I noted that out of everyone (only 5 students and two teachers for Tuesday's weapons class), my son was the only one doing actual push-ups. It was a bit disheartening because even the senior instructor was doing knee push-ups and the three older boys were barely able to keep their torsos straight. But, I was also proud. My son told me later that he was "on the spot" since he had to lead the class in push-ups and of course, he had to do them correctly.

If you do push-ups every day, you will definitely get stronger. After a while, push-ups will get easier and you'll have to add more reps. Or do them in sets. Or add variations. Otherwise, you'll stagnate. Push-ups work the same core muscles as a plain ol' plank, but I think push-ups are more useful with the added benefit of stronger shoulders and arms, with a cardio element. In college, I used to do push-ups before bed, starting with a set of 25 reps, then 20, then 15, 10 and finally 5. That's a total of 75, but with breathers between sets. I guess I've always been a gym rat.

The right elbow doesn't bother me until I'm at the Smith machine doing Inclined Presses. Ugh. I've got to be more proactive with doing those Golfer's elbow stretches! The DB supersets are routine, as are the Rip Skulls. I skip V-bar Tricep Press Downs in deference to the wonky joints. Maybe next week. I note a lot of regulars and a few new faces. I wonder how long that'll last.

Humpday Push

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 276
Miles 2.59
HR 137-195 (116, 87, 119)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 25

Push Ups (60 sec) 80 w pause at 66
Crunches 30/50
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Press
(60degree)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12, 12, 12
65 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps
22.5 x 12/15 x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12, 12, 12

Mat Stretch