I Did 30 Push-Ups For 30 Days And This Is What Happened

We hate to break it to you, but nobody likes noodly arms. You don't have to be super buff to be attractive, but research consistently shows that women prefer men who are at least somewhat physically fit over a complete weakling. That same research though shows that women really aren't into the buff body builder type though, so if you're looking to up your physical appeal somewhat then today we have a great challenge for you.

Once more we're putting your favorite, and our least important, staff writer on the line for your scientific curiosity, and today we're challenging him to do thirty push ups a day every day for thirty days! For science!

Day 1:

I knew about this challenge for a while, so for a change it's not as big a surprise  as these things typically are.The reason why I knew about the challenge though was  pretty simple: I'm pretty physically fit.

I work out regularly and keep in shape, but to really get the true impact of this challenge I thought it only fair to try  and reduce my fitness level ahead of time as typically thirty push ups isn't much of  a challenge. So for two months prior to this I stopped all working out and became a total couch potato. If you're a fan of these challenges then you probably already know something about my social life,and the fact that my girlfriend is a health nazi and physical fitness aficionado. Typically we work out together, and it's been kind of fun seeing her go off to the gym or the running track while I just kick up my feet.

I'm no stranger to push ups. Six years in the military meant I did a lot of pushups,  and a lot of different styles of push-ups. It's actually a really simple and effective  way to dramatically improve your upper body strength, specially if you start combining  different variations of push ups to work different muscle groups.

Typically I will do 9 sets of pull ups in three variations while rotating to do 90 push ups, half will be normal push ups and the other half will be diamond push ups which are a lot harder.

After not working out for sixty days I am definitely not looking forward to punishing  myself again, because the first few weeks are always the hardest as you build up your strength. I did my first set of thirty push ups already today and I was absolutely winded at the end, barely got to the last one. I think I definitely underestimated how much strength you can lose in sixty days. Hopefully this puts me closer to a physical fitness level of someone who might be trying this challenge without having much physical fitness before, and hopefully the results are inspiring for people who want  to get in shape.

As usual I'll update every week on how I feel or what's changed.  I'll be doing the thirty push ups a day and then at the end of each week I'll do an endurance session and see just how many I can crank out in a row to see how I've improved. Because push ups don't count unless you do them right I'm not going to be focusing on speed, but rather on doing full, proper push ups, otherwise you're really missing the point. Well, see you guys in a week.

Day 7:

Remember what I said about the first few weeks being the hardest when starting to get physically fit? I wasn't kidding. I used to breeze through thirty push ups no problem, but after sixty days of zero exercise I want to puke by the time I crank out the last one. It reminds me of when I first got to boot camp years ago, I was in decent shape when I shipped out but I definitely wasn't ready and I remember getting to the point where I felt faint and sometimes saw stars in my eyes. I'm not seeing stars, but this isn't a picnic either, I'm barely managing to crank out the thirtieth push up without taking any breaks. I did my marathon session today and got to thirty two push ups, not exactly

a stellar result.

My arms are getting their definition back though, as is my chest. I hated feeling physically weak over the last two months so it's nice to know I'm getting  stronger again, but I'm a far cry from where I started. Just for fun I tried to see  how many diamond push ups I could do and called it quits after ten if you're wondering  what diamond push ups are its when you form a diamond by putting your hands together so that your thumbs meet to form the bottom point of a diamond and your pointer fingers  meet to form the top of a diamond.

Then you lower your body down and raise it again, making sure that you maintain control the entire time. If you can't do a push up and maintain control then you're not really doing a push up and you're not getting the benefit of one, so don't cheat. Week one results are thirty two push ups and eight diamond push ups maximum in a row. Not bad but this is going to be a steep hill to climb.

Day 14:

The daily push ups have gotten easier, but still aren't a walk in the park by any means. I caught the girlfriend snickering as I struggled, then reminded her that I used to breeze through three sets of these, to which she replied, “And I used to find you sexually attractive.” I know she's joking but damn, she can cut to the bone when she wants to.

I'm noticing definition returning to my arms, but my body has always responded pretty quickly to physical fitness so your results may vary. I'm naturally slim but my chest is starting to regain its definition as well. For anyone hoping push ups are going to get rid of a gut though, you're gonna have to look at aerobic exercise because it's just not going to happen.

I did my marathon sessions and managed thirty six push ups and twelve diamond push ups in one go, which is a nice improvement. I'm looking forward to improving some more and to stop having my girlfriend tell me that I have “little girl arms”. She says the best way she can think of motivating me is through negative, sarcastic reinforcement.

Day 21:

Push ups are boring, but I gotta admit all physical exercise is. In my normal life I stay pretty physically fit, but I don't actually like physical exercise. I know some people do, the girlfriend for instance actually loves it not the results, I mean everybody loves that, but the actual struggling and physical exertion part. She's crazy. I like being fit, I like being strong, but I hate exercise. And I hate running most of all.

Push ups though, are just plain boring. I've gotten to a point where thirty push ups  isn't particularly hard anymore. It's still a bit of a struggle, but I can bust them out after three weeks with no problem. My arms are slowly gaining more definition but I know from previous experience that if you're looking for physical results push ups aren't all that great for it, you definitely need to look to add other exercises.

Push ups are great for building strength, but exercises that are great for building strength aren't necessarily great for building bulk there is a difference. Some of the biggest, most swoll guys you might know have very little endurance and strength that only comes in bursts. Guys with less bulging muscles might have far greater endurance and much more strength over a longer period of time. That's the type of strength the military values the most, which is why very few soldiers look like bodybuilders plus that's a lot of extra mass to be carrying around that's only going to slow you down. We used to call those types of guys 'show muscles', because their muscles were there for show and not for strength.

If you've been following along, you're probably noticing some definition in your arms and chest, specially when you bend your arm to flex as you pick something up, but if you're expecting to get swoll just doing push ups, it's not going to happen. You'll keep gaining some definition, but you're just not going to get 'big', and if you want even better definition then you need to add free weights- or my personal favorite: calisthenics. I actually avoid weights most of the time, and instead like to use the weight of the body itself when possible- that builds a lot of strength and endurance both.

I did my marathon sessions today, got to forty six push ups and twenty diamond push ups. Not bad at all, and if you're following along you're probably seeing similar results right around the three week mark. It's definitely getting easier, like I said it's actually kind of boring now, and I know if I want to keep getting stronger doing just thirty a day isn't going to be enough.

Day 30:

Final marathon session today and I clocked in fifty five push ups and twenty four diamond push ups. I should have gotten sixty push ups but the girlfriend was counting and she refused to count five of them because she said my “back isn't straight enough”.I know for a fact my back was straight, I just think she deeply enjoys tormenting me and I regret giving her that power by making her my official counter.

My arms and chest don't feel all weak and noodly like the did after two months of couch potatoing, but I know I have a long way to go to get back to where I was. If you're following the challenge  at home, this is a great time to start adding variety to your routine, and you can safely make it an every-other-day routine to avoid feeling like you're burning out .The most dangerous part of a new workout routine is when you start missing days, then it becomes easier to just quit altogether.

If you don't have a strong tradition of working out, switch to doing it every other day instead to give yourself a break. And if you've been doing our challenge and are in the final week now just like me, now is the perfect time to start adding to your routine. I really recommend you buy a pull up bar for home, it's a simple, easy and great exercise that will add both strength and definition. It's a lot harder than push ups but seeing physical results is always a great motivator to keep on going.

Of course it always helps if you have a health nut drill instructor girlfriend who loves tormenting you with sarcastic comments about having the arms of a little girl.