I want to be able to do push-ups easily.
This isn’t the first time I have expressed this wish and it’s not the first time I have tried to work on them.
I have made all kinds of attempts to improve my push-ups through weekly challenges, monthly challenges, and modifications but they have never stuck.
At some point in each attempt I have either ended up with a pain in my upper back and given up or I reached the end of the challenge and been stronger but not really any better at the exercise itself.
I can struggle through them now. My form isn’t great and I do wonky things with my arms/shoulders and, generally, I end up with a pain behind my right shoulder blade after I have done a few.
But what I *want* to be able to do is to drop to the floor and be able to do 25 push-ups with beautiful form and that kind of mechanical grace that people with that specific kind of strength have.
You know the kind I mean? It looks like they are right in the challenge zone for their fitness – as in ‘this is hard but within reach.’
My problem with push-ups is partly strength-related, partly psychological and partly mechanical.
The first part, the strength, will come with practice but for the psychological and mechanical parts, I have brought in my secret weapon…my cousin, Ken, the chiropractor.
(We’ve come a long since back in the day when I used to babysit him.)
Now, Ken not only fixes my various aches and pains but he also gives me great biomechanical advice. And since he pays attention when I am talking about my issues surrounding a given exercise, I am happy to actually listen his advice.
And (this is huge) I don’t even mind doing the exercise badly in front of him so he can see where the problem lies (I usually freeze when asked to do an exercise related thing that I don’t quite ‘get’ yet.)
So, Ken has a program set out for me – 3 times a week with various exercises and specific formulations of push-ups. The exercises make sense and they feel progressive.*
I was supposed to really get into a couple of weeks ago but March was such a challenging month for me that I didn’t commit myself fully.
That’s where April comes in.
I’ve made myself a fun little chart and I am going to do Ken’s push-up routine at least 12 times this month.
Anyone want to join me with a push-up routine of their own? Or will you just be cheering me on?
I’ll check in mid-month to let you know how I’m doing.
*My ADHD really argues with me about doing individual things that don’t seem related to the project as a whole. It does not trust that we are not just wasting time.
