Tag: pushups

even more exercise that I should be doing

My workout regimen is an elliptical machine and a Bowflex at home. At least, I have the machines, but I’ve been slacking of late in actually using them. My intention is to follow the schedule:

  • M, W, F: elliptical for 30 min
  • T: Bowflex for chest and back
  • R: Bowflex for arms and shoulders

Unfortunately the time I set aside for the above tends to get eaten by work or family stuff, so I need to do a much better job of adhering to this. My saving grace is that no matter whether I’ve worked out or not, if the weather is good we go out biking as a family in the early evening, which is a nice 6 mile circuit with some big hills. I look at this as recreation and not exercise, but it definitely is a workout (especially since I’m pulling a trailer with 40lbs of 5-year old in it).

However I do need to supplement this with some sort of daily routine. So I was glad of this lifehacker post which reminded me of the 100 Pushups program that I long-ago stated I intended to pursue, along with new programs I hadn’t heard of before for similar at-home exercises. Here’s the list:

100 pushups
150 dips
200 situps
200 squats

There’s also a 25-pullups program in the works but lets start with the above at least. I need to figure out the best way to integrate these into my week. I havent even read them in detail yet, so this is sort of a placeholder post while I develop a plan. Suggestions and ideas are welcome!

I invite critique and suggestions!

not the orange popsicle kind

push-upFew things mark seriousness of intent as much as adding a category to your blog. So take the addition of the “fitness” category here at Haibane.info for the momentous event it is. I’m in reasonable shape – I am 5′ 8″ and I weigh 150 lbs. That’s a Body Mass Index of 22.8 which is solidly in the normal range. I used to lift weights in college and still retain some of that mass. I also was an avid bicyclist for a time. However it has been about 7 years since I last went to a gym with any regularity. At age 34, I am currently engaged in no physical activities whatsoever, and the Nintendo Wii does not count.

If I intend to be an active grandparent someday, I need to start now, and the best way to do that, in the absence of any kind of free time which I might use to actually excercise at a gym or bike or run, is to start some kind of home routine. The obvious and simplest thing to start is with pushups and situps. So, let’s see if I can set a goal for myself, to do as many pushups as I can, three times a week, before bed. The Washington Post has a handy table to consult to assess your fitness level based on how many you can do by age.

(pause)

I just did 20 pushups. The last 3 were with the baby deciding to ride along, which accelerated my decline, but I doubt I’d have lasted much longer regardless. That felt like a lot, but 20 is only 3 more than Poor and 4 less than Fair. I need to reach 30 to hit Good. Ten more! I’ve got a way to go I guess. I am loath to be too ambitious because then I’ll fail. I need to keep my goals modest so that the sense of progress keeps me motivated.

20 pushups is indeed Good… if I was 50-59 years old 😛