Why I Decided To Do 150 Pushups A Day My Key Fitness Habit

How Did This Push-Up Challenge Start?

This experiment started because of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and its resulting lockdowns. Life is back to normal now, but my fitness habit is still here. Every day, no matter what, I warm up myself with a series of 100 sit-ups and then 150 pushups (read more about this simple but effective workout here). It’s like brushing my teeth, except I feel much better afterward. Beyond the physical benefits, this fitness routine helped me build resilience and stay mentally fit during this coronavirus pandemic.

What started as an excruciating fitness challenge in March 2020 to escape a nerve-cracking environment is now an almost enjoyable daily fitness routine. Things went slowly but better and easier over time. To my set of 100 sits-up and 150 pushups, I can now add 20 reps, a one-minute stand-up exercise, and some quick stretching moves without being completely depleted. I feel more energized after this daily flash workout. I feel so good that I became an addict to my pushup challenge.

What’s The Point Of Doing 150 Pushups A Day?

Pushups are exercises where each rep requires your entire body, thus improving strength in many areas at once. The benefits of doing pushups are indisputable, whether it’s about doing 100 pushups, 150 consecutive pushups, 200 pushups, or any amount adjusted to your fitness level. A daily pushup challenge is excellent for your overall health, body, and mind.

Looking for the secret to a lean, muscular body when you are time-poor, look no further than doing 150 consecutive pushups daily? I’m half-joking here; a daily pushups challenge is highly beneficial despite the little time required.

It takes a lot of motivation and dedication to do 150 pushups a day, especially when you haven’t made your pushup challenge a fitness habit. Once your routine is anchored, it’s way, way easier.

For many men, the bench press is a temptress — the key to getting a big chest and, sometimes, an inflated ego. “How much can you bench?” is ingrained in our fitness conversations because of the tangibility of numerous 45-lb. plates on the barbell. “How many push-ups can you do?” is not, however, even though push-ups are a much better indicator of relative strength, since you’re forced to push the mass of your body against the forces of gravity and stabilize your core.

Pushups are excellent for your body unless you are not making the moves correctly. The ultimate point of such a pushup routine – adjusted to your level – is to make you become a better and fitter person:

• mindset: it helps to build discipline, an essential life asset
• wellbeing: it brings a sense of achievement
• diet: although it’s not specific to pushups, it’s scientifically proven that exercising before eating makes you less likely to reach for unhealthy food 
• fitness level: very healthy, pushups are one of – if not the best – of upper body calisthenics exercise; pushups are excellent for core strength and activate abdominal muscles. Scientific research during the COVID pandemic also taught us that resistance training exercises are a great habit limiting the risk of harmful COVID outcomes.

The drawbacks are minimal, and the risks of doing pushups are almost inexistent. Perhaps if you’re already comfortable doing 150 pushups in a row, and your main goal is gaining muscle mass, not improving your endurance, this pushup challenge may not be enough to achieve your fitness goal fast. As explained by Austin Dunham in his 100-200 pushup challenge video, you will have to focus on the diet (calory intake) too! This self-imposed challenge is worth doing if you believe the benefits will probably outweigh the drawbacks. 

From Simon Cowell, who does 150 pushups every morning, to more anonymous guys exhibiting perfect pushup-up forms like Mirul’s 150-pushup daily workout, plenty of famous and less famous guys rely primarily on pushups to stay fit.

“You have to believe in yourself, challenge yourself, and push yourself until the very end; that’s the only way you’ll succeed. G-Dragon”

This pushup challenge has transformed me positively in so many ways. A regular fitness challenge reinforces a positive thought process; it makes me feel I have accomplished something good and am somewhat in control of a piece of my life.

Generally speaking, capitalizing on small victories is a normal process of thoughts I apply daily. Each time I complete my pushup series, I am content with this bit of achievement, and I can move on in a good mood. It gives me positive momentum. With this quick-and-simple workout routine, I am not looking after a bulky appearance. I get a low-fat fit upper body with decent contours and a six-pack. This is what I want. Pushups are beneficial for building the triceps, pectoral muscles, shoulders, lower back, and core. Sit-ups do the job for the abs. Of course, I pay attention to what I eat on the side. At the very least, I rarely have snacks and very rarely drink any soda. With too much fat, I know my abs would not be visible.

 I also value time, freedom, and health like many other individuals. Pushups and sit-up are calisthenics exercises that can be done almost anywhere. No equipment nor ample space is required. Adequate sets of pushups and sit-ups are enough to stay fit and do not take much time. All these characteristics appeal to me. They fit well my minimalist expectations.

When I take a cheat day, typically when I am on holiday, I keep going with a downsized workout like in the pushup challenge video below:

What’s Wrong About Doing 150 Pushups A Day?

There is nothing wrong with doing 100 pushups or 150 pushups a day, in a row, or multiple series as long as you’re not repetitively pushing yourself until exhaustion or fainting. Let’s cut the chase; the risks of doing pushups are overstated. “Why you should not do 100 pushups every day” articles are clickbait titles. Regardless of what you may read here and there, the advantages of doing pushups outweigh the risk of performing pushups daily.

Of course, if you constantly struggle to finish your 150 pushups series, this is a red flag that should not be ignored. It means you’re at risk of doing fitness burnout. Another issue that may arise when doing 150 pushups per day is practicing pushups with a lousy form to reach your target of 150 pushups a day: it increases the injury risk. Finally, you may be disappointed if you’re doing 150 pushups a day because you think pushups burn many calories (Calculate how many calories pushups burn here), but honestly, is that a risk?!

Why Doing Sit-Ups Before My Pushups?

In short, sit-ups are perfect for warming up and building and maintaining a six-pack. Pushups are fast and effective for building strength; these exercises are time adequate, fitness effective, and go well together. The icing on the cake is that these exercises can be done almost anywhere for free.

The long story behind my 150 pushups and other workout exercises is more nuanced. Like many,  I think having a low-fat nice-looking upper body helps to feel well and confident. Getting a “skinny” but very fit body makes me feel content. It reinforces a positive process of thoughts; I have accomplished something and am somewhat in control of a piece of my life.

Routines and habits are powerful; use them extensively for your endeavors. Everyone feels some resistance, mentals barriers to not doing something, or physical resistance when it comes to completing something that requires extra effort. The overall idea of this website is to build routines and use mental tricks to help you overcome this resistance.

How Do I Stick To My Fitness Routine Every Day?

I use more than one trick to stick to my daily workout routine. The hardest part is probably just showing up at the gym or your favorite place for your workout. Your mind may find plenty of excuses for not showing up. Tackle this by getting ready as soon as possible. Alternatively, think about something you will enjoy once you are done with your workout. Once prepared, do not think much.

Put your fitness outfit on while thinking about something that excites you rather than the pain you may encounter during your upcoming fitness session. If your mood is still hesitant, start with something easy, like a quick warmup, to comfort you that exercising is not the world’s end. 

Use the tricks below extensively to make your workout session happen every day.

• Bend The Truth: “Fake it till you make it”
• Adopt A Cold-Shower Mindset To Tackle Your Fitness Sessions The Frequency And Intensity Of Your Workouts With A Smart Approach To Discipline
• Adjust The Frequency And Intensity Of Your Workouts With A Smart Approach To Discipline
• Talk To Your Friends About Your Fitness Plan To Feel More Accountable
• Record Yourself And Track Your Progress
• Be Positive – The Mindset – Celebrate Every Success
• Trick Your Brain To “Tick The Box” And Move On: Use Parkinson’s Law
  

How To Gradually Achieve Your Target, For Instance, 100 Pushups A Day?

There is no one-size-fits-all method, but there are certainly some guidelines that help. My tricks and tips are further below, but here are the macro steps I took to reach my goal of 150 pushups per day, almost in a row.  

I say ‘almost’ as I sometimes stop for 3/4 seconds in the plank / upper position when doing my exercises, usually between sub-series of 10 once I finish the first 60/80 pushups. Yes, the last pushups are not surprisingly harder to execute, and taking deep breaths to complete my 150 pushup series helps. I am digressing here, though. Back to the ‘how I made it’ topic

Use your ego to lead you in the right direction. I started with a 100 pushups target to polish my ego. I focused solely on reaching the target quantity-wise, ignoring the time-performance and the quality of my pushups, even if it’s against all professional fitness recommendations. I will explain why further down the track. In other words, I knew that achieving this target would make me proud enough to share that minor achievement with friends, even if my pushup forms were not that great. Of course, this tactic must be used in moderation to limit the risk of injury.

I struggled, but after maybe two months, I started feeling comfortable at some point. I knew I could do more. I raised the bard to 150. I felt this level would be my regular “cruise speed kind of thing” target quantity-wise. I was still ignoring my pushups’ quality; I was happy and proud to achieve this large number of pushups daily. Being proud helped me to keep going. 

I did not rely on this, but some pushup variations are more challenging than others. You may consider the variation that allows you to reach the “targeted number” if this target appears to be ambitious for your current fitness level.

Once I reached my target of 150 pushups, I looked at how I could achieve these 150 pushups under a specific timespan. I used to accomplish 150 pushups in under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. For a long time, I considered 3 minutes and 30 seconds my “cruise time.” After a while, I started thinking about the quality of my pushups. It wasn’t terrific. It was ridiculous. I was cheating a lot, and I was ashamed when looking at how I moved my body to make it happen. Making it under 3 minutes and 30 seconds was not a realistic goal. I initially chose 4 minutes, but it was too ambitious to have a decent form. I somehow made qualitative 150 pushups for around 5 minutes, and I kept this target up today.

..When Is The Right Time To Skip Your Fitness Session?

There is no excuse to skip your fitness session, only valid reasons. Everyone is craving a warm dinner, a fantastic breakfast, or simply looking forward to doing something that requires no effort after a long day. Everyone gets a bit tired from time to time. You know the old proverb “no pain, no gain.”.

So to keep the momentum going, the best course of action when you’re feeling sick or really tired is to adjust your fitness session slightly downward. That’s what I do when I  take a “cheat day” because I am tired or on holiday. For instance, this video of 200 pushups in 2 sets while I am holidaying is an excellent example of adjusting your workout downward. 

If you find yourself completely drained after your day of work and use it as an excuse to skip your fitness session, stop bullshitting yourself and change your time management. Wake up 30 min earlier the following day, and do your fitness session. If 30 minutes are not enough, wake up earlier or adjust your fitness challenge. Make it shorter. Flash workouts for lasting habits are the idea.

So when am I legitimate to skip my fitness session? If you start falling asleep while sitting or standing up, you’re probably in a sleep deficit, and it is time to fix that first. If you can’t execute your fitness due to specific circumstances, allow yourself a cheat day, but don’t fool yourself.

How To Improve The Quality Of Your Moves Overtime?

The best way to improve your pushup form is to use a mirror and/or record yourself.

Focus on the first moves to start your series on a sound basis: executing your pushups or any other fitness exercise with the proper form is easier when you have more energy. Check online fitness tutorials if you are not sure about the correct pushup form.

“By not cheating the CrossFit standard, you’ll see excellent activation of cervical stability muscles you’ll have a hedge against neck and shoulder injury.” – Merrill Performance

Pushup Form: What you should do and not do!

If you’re into doing pushups with a proper form, a good pushup form is essentially a plank position in motion: everything should be straight and in line from head to feet. Read more here. Below is an example of what you should absolutely NOT do 🙂

A WRONG Neck Posture

A WRONG upper position as the body is not entirely aligned

Wide grip push-ups, sometimes called the “Instagram Pushups” (image below), are much easier than close grip push-ups but increase the risk of injury.

A WRONG Elbow Angle And a Risky Pushup Form (Wide-grip Pushups)

Wide grip push-ups, sometimes called the “Instagram Pushups” (image above), tend to be much easier than close-grip push-ups, but they increase the risk of injury.  For proper pushups, elbows might be tucked in if you’re doing more of a tricep pushup or a yoga pushup, or stay tucked in a W shape if you take your hands a little wider for a wide stance push-up. Elbows should not be flaring out.

Quality VS Quantity with Pushups Exercises?

At the beginning of your fitness journey, reaching a reasonable target quantity-wise is a powerful trick for your mind. It allows you to establish some personal victories and feel you are moving forward in your progress. This positive feeling of achievement is a trick to building a fitness habit, among many others. So, although it’s a controversial manner of tackling a fitness challenge, I would recommend starting to turn a blind eye slightly to the quality of your pushup movements. Of course, this leniency on the quality of your form must be within reasonable limits to not hurt yourself and to avoid bad habits. Over time, as you become more comfortable, pay more and more attention to the form quality of your exercise.