CyclePups: 6 weeks completed, on to the extended play version

[Smilie]

Excellent job everyone! I am kind of scared to start them, as I don't want to know how it will tweak my rotator cuff. So maybe I should start with wall pushups to be safe? Any suggestions?

Oh, and did anyone take before and after pics of their new muscle mass?!

[emily_in_nc]

Well, I suck! I just completed my exhaustion test after doing two weeks of the program and could only manage 15 pups. I can't even start week 3 unless I do a minimum of 16! Guess it's back to week 2 hell for me....sigh.

How do you strong ladies do it? The sad thing is, I've been going to the gym and lifting for years (light weights, tho), and doing knee pushups, so I wasn't starting from a sedentary place. This is the first time I've ever done full pushups. I guess I didn't realize how weak I was.

I'm sticking with it and I will persevere, but doing 100 at a time seems like it may never happen with my body!

Anyone start out weak like me and have a success story to share? I could use it right now!

[yellow]

Well, I suck!

ummmmm, that sort of 'tude is NOT ALLOWED! Drop and give me 10!

Seriously, give yourself time. I feel like I broke through some sort of a plateau this week, after 6 weeks of following the program pretty closely (I repeated week 5). It was really tough at times, but I stuck with it and the payoff has been worth it. I think the keys for me have been the 3x a week and regular progression, not necessarily the set configuration. I popped off the 8 sets of week 6 day 2 tonight like it was nothin'. Shocked myself. I'll be doing day 3 on Saturday (I have a dinner date with friends Friday so won't even THINK about doing pups after wine), so we'll see if I still feel good. And then...the next max test...

I have no idea if my arms and chest are more muscley or not...I have kind of bulky arms to begin with (ask SadieKate about my problems with the arm bands on short sleeved jerseys), so it's hard to tell. DH is out of town this week; I'll ask him if he notices a difference when he gets back.

[Smilie]

Thanks Oakleaf for the suggestions. Every time I feel a twinge of pain, I stop or modify what I am doing. So will start very easy, and do the everyday plan twice to strengthen slowly. Thanks for the links, they are a lot of help.

[mayanorange]

Glad we're keeping this thread going! I had wanted to join in but with the impending vacation, knew I wouldn't stick to it. Finally kicking the vacation cold (evil planes and/or cold damp England), so ready to get going!

Emily and those still struggling a little- you will all see an improvement after week 6 guaranteed. That's how long it takes for muscle memory to kick in so you're body understands what the movement is. In the meantime, comfort yourself with the thought that novel movements burn more energy (ie: fat) and help to build a good, strong muscle.

[jesvetmed]

So there I was, doing my umpteenth push up yesterday, when DH looks over and says, "You aren't doing those right!". Mind you he's on the couch with a beer at that time.

His point, which he eventually was persuaded to demonstrate, was that my arms are out too wide. He says I should keep them in farther towards shoulder width. So I tried this, and it feels completely awkward -- as if I were trying to do tricep pushups. I couldn't do but 4 his way (of course I'd done over 100 my way already).

What form do you all use? My elbows hurt if I don't go wider with my hands. But I'm not pushing my elbows behind me, rather more out to the side. When I'm down, my arms make one large part of a square -- 90 degree bends at the elbow. Does that make sense? Am I making it too easy?

[OakLeaf]

Wide vs. narrow stance are VARIATIONS, not errors.

As long as you're not stressing your shoulders, elbows or wrists, and as long as you're keeping your core engaged so you've got a nice straight line from your head all the way down to your fulcrum (whether that's toes, knees or somewhere else on a stability ball), do whatever variation you like.

I'm doing mine with a fairly wide stance, personally. I just measured about 21" between my thumbs - which I keep all my fingers somewhat splayed to distribute the load - vs. the 15" (38 cm) between the bony protrusions of my shoulders when I was measured for handlebars.

But maybe that can be another challenge - once we've done 100, go back and do it again with a different stance. yeah right

[OakLeaf]

I am kind of scared to start them, as I don't want to know how it will tweak my rotator cuff. So maybe I should start with wall pushups to be safe? Any suggestions?

Did you have a PT you worked with on your rotator cuff? Can you call them for a quick question? Have you done any push-ups since your injury - and if so, how did that feel?

If it was me I'd be especially worried about muscle imbalances. Keep doing (or resume) whatever exercises you did to rehab your shoulder. In earlier threads I put up links to some stretches and some exercises for the opposing muscle groups.

The other thing I'd worry about is progressing too quickly. The program as written moves very, very steeply and I think it could aggravate an injury. If your doctor or PT clears you to join in, you might want to plan to repeat even the early weeks at least once (or perhaps do each "day" twice in succession, still keeping a rest day in between), then maybe take a step back for a third week (to a lower column or an easier type of pups) before moving on to the next program week.


Edit: Emily you DO NOT suck! Actually, you rock, for getting started with this and planning to stick with it! I'm pretty sure everyone who's stuck with this program has at least doubled the total number of pups we're doing in a day (all the sets added together), and actually the ones who started with the fewest made the most progress. But if you're having trouble progressing, maybe take a look at your protein intake?