April 30, Closing out the Push/Pull Challenges, and Good-Bye Heisei

April 30, 2019, Tuesday - Push/Pull Challenges.

Well, I really wanted to end the month with a bang, especially since I was also doing a "King of the Hill" Challenge with my Beachbody Coach, but I was unable to do so. 

You may have seen in the news that Japan will be starting a new "Era" from May 1 with the crowning of a new Emporer.  So, my family went out for some shopping and we stayed out for a nice dinner as well.  We didn't get home until after 9 pm, so I was unable to do a regular workout.  But there was one thing I had to do, I had to close out my 30-Day Pull-Up Challenge and my 30-Day Push-Up Challenge. 

I did the Push-Ups first, and I was a little nervous because I was only able to do 30-30 the previous day.  One thing I did forget to mention is that on that day, I was using Push-Up Stands so my range of motion was a little wider.  Today I closed out the challenge on the ground, and I crushed it!  This was the first time EVER for me to do 60 Push-Ups in a row with no break.  I was going along at a good pace all the way up to 45, but then I was feeling the strain coming on.  I didn't want to stop, so I just slowed my pace a bit and I was able to get to 60 reps.  I was stoked.

I did a minute or so of ballistic stretching then went right into the Pull-Ups.  This particular challenge was, in my mind, designed for a beginner just getting into Pull-Ups so the final numbers aren't that high.  But it was perfect for me because I was essentially starting over after that injury to my left lat.  No Pulled muscle this time, so I crushed the final set numbers, 10-5-3.  It was relatively easy, but I don't think I could have done many more reps.  So I want to stay within my ability and not push too hard over it and injure myself again.  I have to be smart and not get carried away.

I am happy I could reach both goals.  I think I'm going to continue the Push/Pull regime.  I want to be able to eventually get to 20 pull-ups in a row and I want to stay around the 50-60 Push-Up range.  But I will use the stands all the time to up the ante with the range of motion.