There’s just somethings you don’t think of going together, but the web never fails to unveil, almost on a daily basis, an example of some use you would not have imagined the day before.
So when Coop was visiting this weekend, she told me about a local group of Arizona folks participating in the 100 Pushup Challenge (we even did a practice set of the training under “less then ideal” beverage influences). This is a “program” for people to try and do something they doubt they can do- 100 consecutive pushups:
Think there’s no way you could do this? I think you can! All you need is a good plan, plenty of discipline and about 30 minutes a week to achieve this goal!
No doubt some of you can already do 50 consecutive push ups, but let’s face it, you’re in a big minority. Most of you reading this won’t even be able to manage 20 pushups. Actually, I’m sure many of you can’t even do 10.
However, it really doesn’t matter which group you fall into. If you follow the progressive push ups training program, I’m positive you’ll soon be able to do 100 push ups!
A local group is organizing this through a PBWiki site.
Did you ever think there would be a wiki for pushups? In my old wiki presentations I used to pull up a wiki for juggling (cannot find it anymore) that was a great example of a perhaps niche topic with an active home on the web.
I could not resist, I signed up. I’ve done maybe 60 in a row, but its been a while (and am feeling it on the first day of jumping into the middle of the program).
So maybe this is a stretch, but I think there is something to be said for putting goal-based efforts in public, in the open, in terms of motivation, and to not compete per se, but to encourage. Stretch– this is completely opposite to traditional approaches of education, where everything is done in private, behind closed doors, closed web sites, isolation bu course/department/degree. I’m thinking to the great slidecast by Ewan McIntosh where he was demonstrating huge blank areas (void of connectivity) on his Facebook friends wheel and he remarked, “Teachers – the only profession in 21st century where you shut the door to do it.”
Think about all the things in education people convince themselves they cannot do (akin to “I cannot do 100 pushups” “I cannot run a marathon”) – like “I cannot do Math”, “I am doomed in Organic Chemistry”, “There is no way I can draw”… might that change if we band together in the open? It might not, as other important factors come in like a reasonable program to follow and a critical mass of people joined in.
Maybe I am leaping to far. Will return to this after I do 100 pushups.
Maybe.
My shoulders sure hurt.
“So maybe this is a stretch, but I think there is something to be said for putting goal-based efforts in public, in the open, in terms of motivation, and to not compete per se, but to encourage.”
I think you’re right, and it explains a good number of sites like 43 Things and various activity based (exercise, weight loss, sports) blogs, don’t you think?
And there has to be some way that the motion of the push-up will aid you in hoisting those full, frosty mugs of beer to your lips, right?
nice, definitely
There was a time in my life I could have done a hundred. I just did the initial test and barely made 20.
The challenge is on.
Yo Brian, you musta been an iron man. Most I did was maybe 60. I’m in week 4 of the training… 100 seems a long ways away.