A new kind of push-up...

Saturday, March 3, 2012
I’d decided while doing my last Survival Workout and because I’d been trying to help Jack find alternative ways to work the muscle groups in the weight room, to change up my style of push-up.  I knew that if I placed my feet on something high…like a picnic table or the rail of a fence…I’d get a different angle on the chest muscle and involve it in a different way.  Not to mention I’d be adding weight and making it more difficult.  I found such a fence rail just up the trail from my parking spot…it was 40” off the ground at least…so I put toes on the perch and began doing push-ups at a 45-degree angle to the ground.  I made it to 26 before hitting my exhaustion point….a far cry from the 100+ of the traditional push-up.

My hip seemed to be better, so I did a long set of picnic table hops…damn, but they’re exhausting…followed by a climb up a steep, muddy hill.  Walking in mud is like fighting your way through sand…you put in so much more effort to cover the same distance.  I hooked my feet on the top of a picnic table for my second set of push-ups and managed another 30.  I was getting more comfortable with the angle, but knew it would be some time before I could manage bigger numbers.  What I’ll likely do is alternate between traditional and this new modification during the week.

The swing set pole was very cold, but I managed to climbs before giving in to the cold and putting my gloves back on and even though my arm continues to ache after, I’ve started doing the biceps curls again.  It’s going to hurt either way…so I may as well.  It’s not good logic…but it’s my logic.

I drove to Fairport Harbor later that day to visit the grand opening of my brother-in-law’s new marine supply store, Great Lakes Boat Works, not because I wanted to buy anything…but because I suspected they’d have something good to eat.  I wasn’t disappointed…and I tried to say no…but they had some wonderful cookies and brownies and such…

I made a detour down to the beach before leaving the area in hopes of photographing the eagles known to be hunting there but without success. 

Holly made a wonderful Paleo soup for dinner.  She put shrimp, onions, mushrooms and spinach into chicken broth and heated it all up.  Simple, tasty, and low in calories…a perfect offset to the mishap at the store earlier.  I chased it with a large smoothie and I was set for the evening.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.