We tried the 30-Day Push-up Challenge Here’s Everything You Need to Know

30-Day Push-up Challenge

We tried the push-up challenge to see if it really is worth the hype. Keep reading to find out more!

Medical Disclaimer: All of the information on this site assumes that you are in good physical and mental health. Always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Let me start by clarifying that I agree with every legitimate fitness instructor – spot reduction is a myth. If you are genuinely looking to lose weight and get in better shape you need to eat right and exercise your entire body, not just certain parts. With that out of the way, let’s get into my experience with a 30-day push-up challenge. 

While I do go to the gym every day, my workout routine rarely includes push-ups. And despite being able to easily deadlift or squat, push-ups have always been exceptionally tough. However, they are quite effective to build arm strength and are ideal if you aren’t used to exercising your arms. This way you can get your arm and chest muscles used to the strain which can help in many other exercises like bench presses and even isolated bicep and tricep exercises. 

Read – 5 Simple Home Workout Ideas for Busy Mums

How To Do A Traditional Push-Up

Have your mind focused on a push-up challenge but unsure of how to do a push-up properly? I got you! All you need to nail your first ever push-up is comfortable workout wear, trainers, a bottle of water, and a yoga mat. Alternatively, you can perform a push-up on any hard surface like the floor, but I remember my palm hurting when I first started so a softer surface definitely helps. 

Step 1: Get into plank position with legs slightly wider apart than hip-width. Your arms should be lined with your shoulders and palms on the floor

Step 2: A push-up, as the name suggests is a push movement, which means the focus is mainly on pushing your body up. Once comfortable in the plank position from step 1, tighten your core and lower your body till your stomach touches the floor while breathing in. Then, exhale while pushing your body up till you’re back in position from step 1.

Alternative: Traditional push-ups in a plank position may not always be easy for a beginner so try doing steps one and two with your knees to the ground.  Start with your knees touching the ground, feet raised up while the upper body is engaged as it would be in a plank. Continue with step two but remember to keep your feet up.   

My 30-Day Push-Up Challenge 

The reason I chose to go with this kind of push-up challenge is that it’s fairly simple and achievable by anyone, irrespective of how physically fit you are. The task was easy – do the set number of push-ups every day for 30 days; How hard can it be, right? Wrong! Despite being active, following through with my push-ups for the day on top of work, gym and chores proved to be difficult. But is it impossible? Not at all. 

Now that the 30 days are over and my arms have received the rest they needed, let me break down how those 30 days went. 

Read – 10 Questions with Lydia Rees Fitness for Mums Expert

30-Day Push-up Challenge

Days 1-10

I’ll be honest, the first 10 days were quite hard and you’ll be surprised at the reason. It wasn’t the 30 push-ups through the day that was tough but the 3 sets of 10 that burned me out. While the number of push-ups remained the same, because I could do 30 throughout the course of the day instead of doing 10 push-ups, three times with only 30-second gaps, my arms did not feel as sore or burned out. 

Note – If you are starting out on this push-up journey with no prior gym experience or experience in any sort of sport, always remember to stretch your arms and drink water. Not drinking water will cause your muscles to cramp and not stretching can lead to serious injuries. Plus, when performing the exercise focus on just getting the hand and leg placements rights before attempting reps. 

Days 11-20 

This is where things got a lot easier as my arms were getting used to the strain and recovering fairly quickly as well. As you progress on, days 11-20 would be where you might feel more motivated as your body will be more used to the workout making it slightly easier to progress. However, it is still highly advisable to stretch and drink plenty of water to reduce the chances of muscle cramping.

The issue with a month-long challenge is that it can get monotonous at times and the best way to stay interested is to try different variations of the exercise within the challenge. Although, I do highly advise sticking to a traditional push-up if this is the first time you’re trying a challenge like this.

Days 21-30

The last few days were filled with a mix of excitement and impatience. While I was happy to notice a bit of improvement in terms of strength and endurance to do at least 45 push-ups without breaking a sweat, I was also eagerly waiting for this challenge to end.

If you have a bit of arm fat that you want to get rid of (like me), a push-up challenge is not going to help; As I mentioned in the beginning, spot reduction is a myth. However, it will improve your strength (as it did for me) and with the right workout routine plus diet, you might achieve your fitness goals. 

Read – 8 Powerful Benefits of Yoga

The Results: Does It Really Work?

After finishing the 30 days, I admit, I took a bit of a break from working out on a whole. From my experience, I have learnt that maintaining a balance between working out and resting is crucial. You need to allow your body adequate rest so it can heal and process the strain you will inevitably inflict on it while working out. 

For me, the push-up challenge was a great way to improve arm strength but did it tone my arms or help in muscle growth? No, it didn’t. It definitely made me more confident in doing push-ups and I could see an improvement in my form for other exercises as well but that’s about it.

It worked for me as those were my goals, to begin with – improve strength, endurance and form. So, here’s a parting note, be sure of what your goals are before starting the challenge as it helps keep your expectations in check and remember to hydrate through the day.