30 Day Challenges

A mountain biking friend posted this on their FB so my wife started it on Jan. 2nd

30 Day Plank Challenge
http://healthiertwist.com/30-day-plank-challenge-day-1/

Once we get through January, we'll be adding another challenge. Any recommendations?

10,000 kettlebell swings challenge:

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout

One arm pushups. The trick is to relax your shoulders and lats and focus on your arm and stabilize your core.

http://www.beastskills.com/one-arm-pushup/

superman planks

Its not a 30 day challenge but one of my yoga instructors would put on a Yoga Hell Week every few months. It went as follows:
Day 1: 50 Sun Salute A
Day 2: 25 Sun Salute B
Day 3: 50 Sun Salute A, 25 Sun Salute B
Day 4: 25 Sun Salute B, 25 Sun Salute A
Day 5: 75 Sun Salute A
Day 6: 50 Sun Salute B
Day 7: 100 Sun Salute A
You were allowed to consume only as much beer as you sweat during the class at the pub after.

The PLP Challenge - Push-ups, Lunges, Pull-ups

Depending on your pull-up numbers (which is nothing more than an orientation how many reps you can safely start with), you simply add +1 every day - pretty incredible volume at the end.

You can spread the load across the day. The original is aiming at 60 days, but I think it can easily be altered.

Article HERE.

10,000 kettlebell swings challenge:

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout

After two weeks of not getting the full clusters in, I gave up. My body is no longer used to the volume and intensity of this, for several reasons.

For the next twenty workouts I focus on recoverable volume (5 days of swinging as much as I want and feel), say anything between 50 and 100 kb swings.

I want to improve muscular power output and endurance, and there is no point in killing myself tryiong to achieve it, if you know what I mean.

Along with working, family life, chopping firewood and felling trees, and running (Lost a bet and have to enter a halfmarathon this summer, after 22 years of not seriously running) the original program was simply not doable.

30 Day Plank Challenge
http://healthiertwist.com/30-day-plank-challenge-day-1/

The jump from 60 sec. to 90 sec. is tough.

Apparently I'm using a muscle in my lower back not shown in the pic above. I guess it could be where the lower abdominals attach to the back.

Anyone else doing this challenge?

Im doing it, on day 6 whcih is rest.
I have however been doing full minutes to start.

Abs feel pretty strained today, prob should have been just doing 20, 20, 30, 30, 40.

Cool thing is I swear I've leaned up already. I think I will be planking for a minute or 2 every day after this challenge.
Awesome results for so little time spent on an excercise.

90 sec is just around the corner for me.
I'm gueesing its not that a minute or 90 seconds is so tough all by itself, but it the consecutive back to back days that actually make this a challenge.
I'll report back once I'm in the 90 zone and perhaps suffering more

I think the 50% time increase from 60 to 90 is the difference. My wife made the jump, I didn't. Felt like I was being stabbed in the back. Tonight is a rest day but will try 90 again tomorrow.

Improvement to core strength will be great for once the season cranks back up again.

:lol:

Anyone else doing this challenge?

We'll start right now.

After two weeks of not getting the full clusters in, I gave up. My body is no longer used to the volume and intensity of this, for several reasons.

For the next twenty workouts I focus on recoverable volume (5 days of swinging as much as I want and feel), say anything between 50 and 100 kb swings.

I want to improve muscular power output and endurance, and there is no point in killing myself tryiong to achieve it, if you know what I mean.

Along with working, family life, chopping firewood and felling trees, and running (Lost a bet and have to enter a halfmarathon this summer, after 22 years of not seriously running) the original program was simply not doable.

after day two I didn't think I would be able to keep going, but I have stuck with it. two more rounds this week to finish off week two and I'll have 4000 swings under my belt. my body has adapted much quicker than expected with my total time dropping from 46 minutes on day one to 30 minutes on the second workout of week two by reducing each rest period. the main thing holding me back is my grip for the last two rounds of each day. I lost four pounds after week one, but am more impressed with my time decrease, feeling much more fit.

It's crazy to read about a group that did the ten thousand in ten days.

after day two I didn't think I would be able to keep going, but I have stuck with it. two more rounds this week to finish off week two and I'll have 4000 swings under my belt. my body has adapted much quicker than expected with my total time dropping from 46 minutes on day one to 30 minutes on the second workout of week two by reducing each rest period. the main thing holding me back is my grip for the last two rounds of each day. I lost four pounds after week one, but am more impressed with my time decrease, feeling much more fit.

It's crazy to read about a group that did the ten thousand in ten days.

Sick and congrats - I think maybe I was simply too fast, not giving my body enough rest between sets and clusters. This year I definitely want to repeat it and see how far I will manage to go.

Yes, I was seriously blown away by the article on that one. The thousand-a-day that is. But the main guy is some seriously strong person.

I think my lower back and my hip hinge is simply not ready for it. I rather play it safe than wasting the prep for the new biking season and the halfmarathon.