During the coronavirus quarantine, the #pushupchallenge has blown up on Instagram. And vlogger Stan Browney, who previously attempted to do 1,000 push ups in one hour, is trying to start a new pushup challenge that involves attempting to do the most pushups in 30 seconds, calling it the #30secondschallenge.
He was inspired by a clip from Ukraine’s Got Talent where a contestant attempted to break a Ukrainian record for the most pushups in 30 seconds, which (purportedly) was 35 pushups in 30 seconds.
Browney shows the clip, where the contestant knocked out 47 pushups in 30 seconds, although he notes that his form is a little… off.
“His wide leg/wide arm form makes his push ups less range of motion, but he extends his arms more than I did. We both have around the same range of motion,” Browney noted in the comments section. “I don’t recommend doing push ups that wide because it’s not that great for your shoulder health, keep your feet a little more together and your arms alongside your body.”
Looking to attempt the same challenge, Browney looked up what the current world record is, but came to the conclusion there isn’t one. So he settled on trying to beat the 47 pushups.
On his first attempt, he does 45 pushups. But gives himself a day to rest and re-attempt.
Day 2, his first attempt, he knocks out 49 pushups, but wants to improve his form.
“The form on the first attempt is not exactly what I wanted. I wanted a little more range of motion, going for 90 degrees,” he says.
On his second attempt, he gets 47 pushups. But he’s looking to break that, and does a final third attempt, and hits 49 pushups.
Form is the ultimate question when it comes to what counts as a ‘real’ pushup. And according to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., to do the move the right way, start with full body tension. “Start in a good plank: shoulders squeezed, glutes tight, abs tight,” Samuel says. (You can double-check your form with this video guide to make sure you’re in the proper position.)
Next, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades. “Think of squeezing a walnut between your shoulder blades as you lower into the pushup. Pull your torso to the ground, tightening those back muscles, then push up.”
And if you attempt this challenge and think switching to your knees is your next best move when you start to tire, think again. Head to a bench.
“Instead of starting your pushups on your knees, place your hands on a bench and gradually progress to using lower and lower benches (or whatever platform you have handy) for your hands,” Samuel advises. “This will let you work with less load but still train core tension.”
Most importantly, finish through your reps. If you don’t come all the way up—Browney shares a particularly funny example of this range of motion mistake in his video—none of the reps should count.
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