author a chance to focus on the author's form.
The author had start each session in a straight-arm plank and run through a mental checklist of Zetlin’s tips: Find a neutral spinal position—so shoulder blades align with upper back and glutes.
Keep hips from drifting up, and elbows from flaring past wrists.
Zetlin describes the push-up as a “movable plank,” which was a helpful image as the author lowered myself down.
All week long the author did the author's reps as mindfully as possible, until the movement started to feel natural
Week two
The author can’t say the author ever considered push-ups fun in the past. (“Torturous” and “depressing” are better words.) But during week two, the author began to enjoy the challenge.
Hitting the author's target each time was surprisingly motivating.
Week two is when the author began to appreciate the convenience factor of this old-school move: It can be done anywhere, any time, in virtually any clothing.
Week three “The third week is when it gets a little daunting,” Zetlin had warned me.
The author needed to pause after 15 push-ups; the author struggled through the last 5.
I sent Zetlin an email to ask if breathers were a big deal: “It’s always better to hit your target number without stopping,” he explained, because the longer muscles are under strain, the harder they’re working.
If the author needed to rest, the author should, he said—as long as the author kept each break shorter than a minute
Week four
As the target numbers climbed higher, the author found that the time of day really mattered: It was easier for the author to perform the reps in the morning than in the evening, when the author's muscles were already tired.
The author noticed that the author's breathing became key as well.
“Take a deep breath as you go down and exhale as you’re pushing away from the floor,” Zetlin had instructed me.
“Breathing is where you get your power to come up.”.
That certainly seemed true whenever the author felt like the author had nothing left.
Focusing on the author's breath helped distract the author from the burning in the author's arms
The last two days
The author is not going to lie: Going from 42 reps to 50 in three days was rough.
The author finished the challenge with two sets of 25 push-ups, the last of which involved an embarrassing amount of grunting.
The author honestly didn’ts think the author could do it.
Aside from bragging rights, the author has picked up better posture.
While the author is waiting in line or standing on the subway, the author will catch myself lifting the author's head, drawing in the author's abs, straightening the author's pelvis, until the author's body feels perfectly aligned.
If the author can get to 50 push-ups in 30 days, the author is sure you can, too!.
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