Today, I did forty push-ups, “tricep-style,” on the floor on my knuckles, then twenty “chest-style” push-ups on the matte. Because the Monday after a week of rest is a good time to be macho, I added twenty more “chest” push-ups on my knees. However, I must admit that the last two barely counted.
I did eighty squats, alternating each set of “normal” squats with “punching” squats. For “punching” squats, when we come up from the squat, we punch rapidly once with each fist–the punches should fit within the time of a “normal” squat. I sailed through those fine, although I botched the Japanese count. I mixed up shichi (seven) and shi (four.)
For sit-ups, I tried to mix it up a bit but still focus on upper abs. So, twenty toe-touches and forty traditional sit-ups with floor slaps to start. Following this, I did one set of “diagonal” abs: a combination of a bicycle and a leg-lift. To do these, you keep one leg up at about a thirty to forty-five degree angle and just hold that while you touch your knee to your elbow on the other side. One set is ten exercises on each side. I find those challenging. After those, I rounded out my eighty with one more set of traditional sit-ups. Sit-ups winded me, so I know now that these will help me be more fit.
Plan for today: twenty minute run on the treadmill and my second set of exercises (40 floor chest pushups, 20+ on the matte, 80 squats and 80 sit-ups.) Wish me luck! It is my first day back to it after having a week off!
I also have ten minutes to get dressed and clock into work.
