I did 600 (in 3 sets) push-ups as part of my workout this morning. I haven’t done pull-ups in a while, so most likely would not do well on those.
And as extremely impressive as that is: not the challenge! Again: both the target pushups and pullups within the same ten minutes block, split however you see fit. And separately the Bring Sally push up song challenge.
Of little significance other than a bit of fun. Little not none… I think they assess things that few of us explicitly train? Dense combined push pull strength work production; and isometric capacity. I don’t think training for these tasks makes any sense, but even the degree that we fail either or both of them tells us something about whether we are training broadly enough to do unexpected challenges in our real worlds? Which is the event many of us are training for - being able to say yes to some unexpected physical thing life presents as an option to us in a foreseeable future?
I finished the challenge, after a fashion. My form was not good, but form often suffers in these sorts of challenges and outside of CrossFit competitions might not be faulted. The Health Secretary has probably been doing these frequently. But I did CrossFit before Covid and am in nowhere near as good shape as I was then.
I also don’t have the high quality CrossFit equipment. Ideally, pull-ups are done on a straight horizontal bar; my gym has the angled handles only, and as part of the Gravitron machine. I used to do high volume pull-ups but have not for some time. I also have not done pushups in volume recently. I should, they are still the best bench warmup.
My gym has a Gravitron machine, which has pull-ups or chin-ups done while kneeling on a folding knee support, with weight assistance as needed, but it moves weirdly with no counterweight at all. Removing the support and weight feels pretty different from a proper pull-up on good equipment, but it is what my gym has.
I did fifty pull-ups with the Gravitron using 25 lbs. of assistance, in 3:58. The machine does not work well without some weight. I might try to do this challenge later and properly, but I was pretty impressed with my own time. The form was not great the last few, failing to reach full vertical arms. One does what one can. And this was my first attempt. As a big guy, I need to do more pull-ups than I currently do; but I became pretty good at them. My arms hurt a lot after the pull-ups.
I then did one hundred pushups. I could have done this in about a minute during my CrossFit period, when I was benching very heavy. My bench suffered under COVID and I am not back to where I was. One hundred pushups with very mediocre form and embarrassing pauses took me a slow 4:35, but my arms were surprisingly sore after the pull-ups. The place in my gym where one can do pull-ups is some distance from the machines and it took me about a minute to get there and set up a yoga mat. I used to be able to do 200 pushups without a break or a sweat. I’ll have to start doing them more; I once considered them too weak an exercise and did wall pushups only. But they were tough tonight; very tough.
So, if one forgives some cheating and light assistance, it took me about 9:33. I have no doubts I could better practice this and do it in under nine minutes. I’m out of shape, not repeating what I do for the cameras like Kennedy, and took five minutes of lying down afterwards to slow my breathing.
This would not have struck me as a very difficult challenge while doing CrossFit, but you lose those skills fairly quickly once you stop pushing yourself several times a week. The genius of CrossFit is it pushes you about as hard as you can go, but you can surprise yourself and do most of it. I did not see Kennedy do this but would not fault minor failures of form for this type of exercise.
Respect.
Again I think these body weight challenges are biased against you bigger guys.
Interesting I did it again keeping better number track and squeaked in at 9:58, but then went outside and could easily still do some ring pull ups and dips sets. Which speaks to that even my attempts at training for breadth has specificity snuck in.
As far as the 50/100 challenge as an assessment tool: seems to me that a good assessment tool should not have one aspect be the consistent limiting bit. To me the fact that the pullups are the harder portion should be telling me that I should focus more on pulling over pushing, but it clearly does not. It’s likely the actual test portion for most. Someone sucked into training for this would likely overtrain pull relative to push. And a very specific pull.
Very few adults would be able to do fifty pull-ups at all regardless of time. I would guess at least half of adults could not do a single one. It is a difficult exercise - and while I have done them for years and occasionally even add weight using a belt, I usually limit myself to sets of five reps. Fifty is a lot of reps. A few years ago, I used to start my workouts by doing fifty pull-ups or toes-to-bar, but have not done these in a long time; my loss.
The Gravitron (assisted pull-up machine) is a godsend for novice lifters who want to be able to do pull-ups. I had a weak upper body when I started lifting, and over many months reduced the assistance weight from half my body weight to not needing assistance. Doing three sets of ten with as much help as you need, then reducing this over time, is far more effective than playing with bands or kipping, in my opinion.
I expected the pull-ups to be very hard and the pushups to be very easy. I was half right.
Another approach for the person working to their first pull up is starting with negatives.
Thing is they get less difficult as people get fitter not only because they are stronger but also simply because they are likely also losing fat mass and have less to lift.
I can only do 2 pull ups without assistance. better than the zero I was at a few months ago. I can’t complete this challenge yet but see it as a worthwhile goal. I plan to use about 30# assistance on my pull ups when I can get set up for it. I am about 30# overweight. 78 yrs old and my recovery after one set is just not good.
Being able to do any pull-ups at 78 is pretty damn impressive.
Older folks often complain about sarcopenia but what you seldom hear about is when you don’t lose much muscle mass even though the muscles have been idle for years and in extremely bad shape. They can’t utilize O2, and it can cause extreme short windedness and fatigue when exercising. I may not have the explanation exactly right but I believe it is something like that.
Muscles require mitochondria to create the energy needed to contract, and a good blood supply carrying oxygen from the lungs. All sorts of things can reduce the efficiency of that.
I’m just back from my two-week hiking trip in the Alps. Was very glad that I took up strength training as part of my preparation! Very challenging but absolutely glorious.
So jealous!!!
Well, I hate to see this thread die a wimpy death…
My buddy forced me through 235 lbs. on incline bench today, which is a PR for me. I turned 66 this summer. Currently at 166 lbs. body weight.
That’s amazing.
It’s been awhile since I set a PR. But I did lift over 200,000 pounds during my workout tonight.
WOW!
Okay I’ll bite?How many sets of what did you DO?
Also congrats on your PR @beowulff !
I’m a bit on the other side myself. Lately feeling a bit more sore after my runs, taking a few minutes slower on my bike commute, less energetic on lifting days. Part of me wants to ramp up in response thinking that the answer to declines is more intensity and volume. But more rationally I think I should listen to my body which is telling me to deload for a bit. At now 67 I really do need to give recovery the respect it deserves. I know it intellectually but following through is hard.
Riffing off my last post -
Any informed discussion or experience with “overreaching” functional to nonfunctional into overtraining, and how to adjust to avoid it as recovery needs increase, while still hitting target goals for all desired fitness dimensions?
About terms:
I’m not worried for myself too much, no serious signs, for example resting heart is still its same low rate … but definitely some of the warning signs.
And it does seem trickier to avoid as an aging fitness hobbyist? I want to fit in the longer run, the harder run, the bike ride or other cross tracing aerobic, the balance work, the skill work, power, plyo, strength … and when recovery time needs increase it is easy to sacrifice recovery in service of getting all the elements in … used to able to!
One thing I am reading is to do the strength training as power and strength together - intent to lift as fast as possible hits power even if velocity is not so fast - then controlled eccentric back.
But I’ll take experiences and consider advice!
And FWIW - putting myself as a case into the medical AI Open Evidence I get some education on the spectrum … and if interested some bits below to share:
The three states lie on one continuum and are distinguished almost entirely retrospectively—by how long performance stays depressed after the training stress is removed—not by any qualitative test at the moment of presentation. Per the ECSS/ACSM joint consensus, the type, duration, and degree of the initial impairment are similar across all three; the defining variable is time to restoration of performance: functional overreaching (FOR) resolves in several days to ~2 weeks with supercompensation, nonfunctional overreaching (NFOR) takes several weeks to months with stagnation and no supercompensation, and overtraining syndrome (OTS) takes months (sometimes years) and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Because the recovery windows for NFOR and OTS overlap and the clinical/hormonal signs are shared, the practical distinction is made prospectively by observing the response to relative rest rather than by any single biomarker. …
… Applying this to the case. His picture—accumulating fatigue, prolonged post-run soreness, slower run times, low energy on lift days across concurrently high aerobic, high-intensity, and power/strength loads—is most consistent with overreaching at the FOR/NFOR interface, not established OTS. The way to tell them apart is to reduce load and watch the clock: if performance and energy rebound within roughly 2 weeks, it was FOR; if the decrement persists for weeks to months despite adequate rest, it is NFOR; if it drags on for months after organic causes are excluded, OTS is the concern. Given that his symptoms are recent, FOR/early NFOR is far more likely than OTS. …
… Practical prescription of “relative rest” here. For a likely FOR/early-NFOR picture, reduce total load (cut the high-intensity run intervals and the heaviest lifting first, since eccentric/impact and high-CNS-demand work drive the deficit), preserve one hard stimulus at most, keep easy low-impact aerobic volume, guarantee ≥1 full rest day weekly, and optimize sleep and energy/protein intake. Reassess in 1–2 weeks …
Of course I did a demanding strength day today, but I’ll start being better tomorrow! 
So, 10x what a typical bodybuilder lifts in a workout?
As I’ve gotten older smarter, I’ve transitioned away from weight lifting to focus more on body weight exercise and on general mobility. I am averse to all the “flow” exercise clown talk, and I don’t do yoga, but there is something to compound, full range movements.
So I do circuit sets alternating pull-ups, dips, push-ups, body weight deep squats, and various range of motion drills and a fairly measured pace. Haven’t found a way to avoid dumb bells for shoulders and cables for curls. But I no longer do bench presses or anything for legs that remotely compresses my spine.