Week 3 of the 10,000 pushup challenge brings our first finishers, a free tracking spreadsheet, and the reminder that this is a test of discipline, not strength. Tom Wilkinson was the first to report back that he had finished, Ted Drever was second, and both did it in roughly half the month. The challenge is 10,000 pushups in thirty days — now perpetual, so you can start any day you want — and in this Physical Friday I cover the tools and the mindset that get you to the finish.
Watch now: press play above, or listen in the player on this page.
Tom Wilkinson was the first one to report back that he had finished, and Ted Drever was the second. Both completed the full 10,000 in almost half the month, and I expect score sheets to come in every day from here. Finishing early is fantastic, but finishing at all is the point.
You can download it at tomrowlandpodcast.com. Enter the number of pushups you do each day and it tells you how many you have done, how many you have left, and — at your current pace — what day you will finish. Have a huge day of 700 and it reorganizes everything and shows you finishing four or five days early.
It is 100 pushups a day for thirty days — the on-ramp version for anyone not quite ready for 10,000, which works out to about 333 a day. I have certificates for both challenges, and there is a big stack, so we are not running out anytime soon.
ARF is 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats with a one-mile run on each end. Do that workout during the challenge and you bank 200 pushups inside your normal training — one of the easiest ways to stay ahead of the daily number.
It is not very hard to do 10 pushups. Do 10 pushups 33 times a day and you are done. What is hard is getting started when you are a little sore and a little tired. That is where the discipline comes in, and once you get the first few in, the rest is really not that difficult. The discipline you build doing this translates to far more than pushups.
Text the word PUSHUPS to (305) 930-7346 to enter — the challenge is perpetual now, so any start date works. When you finish, send me your score sheet, any format, and I will send you a certificate.
Here is the playbook from this week's update.
Ted and Tom finishing in half a month is awesome, and it is not the headline. The headline is that they chose a challenging number, committed, and followed through. This was never a strength contest or a test of manhood — it is a test of discipline, and we can all use one of those. I get into what that test really measures in the episode, so press play above.
My own training is ramping up for the CrossFit Open season starting in March, and a huge part of that preparation has been a tremendous amount of stretching. I want to bring you much more on that program, including a podcast with the man who got me into far better physical condition through stretching. I preview what is coming in the episode — press play above.
Whatever your number was — 10,000, 3,000, 1,000 — I hope it challenged you and showed you that you have the discipline to do far more than you think.
Take care of your body and you have zero limitations. Your kids want to climb a mountain, you climb the mountain with them. That is what all of this is for. Give me those pushups, and press play above for the full week 3 update.
Tom Wilkinson · Ted Drever · 10,000 pushup challenge · 3,000 pushup challenge · ARF workout · pushup tracking spreadsheet · CrossFit Open · stretching program · discipline · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the workouts, nutrition habits, and mindset tools that keep guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong on the water and in the field for life.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.