The Challenge

Christmas is great! We celebrate the birth of a king, we enjoy family time, we give gifts to one another…..and, we eat A LOT. In the last quantitative research study I performed, involving the method of asking myself what I think the most given gift over Christmas is, the answer was chocolate. After a detailed analysis I concluded that it is true, and that something should be done about this…….welcome to “The Challenge”.

How it works:

It is health and fitness based and it runs for the month of February.

You are to undergo the following simple dietary modifications:

1. You are to eat no butter, margarine, deep-fried food or sunflower oil

2. No chocolates or sweets

3. No puddings or cakes – including cookies, biscuits, muffins, ice cream or chocolate drinks

4. No alcohol

5. No Soda/soft drinks

6. No fast food except skinless chicken from Nandos

Activity Challenge:

In the month you are to perform:

3000 push ups

3000 seconds of front plank/ prone bridge

3000 seconds per side of side plank

3000 reverse lunges per leg

Technique:

Push ups: Keep back straight, hands under shoulders, shoulders at 45 degrees, lower your chest down to a fist height above the ground. Ladies can go on their knees.

 Front plank/Prone bridge: Back straight, hips slightly tilted towards your chin, do not let your lower back drop down. suck your stomach in, only forearms and feet touch the ground.

Side plank:  Keep shoulders, hips and feet all in line, do not roll your non bracing shoulder forward, aline the bracing shoulder straight into the glenoid cavity (joint), do not let the shoulder pop up, keep it perpendicular to your body.

Reverse Lunge: In a standing position, lunge backwards keeping your front knee just behind your toes, lunge back up balancing on your front leg then lunge back and repeat. If you battling to add the balance you can just stand normally between each lunge. If you are still battling you can alternate legs.

Important things to note:

This will mean an average of 100 reps/seconds of each per day for a normal month. However there are only 29 days this month, so don’t fall short!

You can split the reps up throughout the day.

Please stretch your chest everyday, as well as work your back in the gym, or lie on your stomach and squeeze your shoulders blades together to keep your scapulae setting. Too much work on the chest without working it’s antagonists can cause bad posture and shoulder pathologies.

Leave comments to say how your journey is going!

4 days until the challenge begins! Tell friends to join in