Finished the Program? What's Next?

So, you’ve successfully completed one hundred consecutive pushups, and naturally you’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself. Nothing wrong with that; you’ve worked very hard to achieve the goal!

I would also hazard a guess that you have noticed some pretty significant changes to your body – your chest will be more defined, shoulders broader and arms toned and hard. Your abdominal muscles should be firmer, posture more upright and your energy level higher.

The amazing thing is, you are just getting started. Think what you will be able to accomplish with regular, long-term exercise if you can achieve so much in as little as six weeks of doing pushups.

Some people will be happy to have conquered the challenge and be content to find some other program to follow. This is completely fine, as variety of exercise will keep individuals motivated for longer periods. Why not look around for a basic weight training plan, or new aerobic activity to try out? Train for your first 5k, take up yoga or join a local swimming club. The possibilities are endless, but hopefully you now have the confidence and base fitness to tackle almost anything.

Others, not content with doing one hundred pushups, will strive to reach 150, 200 or even more. For you people, I recommend restarting the main training plan and following along as you did the first time around. The only difference should be to increase the maximum set at the end of each workout. Not only will this help maintain your current fitness level, but it will maximize your strength gains and take you to new heights. The sky is the limit if you keep challenging yourself!

Finally, if you’re looking for more variety, and are keen to hone in on your muscle development, it would be worthwhile to tackle the hundred pushups program performing advanced pushup variations that will really provide a challenge. For example, choose wide or diamond pushups to target chest development, or one-armed pushups to develop strong forearms and chiseled triceps.

The main thing is to keep exercise fun and change up the routine every couple of months. Typically, after 6-8 weeks, your body will have made all the adaptations it is going to make from that particular plan. You will need to “shock the system” to keep making improvements and strength gains. Also, it is always wise to take a week or so of complete rest every 2-3 months - there is nothing like a short break to recharge yourself both mentally and physically.

Good luck!