How 100 Pushups a Day Solved My Embarrassing Runner’s Problem

Photo by Inimafoto from Pexels

Why pushups? They’re the perfect stealth exercise — quiet and self-contained. Pushups require nothing (not even clothing or shoes) other than a modicum of upper body strength. You can do pushups anywhere there’s a flat surface — on the floor or a field — as Neidermeyer so memorably demanded in ‘Animal House.’

I embarked on a daily pushup regimen a few months ago because my pandemic gym-going was kaput and my remaining exercise was all aerobic — either biking or running. Even though I was aerobically fit, I felt the atrophy of my upper body. Before I go outside for my early morning exercise, I knock out four sets of 25 pushups over a span of 15 minutes with breaks in between each set.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos to learn good pushup form and follow it to a T. So far, I’m delighted with the results. Bodily changes occur amazingly quickly.

Here are some of the outcomes I’ve observed:

1. Improved Upper Body Strength — When I started, I could barely make it through the four sets of 25 pushups. It…