Poet, essayist and free-thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall."
I think Ralph was warning us to fight against the repetition of things done thoughtlessly because they've always been done that way, not because they work, and I'm sure he had some specific little statesmen, philosophers and divines in mind when he wrote those words. I don't think he was thinking about push-ups. With push-ups and many other things in life showing up consistently is the only thing that's effective.
So much for the philosophy of exercise. If it works, do it. Don't think about it. Think about other things while you're doing it. Think of nothing at all. As long as it gets done.
I love a good irony, and he's one now: Today's workout isn't consistent! Instead of the usual five sets, I'll be doing eight sets, starting with just 19 reps, then 19 again, 22, 22, 18, 18, 22 one last time, then at least 45. Let's get to it. Again...
To go with more smaller sets are shorter breaks, just 45 seconds. I was thinking about breathing while I was down there on the floor. When you're in a plank position, the abdomen and chest are rigid with effort, making breathing difficult. Lots of short, shallow breaths are easiest, but probably not the best. Time for a set of 22 reps...
No time for writing. My 45 seconds are already up. Twenty-two more...
I just thought about the at-least-45-push-up set I have to do. Why did I do that? Here's all I need to think about that: I can do it. I can also do a set of 18 now...
And now 18 more...
I don't have anything to say that wouldn't worry me about how I'm going to react to that final set. A set of 22...
Angst about an upcoming event isn't fear. It's excitement, the thrill as you imagine yourself completing the task, reaching the goal. Thought about too much it can become an obsession that can spoil. Don't let it. While I was doing those 22 push-ups just now, I had to stop myself from trying to go to 45 right then. That's not the plan. It makes me hopeful, though, the thought I had so much subconscious confidence in myself that my conscious self had to put the brakes on. It also helps that I took a moment to clear my mind before I began the set, a trick I'll try again...
I just noticed something, I missed a set. I didn't do the second set of 19, went straight to 22 instead. I'm going to do it now...
Why did I go back and make up that set? I could have moved on, but I would have felt guilty. That's really why I set this blog up, to make sure I stayed honest, and it worked. I would have felt like I was cheating you and me if I hadn't stayed true to the workout as written. Also, I got to avoid this last set for a few more moments. No more of that...
I did 50, and did it on purpose. Before I began the set I stood for a moment thinking about the experience, how it might unfold. I imagined how I wanted to unfold instead, telling myself that doing 50 would put into a new league. I'm now able to do 50 push-ups as an eighth set, not just as a first set when well rested. I'm definitely close to the goal. After the last day of Week 5 there's an other evaluation to do, a chance to hang back and do the week's workouts again, but I have the feeling I'll be moving up. I'm feeling good about this.
For the record, I did 190 push-ups today.