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When we left off last week, I had not yet completed the Week Three workout but had noted that it had been much tougher than the previous week.

So tough in fact that I had doubts whether or not I would move ahead to the fourth week.

After completing the final workout from the third week, I did decide to proceed with the Week Four workout. Although, as I will tell you in a moment, the Week Five workout is going to have to wait at least another week.

Week Four :: The Program

Even though my performance during the third week was somewhat disappointing, as I was not able to exceed the minimum recommendation during the max set, I decided to push myself into Week Four as I felt it wasn’t that much of an increase compared to Week Three.

Here is what the program calls for during Week Four:

Day One

• 27 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 20 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 20 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• 17 push ups followed by 60 seconds rest
• Max (at least 27 push ups)

Day Two

• 27 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 21 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 21 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• 18 push ups followed by 90 seconds rest
• Max (at least 25 push ups)

Day Three

• 30 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 22 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 22 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• 20 push ups followed by 120 seconds rest
• Max (at least 29 push ups)

In addition to the grueling workouts above, Week Four calls for another exhaustion test upon completion of the three days.

Week Four :: The Results

In what seems to be a trend (which I need to break this week), I have not yet completed the third workout for Week Four. That workout was scheduled for tonight; however, I had a dinner meeting after work and am not prepared to attempt the Day Three workout tonight.

So was moving ahead to Week Four a good idea?

Overall, I would have to say yes. The first two workouts of Week Four followed the same path as last week. The first four sets were completed without too much difficulty but the max set left me completely spent. Another similarity to last week is that the second workout of the week felt easier than the first.

At this point, I am not sure if this is something that is purely mental and that I have psyched myself into believing the Day Two workout is going to be easier, or that the additional rest in between sets makes that much of a difference. Whatever the reason, I seem to perform much better on the second workout.

While I have yet to complete the last workout for this week, I know what to expect as the workout is essentially the same as the last workout from the third week. The only difference is that the minimum recommendation for the max set has increased by two repetitions; otherwise the two workouts are identical.

Week Five Four :: Looking Ahead

Due to the fact that the end of the fourth week calls for an exhaustion test and considering that I have not been able to exceed the minimum expectations, I am going to repeat the Week Four workout rather than move on to the fifth week.

The Week Five workout takes an interesting turn on the progression towards 100 consecutive push ups. The first workout of the week adds a considerable number of push ups compared to the previous week and the max set requires a minimum of 40 push ups. In addition, as the week progresses the number of push ups per set goes down considerably but so does the rest in between sets.

It would seem that the shift to less repetitions with a shorter rest is a preparation for being able to do a large number of repetitions in one continuous set without any rest.

That is something that I am not prepared for right now and feel it is in my best interest to repeat the Week Four workout before tackling that challenge. The goal is to repeat each workout and surpass the minimum number of repetitions on the max set. Assuming that I am able to achieve that goal, I will feel better prepared for the challenge that lies ahead in Week Five.

How did you do with your Week Four workout?

As a reminder, it is not too late to enter the 100 Push Up Challenge Contest. As long as you start the program prior to the deadline and follow the contest rules, your entry will be considered valid.

No more excuses, get started today!