100 push ups 30 day challenge

Join me for a 30 day challenge where you will complete one hundred push ups per day.  It's easier than you think!  It is also free and requires no equipment.  It only takes thirty days, so give it a go and see the results for yourself.

I saw something on YouTube about a 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  In this challenge an unfit slob of a man did 100 push ups per day, every day, for 30 consecutive days.  He couldn't do 100 in one go, so he did smaller sets that added up to one hundred each day.  Thirty days of push ups doesn't sound all that difficult.

Prior to the challenge he weighed himself, measured his biceps and his chest, and took some photos without a shirt.  After the completion of 30 days he weighed himself, measured his biceps and his chest, and had some comparison photos without wearing a shirt.  

The results were incredible: he lost weight, his biceps and chest were noticeably larger, he looked more toned and less fat, he stood more proud, he had a nicer haircut, he no longer wore glasses, and most remarkably he also looked a lot more tanned. 

I had a few initial thoughts at the time:

Firstly I knew his results were nonsense.  I knew then as I know now that thirty days can not do that to anyone.  

Secondly I thought I should do this challenge.  At that stage I was doing zero push ups in an average month, so doing any would be an improvement and would likely benefit me.  My back and neck were giving me constant pain, perhaps getting stronger might even decrease my pain if I kept at it for 30 days.

I gave it a go immediately and struggled to get to the floor, let alone do any push ups.  After doing a few push ups I could hardly get up off the floor.  This was not good.  

At that stage I decided to do this challenge properly I had to set some rules.  I knew I couldn't do one hundred push ups in one set, so I needed to do several sets of smaller numbers to be able to reach my goal.

I had to write down the minimum number of push ups per day, secondly I had to write the minimum number I would do in each set.  This would ensure that I committed to this goal and did not cheat.  It was only thirty days, so I had to do it properly or not at all.  No rest days, no excuses, just thirty days of reaching my minimums.

I figured I could do more in a set or more in a day if I wanted to, but I had to reach my minimums.  If I didn't reach my set minimum before collapse then they would not count towards my daily minimum.  I decided that I had to reach my minimums no excuses, no rest days, for thirty days.  I decided to do 100 push ups for thirty consecutive days.

Push ups are good for skinny people

The first few days were really painful, I felt achy and fevery, much like I was catching the flu.  My joints hurt, my glands were enlarged, my eyes watered, my throat hurt, and my muscles ached.  Everything hurt.  I wasn't sick though.  This was because I was ultra-unfit.  It was only thirty days, so I pushed on and did my minimums each day.

There were a few days where I had a headache or a migraine, this was not due to the exercise, but was due to pre-existing injuries.  I really wanted to give up at this stage, but I had set rules and had to meet my minimums, so I continued.  Setting rules that you have to follow really help with pushing through when you really don't want to.

I pushed through, mostly doing more than my minimums by 1 or 2.  I started to severely hate doing push ups, and also started to panic each day that I might forget to do them.  Some days I was exhausted from mowing the lawn or whatever, but I still had to meet my minimums so I kept doing them.  Setting minimums and committing to doing them really helps.  I desperately wanted to give up a bunch of times.

I hoped that push ups would get easier as the challenge progressed, but they never did.  The fever subsided after a few days, as did many of the other aches, but push ups were always incredibly difficult.  I found the first 3 or so in every set got easier, but I was in just as poor a state at the end of each set.  

I eventually made it to 30 days successfully.

I was skinny fat.  That means I looked skinny, but carried a lot of fat around my organs.  This is the most dangerous type of fat.  I have injuries that made everything hurt, hurting means I do not want to move or do exercise, and being sedentary made things worse.  

After the 30 days I dropped a belt notch but did not lose weight.  In other words I lost fat and put on muscle, which is a great health outcome.  I found sitting at my desk at work far easier.  As this went well I decided to keep going and do more 30 day challenges.  No rest days, no excuses.

The next thirty day challenge I was stronger so I increased my minimums.  Again I strived to do more than my minimums, but I could never do less.  I was in less pain but push ups seemed just as difficult to do.  The first few of each set were easier, but each set was just as hard as always.  Again I tried to go beyond my minimums, both set minimums and day minimums.  

I struggled through, and eventually reached 30 days a second time.

Push up handles, I didn't get these until a year or so into my challenges

What started as a single 30 day challenge kept going.  I have now completed well over 2 years of continuous challenges.  I don't have days off between challenges so I can easily add up the number of days I have done them.  I am not too far away from day 900 and I dread the thought of starting from day zero again, which helps with motivation on days where I really can't be bothered.

My challenges have changed each block of 30 days.  Sometimes I would have other exercise added in, some challenges did not have push ups at all, but there are always set minimums and day minimums.  

I have now also added in a 'tweak'.  This is where I may decide on my minimums and find I was overly ambitious, or if I am injured, then I can change the exercises for that 30 day challenge.  While I am yet to use a tweak, I am glad it is there.  There is no point pushing through a broken wrist or something as it would have made things worse.

I started these challenges struggling to do any push ups, I can now do over 250 in one set.  I was curious to find out what the average person can do, so I tried to look up the average number of push ups a man my age can do.  The numbers on the internet vary a bit so I have included some of the comparison tables below.

Average Push-Ups for Adult Men

15-19 years old	23-28 push-ups
20-29 years old	22-28 push-ups
30-39 years old	17-21 push-ups
40-49 years old	13-16 push-ups
50-59 years old	10-12 push-ups
60+ years old	to 8-10 push-ups

All Ages	Reps
Beginner	< 1
Novice	16
Intermediate	40
Advanced	68
Elite	100

Age	17-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-65
Excellent	> 56	> 47	> 41	> 34	> 31	> 30
Good	47-56	39-47	34-41	28-34	25-31	24-30
Above average	35-46	30-39	25-33	21-28	18-24	17-23
Average	19-34	17-29	13-24	11-20	9-17	6-16
Below average	11-18	10-16	8-12	6-10	5-8	3-5
Poor	4-10	4-9	2-7	1-5	1-4	1-2
Very Poor	< 4	< 4	< 2	0	0	0

Regardless of which table you choose, I am now well and truly above average.  

While I initially struggled to get to the floor, let alone do any push ups, I can now do over 250 in one set.  This is all from Prochnost' training.  It doesn't matter where you start as your aim is to get stronger.  

I was hideously unfit, and I am now able to complete vastly more push ups than most men my age.  I started out skinny fat and very weak, I am still skinny but I am stronger now.  I never got ripped, but my intention was to gain strength, not to look prettier.  I also don't put in a whole lot of time each day.

My 12 year old does push ups

If you are skinny fat like I was, you should be doing push ups.  If you are not skinny you should be doing push ups.  A thirty day challenge helps to ensure that you get the benefits from all of your hard work, skipping a day here and there leads to poor results and/or giving up.  Commit to thirty days, then achieve this no matter what happens.

If you are really unfit like I was you should do the 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  Complete ten sets of ten push ups each day for thirty days.  If you can do an extra one or two each day, then do that as it will help you.  Perhaps this is too daunting, in which case you should do less push ups a day for 30 days.  Just make sure you set your minimums as they will help you succeed.

If you are stronger then you should complete the 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  Complete two sets of fifty push ups each day if you can do that many.  If you can do an extra 25 or so each set then do that because it will help you in the long run.  If this sounds too easy then decide on a larger number, perhaps you can do 1,000 push ups per day for 30 days.  

Try to remember: if you have extra time and energy one day and do 300 push ups you don't get a break the next day, you still have to complete your minimums.  Doing extra is good, it helps you in the long run.  Your future self will thank you for doing extras.

Do push ups.  Push ups are good for you, push ups make you stronger.  

What is Skinny Fat and how to fix it

“Skinny fat” is sometimes also called "Thin Outside, Fat Inside" (TOFI).  It is a term that refers to looking thin, even having a 'healthy' or 'underweight' BMI), while still carrying too much fat to be healthy.  

Being skinny fat can be rather dangerous to your health, it can be worse than simply being fat. 

Most people in this country are overweight or obese.  They eat garbage and usually lead sedentary lives.  They put on subcutaneous fat, which is fat just below the skin.  This is not healthy if they have too much, but if they only have a little extra then it is usually ok.  As most people look like this no one bats an eye when they see it, and most health ad fitness advice is (rightly) aimed at these people.

Training for human flag

Skinny Fat people put on visceral fat, which is fat around their internal organs.  This can be really dangerous.  People often criticise skinny fat people and tell them to gain weight.  Many skinny fat people try to gain weight by eating poorly and being lazy as this is the advice that people give them.  This is probably the worst thing they can do as they will still look skinny but will gain dangerous amounts of fat around their organs.  

Unfortunately being skinny fat has a lot do do with genetics.  You don't have to stay skinny fat, you can become thin and strong, but you will never bulk up like most people.

Skinny fat people need to ignore advice they are given about gaining weight, and ignore fitness advice, because it is not aimed at someone of their body type.  To be healthy they need to train and eat differently.

I have always been thin

Most web sites or YouTube videos or anything else on the internet on skinny fat fitness is almost always aimed at young women.  This is great for women in their early twenties, but not much use to men or even women who are not in their early twenties.

Other sites I have seen have pictures of men who I would never consider to be 'skinny', they are regular guys carrying extra fat but are not obese.  Explaining how someone like that needs to train to get ripped is of no use to someone who is skinny fat who wants to be healthier.  Training the same way he is training will put you at a disadvantage as you will achieve poor results.  If you are skinny fat you need to train in a way that is right for a skinny person, that way you will achieve better results much faster.

Most skinny fat people train and exercise the wrong way.  I sure used to.  This is largely because they are aiming to get bigger, and the advice they receive is only suitable for larger people.  Much advice is about exercising to lose weight or to gain bulk.  Skinny fat people don't need to lose weight per se, and they won't gain bulk no matter how they train or what they eat, but they should exercise as they can get incredibly strong.  

A thin person who is stronger than someone twice their size is rather impressive.  I now train differently, I train for strength, and I am achieving far better results from it.

Push ups are great for skinny people

I have always been thin.  At some stages I was 'skinny fat', other times I was underweight and weak, other stages I have been thin and fit.  I used to do a lot of fitness training when I was younger, but it was all the wrong kind of training for my body type.  This always left me feeling like a failure, and often resulted in me giving up exercise and becoming skinny fat.  

Once you are skinny fat it is hard to get in shape as everyone tells you to 'just eat more' and mocks you when you do any exercise or start looking at what you eat.

Skinny fat people need to train and exercise differently to be healthy.  They need to train for strength and for health.  That is why I am writing this blog. 

I am getting older, and have a few injuries, and have very little time to train.  I started getting skinny fat and feared that this is what I would be for the rest of my life.  I have recently (in the past few years) learned how to train for strength as a skinny person.  I do a form of Slavic strength training called prochnost'.  

After starting prochnost' training I quickly lost fat around my organs, I got more toned, I am in less pain, and I am now stronger than I have been in well over a decade.

My kids are also skinny, and they are very strong.  I have been training with them and they have become incredibly strong because we are training using the correct technique for skinny people.  We are training carefully, as they are kids, and they are achieving impressive feats of strength that few adults will ever achieve.

Strength training

Sensationally failing is part of the training process

Join me as I continue to train as an ageing, skinny man as I train, fail at things, then train some more, and eventually am able to achieve more things that very few people of my age are able to do.

Two Minute Workout For Free

Do you want to get stronger, lose fat, put on muscle, but don’t have time and seriously lack motivation?  

What if I told you that you can exercise for less than two minutes in total per day, using nothing but your body weight, without changing your diet, and you will gain strength and lose fat.  The best part is you can do this workout completely for free!  

Most people consider doing exercise, but don’t have time. Most advice is that you will regret it if you don’t make the time now, or that everyone can spare X amount of time a day. More often than not this demotivates people who really are time poor as X tends to be rather optimistic and considerably underestimated. 

Sadly most of those shorter workouts tend to focus on losing weight rather than getting stronger.  Skinny fat people like me need to focus on gaining strength and losing fat around their organs. When a skinny fat person gets stronger they lose visceral fat, focusing on losing weight is counterproductive as sometimes skinny fat people gain weight as they lose fat and put on muscle.  

Early in the year 2020 I started a 2 minute workout. This was less than two minutes (non-consecutive minutes) in total each day. This could be achieved in several sessions of less than a minute spread throughout the day, using no equipment, no getting into/out of gym clothes or desperately needing a shower afterwards, and the difference it made to me physically was impressive. 

What is the catch

The catch is that you have to do this every day for thirty consecutive days to see an improvement.  

The first few days will be difficult but the improvement you will see after 10 days will be impressive, the difference you will see after the full thirty days is something you will have to see to believe.   You may as well try this, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

12 year old son doing push ups

How this started for me

Early in the year 2020 we were stuck inside the house as there were bushfires everywhere and the smoke made the air quality horrendous. I was very unfit and in a lot of pain due to various injuries I sustained 20 or so years ago. I was watching youtube videos with my kids (mostly of Russian folk songs) and we somehow watched someone do 100 push ups a day for 30 days. I wrote another post on my attempt at this. 

This was the start of my 2 minutes of exercise 30 day challenges. 

I live in a climate that is hot over spring/summer and cold over autumn/winter. The few nice days we have are usually filled with doing chores, or relaxing, rather than wanting to exercise. I have a job that requires me to commute for about an hour each way. I have young children. I don’t have much time left over in which to exercise. 

All of the '15 minute workouts' I have seen require equipment, and I would need to get changed, and I need to have a shower afterwards, meaning it takes about an hour all up. I don’t have that much time, and I dare say neither do you. I am also in pain pretty much all the time due to some old injuries from a car accident years ago so I really don't want to exercise.  This made exercise that requires no equipment which takes less than two minutes a day and is completely free pretty ideal.

Some of the changes I noticed after completing my first 30 day challenge, apart from getting far stronger, was that my body appeared more toned and less ‘middle agey’, even though I was skinny I lost fat (I went down a belt notch in one month, and a second belt notch the second month), I put on muscle, my shoulders and arms didn’t get much bigger but they changed shape and were more defined, walking around didn’t hurt so much, sitting at my desk didn’t hurt so much, my heart stopped skipping beats as often, my blood sugars became more level, doing day to day things like getting dressed hurt less, playing with my kids became easier and more enjoyable, and somehow my blood cholesterol levels dropped.  

This was all from two non-consecutive minutes of strength exercise.  You should commit to doing this for thirty days and see the changes for yourself.  Also, did I mention that this requires no equipment and is free?  

There are some things to keep in mind to get the most out of your time.

No excuses

I know if I can find an excuse not to do exercise, then I won’t do any exercise ever. Perhaps you are the same. 

If I mow the lawn I don’t want to do any exercise that day because I will convince myself that I have already done exercise. If I stack firewood I don’t want to do any exercise that day. If it is cold or hot or windy or I had a rough day at work or it is Christmas or I did exercise yesterday or I need to wash my hair (the list goes on and on) then I convince myself that I don’t have to do any exercise that day. 

Thirty day challenges where I only exercise for two minutes in total (not necessarily consecutive minutes) helps me do away with my excuses.  It is less than two minutes, and I can do this in dribs and drabs throughout the day.  

You can commit to doing this for thirty days straight!  No excuses, just get it done.  Thirty days will be over before you know it, so be strong and just get it done.

Set minimum numbers

The first number I set was a ‘daily minimum’, this was the minimum number of push ups (or whatever) that I had to do each day. No excuses, no rest days, I had to reach this minimum. 

The second was a ‘set minimum’, this was the lowest number I could do in a set that would count towards my daily minimum. I had to reach these numbers, no excuses.

The best part of setting minimums is that you have to reach them but you can do extras. I know myself, I would convince myself to do double one day and have the next day off, defined minimums prevent me from cheating. 

I can do double or even more one day, but I still have to do my minimums the following day. Strangely enough I found that I always do extras, sometimes only 1 or 2, often I do considerably more. 

Setting minimums prevents me from cheating, and has meant that I keep striving to do better.  This helps me to get stronger faster.  Write your minimums down somewhere, it will help you keep motivated when doing exercise seems stupid and you really can't be bothered to do this anymore.

Struggling through my minimums

My first 30 day challenge

At the start I was unfit and struggled even getting down to or up from the floor. I had 100 push ups as my day minimum, and 25 as my set minimum. I was doing four sets of 25 push ups throughout the day, taking less than two minutes in total. 

At that time I was working from home, so between meetings if I had spare time I would push out a set. At the end of each set of 25 I was trembling and felt like I was going to vomit, so I needed considerable rest time between sets. I pushed through and usually did more than my minimums. 

I got a lot stronger pretty quickly because I did my challenge minimums each day, no exceptions.  The difference in my strength from doing less than two minutes of exercise per day for thirty days was almost unbelievable.  You need to try this, you have nothing to lose and it is only thirty days!

My second 30 day challenge

The next 30 day challenge (I do them back to back with no rest days in between) I was a lot stronger so decided on 150 as my daily minimum, and 50 as my set minimum. I had drastically increased my strength so was able to increase my minimums.

When you can't go on, do something else

At the end of my second 30 day challenge I had an injury to my wrist (not from push ups), which meant I should not do push ups. This made me add a ‘tweak’ where I could substitute one exercise for another if I was hurt or sick. 

The substitute exercise does not have to use the same muscle group, you could exchange push ups for squats if you hurt your elbow or something.  The numbers don't have to be the same, it only has to be as difficult for you to complete this.  The whole idea is to build strength.  If you give up you will lose strength, if you train a different muscle group you will gain strength in a different area.  Never give up, if you can't go on due to injury just train something else.

My next challenge was sit ups as I could not do push ups and I didn't want to do squats. My minimums were 50 per day or 25 per set. It really didn’t take long before I could do a whole lot more than this. 

My future challenges ether had one exercise or a combination of exercises, all of which could be completed with no equipment in under two minutes. I will provide some examples below.

Your progress will be astounding 

When I started these challenges a set of 25 push ups left me shaking and out of breath, and I struggled to do 100 across the day. After my first day I was hurting badly.  

Now I am able to do ten times that number (I am currently doing 250 per set and 1,000 in a day) and I feel fine the next day, this is taking me more than 2 minutes to do such high numbers but I that is a story for another time.  I am only mentioning this to show you much stronger you can get simply from these less than two minute workouts for thirty days.

The important part of 2 minute workout is that to make gains you need to do them every day for at least 30 days. To ensure that you do this you need to set rules otherwise you will convince yourself that you deserve a day off. These rules must be inflexible or when times are tough you will cheat. 

If you cheat you will be wasting your time and will make no progress.

Here are the rules that I follow.

My rules:

1) Never miss a day - this is thirty consecutive days, no lies, no excuses

2) Exercise can be done in one go or in small sets throughout the day - this can change from day to day as long as your minimums are always reached

3) Know the end date of the 30 day challenge - If you are like me your mind will always tell you to give up, it is easier to keep going if you are working towards an end date

4) Minimums can be as low as they need to be - this is not a competition, you are trying to gain strength

5) Write down your 'set minimums' before the challenge – this prevents you from cheating

6) If you collapse before reaching your set minimum it is not counted towards the day total

7) Write down the 'day minimums' before the challenge - aim to exceed this every day even if just by one

8) You can (and should) exceed your minimums, but they don’t count towards tomorrow’s minimums

9) Only one ‘tweak’ allowed per challenge – if your minimums are unachievable, or you get an injury, you are not cheating if you use the tweak. You only have one per challenge so try not to use it at all

Set whatever rules work for you, but the rules above work well for me so I have been using them since January 2020.  After more than two years of continuous 30 do challenges I am yet to use my 'tweak'.  No one is checking in on you, set your rules and get it done.  If you cheat you are wasting your time.

I like exercises that can be completed in under two minutes in total, and require no equipment.  If you have equipment that is great, but not using equipment means you can complete your exercise anywhere and any time that you have free throughout the day.  

If it is hot or cold or rainy or you go away on holidays or you go away on a work trip you can still complete your minimums if they require no equipment.  If you need free weights or a chin up bar there will be times where you can't use these, and that is often the beginning of an excuse to stop training.

Some ideas for your two minute exercise challenges include one or several of the following:

Push ups: a great strength exercise that is underrated. Aim for 100 or more per day, if you are really unfit you could start with low 'set minimum' of 10 and a 'daily minimum' of 40. Focus on correct form rather than striving for higher numbers. It will be hard at the start, but you can reach 30 days!

Push up variations: these come later and can work on various different muscle groups. Focus on regular push ups before even thinking about doing any variations.

Sit ups: another great exercise. Aim for 100 per day. If you are unfit try a set minimum of 5 and a day minimum of 20. Make it difficult but achievable for you, if your minimums are too low you can always do extras!

Forearm planks: these look easy but are really difficult. Start with something like 25 seconds per set and 1 minute total across the day. If you only do forearm planks for one challenge then it is only one minute per day, you can do that for thirty days!

Straight arm planks, or other plank variations: do whatever variation you feel up to, write your minimums and try to exceed them even by one second. There are endless planking variations and most build strength for more impressive strength exercises (like human flag).

Squats: these are great for legs. Do some beforehand to get a feel for where to set your minimums. Your legs will be like a cross between jelly and a sewing machine until you get more used to these.  Don't go too low or you may damage your knees.  You can even do these in the lift at work.

Star jumps: this is one of the few aerobic exercises you can do in a short amount of time.  I am not sure if I know anyone who can do two minutes of continuous star jumps.

Reverse Snow Angels: these are harder than you think.  You don't need to do many of these to gain strength in a wide range of muscle groups. Completing them every day for thirty days will give you huge benefits.

Shadow Boxing: another aerobic exercise. I know very few people who can honestly do 1 minute of continuous shadow boxing.  

 

Note: If you have access to weights or a chin up bar or whatever you have a lot of other options, but they were not the purpose of this post. I will also write future posts on using skinny fat people using weights to increase strength.

The takeaway message here is you need to decide on your minimums before your challenge begins, write them down so you can’t cheat, and push through them for 30 long days no matter what. 

Do this properly and you will get impressive results, do this half-heartedly and you won't.  It really is that simple.

If you only have 30 seconds here and there throughout the day you can still get a lot stronger. If you are skinny fat focus on gaining strength, ignore your weight, you will lose fat as you gain muscle and the difference after thirty days will be impressive.

Training for Strength not Size

When I was younger I used to go to the gym a lot, and do push ups, and chin ups, and other exercise, all with one goal in mind: I wanted to get bigger.  I have always been skinny and I wanted to 'bulk up' and be as big as everyone else. 

As a skinny guy doing strength exercises you will get bigger than you otherwise would have been.  Maybe you will be noticeably bigger, or maybe it won’t be all that noticeable to anyone.  If you could compare yourself pre training and post training you would be happy with the results.  

But you most likely won’t compare your current self to your previous self.  You will be far more likely to compare yourself to Average Joe who is always going to be larger than you even if you are totally shredded and he is hideously unfit.  Due to this you will always fail, and if you are anything like I was you then give up trying.  

If you are skinny and you stop exercising you will likely end up skinny fat.  This is the worst of both worlds, you will look skinny, and you will have the poor health outcomes that go along with being fat.

Training for human flag - almost there

As a skinny person trying to blend in with the rest of society, you will most likely ignore 'true strength' and focus mostly on one of least impressive forms of strength: 'bulk'.  

Bulk certainly has advantages, and can be used to build some truly incredible power.  Bulk also brings presence to any situation that has the potential to turn dangerous.  But bulk in itself is not true strength, and as a skinny person you will never attain bulk no matter what you do.  

If you are skinny you need to forget about trying to bulk up, and aim for strength.  A skinny person who does strength training will likely get a little larger than they otherwise were.  If you do become noticeably larger that is a bonus, but getting bigger should not be your goal.

One of the issues with a skinny guy going to the gym is that people will put you down simply because you are thin.  It doesn’t matter if you lift twice the weight someone else is lifting while doing triple the number of reps, they will still make nasty comments at and about you because you are skinny.  If anyone ever hears you are going to the gym they will make some disparaging comment and will say something about you trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.  They would never make this comment to an average sized guy, or to someone overweight, but they will make it to you if you are thin.

If your intention is to get bigger, to try and blend in with everyone else, then this kind of opposition will deflate you as it steals your motivation and drive.  You will inevitably fail because you are focusing on the wrong area, you are focusing on size rather than strength.  You need to change your focus.  You need to focus on building strength.

Others who have no concept of genetics or metabolism will tell you that you are too skinny and ‘you should just eat more’.  Or they will tell you how much you should be grateful because they wished they could lose a little weight.  Or how much they wish they could give you some of their weight.  Again, all of this is focused on the wrong thing.  It is focused on size, not on strength.  

I used to try desperately to get bigger, and it was absurd, I should have tried to get stronger.  Most skinny people who do gain weight by merely eating more will gain fat around their organs, which is the most dangerous type of fat.

Training for strength and balance

Now that I am older I have learned a lot more.  I now know that skinny people should go to the gym, and should do push ups, and should do other exercise.  They should do this not to get bigger, not to bulk up, but to get stronger.  Not stronger than someone else, not even to get as strong as an average person.  Stronger than you would otherwise be.  This will make you healthy, and no amount of haters telling you that you look scrawny can take your strength from you.

When I was a university student I got a free gym pass and could go whenever I wanted to go.  I found a time early in the morning after the gym junkies had left but before the slobs arrived, where I had about two hours to train by myself.  There was another time in the afternoon when most people were either in lectures or at college meal halls where I had another hour or two almost to myself.  These were my times where I could work out without being made fun of by people who were only there to talk and walk on a treadmill.

I went to that gym, day in day out, once or twice a day, for many months.  I got incredibly strong.  I weighed about 64kg and could bench press 15 reps of 90-100kg.  I could use any of the weights machines and lift the entire weight stack.  I could do 15 chin ups or 15 pull ups with added 40kg weight.  I used to do ‘human flag’ on a street pole out the front when no one was around (I did it when no one was around because I was embarrassed by being so thin).  I looked similar to before except my veins were huge pythons.  Yet I felt like a failure because I was still skinny.  I failed because I wanted to fit in, when I should have been happy with my impressive strength

I am older now, my recovery time is not what it used to be, I have far less time to train, and I have ongoing injuries that cause me severe pain.  Only now am I training for strength, and I am starting to be able to do some impressive things.

I wish I could go back in time and talk to my younger self.  I wish I could tell my younger self to focus on strength and stop trying to chase bulk.  Had I done that I would have trained better and I would have attained far greater strength.  

Training for front lever - I'm not there yet

I know better now, and I encourage people to train for strength.  I train using a system called “Prochnost”.  

Prochnost' (прочность, pronounced proach-nests) is the Russian word that means strength.  It can also be translated to endurance, durability, toughness, stability, hardness, solidity, etc.  Seems rather fitting if you ask me.  

Prochnost' training is very similar to calisthenics.  It is aimed at building true strength and physical capability such as balance.  Unlike many other training systems it is not focused on looks.  You probably will look better as you will gain muscle and lose fat, but that is not the aim, you certainly will be a lot stronger and more healthy.  Prochnost' training is a good training system for skinny people and larger people alike. 

Prochnost' training means I am stronger now than I have been in over a decade.  As you can see in the photos above, I am still learning and I am still skinny.  I have learned a lot and increased my strength substantially, and I will likely be learning for the rest of my functional life.