As I talked about a couple of weeks ago I had the stupid idea to perform 30 straight days of walking lunges, 200m to be exact.
With approximately 210 lunge steps per 200m that brings my total to about:
6300 lunge steps covering 6000m (3.73 miles)
So, what did this teach me?
First, it taught me that if I set a small goal, I can easily achieve it.
When talking about changing habits (I.e. Quitting smoking, improving your run times, getting stronger, etc) it the accumulation of marginal gains that will ultimately lead to your success.
When I frist set off to do this, just over 31 days ago I didn’t really have an end goal but I did have a goal to do the required work, each and every day, no matter what.
Sure, I was hoping to build some serious unilateral strength-endurance in my legs (glutes, hamstrings, and quads specifically) and I’m still hoping this translates to improved stability in the squat (Something I plan on looking at this week) but the ultimate goal was to just done the work. No pressure. Not for time.
Other than that, I was just looking to challenge myself by committing to a routine that although not that hard to accomplish, was still fairly taxing (some days were way worse than others).
The stages of feeling sorry for myself
I was surprised to find out that after the first 6-7 days that soreness just about entirely went away, although it was replaced by an occasional aching of the tendons and ligaments in the distal quads. Other than that, there were days where I felt great, days I felt fatigued, and days where I just wasn’t looking forward to putting in the work but did so anyway.
So what is the point of all this?
Every once in a while you really need to get outside of your comfort zone if you want to achieve something great (or even just better than mediocre). Lunging every day is not something I’d necessarily recommend in a typical long-term training plan but it will definitely teach you about your mental ability to push through the tough days and physical ability to keep going day after day even if your legs are aching and tired.
Right now I’m trying to think up my next challenge and was hoping to get some of you on board with me. Right now I’m thinking the KB swing will be my next 30-day challenge but need your help to decide if I’m going to do 9000, 12000, or 15000 swings in that 30 day period (300, 400, or 500 per day respectively).
What do you guys think?
Who wants to join me?
