One of the hardest parts of working out is to work out on a constant basis. To maintain a fitness discipline is not easy, no matter if you are an advanced athlete, or just joined your local gym for the first time. BOXROX interviewed Kevin Cullum, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker who set a goal to do a million push-ups in his lifetime.
Kevin started counting his push-ups in 2015 when he noticed he could do over 100,000 in a couple of years. “My goal of doing 1 million push-ups will likely take 12+ years from starting until I reach it. That’s a long time,” he notes. At the time of this writing, he managed to do a total of 404,480 push-ups.
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Perhaps the goal seems difficult, sometimes even unachievable, but Kevin knows a few things helped him keep pushing up (pun intended) to his limits.
Tip 1 – Start With One
Kevin Cullum sees push-ups as a metaphor for life. “If I want to do 1 million push-ups, I have to start by doing one push-up,” he said. “I call this ‘the power of one’ and it relates to our lives too. To get anything done, we must start by taking one step in the direction we want to go.”
Source: Courtesy of Kevin Cullum
Tip 2 – Have a Path Mapped Out
Just like anything in life, there are ways to get certain things done. To be able to do a muscle-up, one must be able to do strict pull-ups. When setting any goal, know how to achieve that goal.
“It’s really important to specifically map out what the goal is, why it’s important and how that person is going to get there. Without a detailed plan as to how the goal can be completed, it’s more of a ‘wish’ than an actual ‘goal’.”
Tip 3 – Record All Your Progress
Kevin says he records all his progress in a spreadsheet. “Being able to regularly track my progress in given areas, holds myself accountable to the goals I’ve set.”
He also notes that being able to visually see the progress made is a good motivation boost for moments of doubt. “Even if we aren’t getting the results we wanted, as quickly as we hoped, being able to visually see how much we’ve progressed in our tracking helps keep the fire burning inside.”
Read more: 15 CrossFit Push Up Chest Workouts for All Athletes
Tip 4 – Break Things Down to Smaller Pieces – Maintain a Fitness Discipline
One million push-ups will likely take Kevin around 12 years to finish. He knows it can seem overwhelming at times, but he breaks his goal into smaller, less intimidating, goals.
“I measure my goal by year, but also by month. I set targets to reach each month, and each year, which help keep me on track.”
Kevin Cullum does around 600 push-ups every day, on average. He breaks his push-ups into sets of 12 and 20. “Then I just do sets until I’m satisfied with how many I’ve done.”
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Tip 5 – How to Maintain a Fitness Discipline – Tell Everyone
Kevin Cullum started an entire Instagram account to track his progress and also to tell everyone about his goals. According to him, everyone should be vocal about the goals they want to achieve.
“By telling people outwardly what I’m trying to accomplish, it’s made it so much more ‘real’ and it’s increased accountability,” he explained.
He also wants his family, especially his children, to be proud of him and to show that anyone can do anything.
Tip 6 – Remember Why You Set This Goal, And Remind Yourself Every Time
Sometimes telling everyone is not enough to maintain a fitness discipline, day in day out. “It’s important that we can cheer for ourselves,” says Kevin.
Another boost in confidence is to remind yourself of why you started your fitness goal. And keep reminding yourself of it as often as you can. “Life is hard, so the more reminders why we’re doing certain things, the higher probability we’ll complete that task.”
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Tip 7 – Obstacles Will Come, Think The Bigger Picture
BOXROX asked Kevin if he makes up for a lost day without making any push-ups. His answer was a simple “no”. It is imperative to keep your eyes on the objective mapped out in the beginning (tip 2) and know that some hiccups will happen, no matter how prepared you think you are. Know they are coming, and keep moving forward.
“Life will always throw obstacles our way, so as opposed to being defeated by those when they happen, I already know they will happen, so they’re expected and don’t affect my overall plan,” he said, adding “it might sting in the short term if a goal is disrupted, but I expect it, so it doesn’t change my perspective in the longe run.”
Read more: 10 Push Up Variations to Build Strength, Power and Muscle for CrossFit Athletes
Image Sources
- Kevin Cullum push-up 1 million discipline fitness: Courtesy of Kevin Cullum
- Kevin Cullum push-up 1 million discipline fitness: Courtesy fo Kevin Cullum