Day 21: The Power of Rest
Day 20 of the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge taught me something I didn’t want to learn, but today taught me something I desperately needed to:
Take your time.
I approached Day 21 differently than I did the last time I had an Ascension Day on Day 15.
Instead of hitting the timer and immediately dropping into my first push-up to get it out of the way, I took my sweet-ass time.
I set up my plank. Checked my form. Moved around a little. Warmed up. I made it almost to the end of the first minute before I actually did my first push-up.
That probably would’ve driven Day 1 Andrew crazy, but Day 21 Andrew knew better. He had fought battles in this challenge Day 1 Andrew couldn’t actually yet conceive, and he was going to prove why this challenge was meant for a warrior.
Knowledge Gained Along the Journey
After what happened yesterday, I wasn’t interested in proving anything during the first minute.
I was interested in listening.
Day 20 was the first time my body completely overruled my mind.
I respected that, so I took two full rest days before coming back to attempt Day 21.
The days off didn’t make the push-ups feel any easier than the others, but they did help my entire body reset and feel more available and ready to work.
I was still tired, so sore, and still wondering why I insisted on putting myself through this every morning, but I didn’t have the same resistance from my muscles, and everything felt more manageable during the climb.
Ascension-Level Focus
It’s crazy because, at this point, my head and my body almost feel like two different people.
My mind wakes up saying, “Let’s do this.”
My body looks at a plank position and immediately responds, “Absolutely not.”
It’s almost like it’s developed a trauma response to push-ups.
The second I set my hands on the floor, my body starts negotiating.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“Maybe take another rest day.”
“Please don’t make me do this again.”
Meanwhile, my mind has become surprisingly calm.
“One more.”
“You’ve got this.”
“Keep going.”
It’s a strange place to live, somewhere between excitement and dread. But as I tell my students and as I’ve learned along this journey, it’s also about finding the edge between ease and effort.
Day 21 also saw the return of the dreaded Ascension Days, which made the passing minutes get harder every time. Although I accepted that I would have some push-ups leftover at the end, I wanted to cross the finish line feeling stronger than I did the day before, no matter how many I took to the make-up round with me.
Looking Ahead with Apprehension
I had a moment near the end of the third interval where I thought I’d be able to finish on time. Once the third interval wrapped, I still didn’t have any leftover reps, and I thought I might be able to pull off the entire day with no make-ups.
I didn’t.
I only had 15 leftover at the end, which I still considered progress, but I had a few short minutes at the height of the practice today where I saw a version of the workout that had seemed impossible just a week ago. Only taking 15 with me meant I had “completed” Day 20 and scratched the surface of Day 21 in regard to total reps, and that alone felt like progress.
This progression makes me look ahead with curiosity rather than fear. Now I’m wondering what Day 23 will feel like without intervals, or if Day 24 will be one of the hardest because it’s the final Ascension Day. I’m excited to experiment with Day 25, where the goal becomes maintaining an average pace instead of constantly increasing it.
The fact alone that I say “excited” in regard to any of the final days is already different.
A week ago, I wasn’t asking those questions.
A week ago, I was wondering if I’d even make it this far.
Now, I wonder what the next version of me will learn, and I am much more open to the conversation.
Rest Gives Perspective
At the end of today, I realized that rest didn’t just give me stronger muscles. It also gave me a different perspective.
Yesterday, I learned that my body eventually gets a vote.
Today, I learned that if I actually listen to it, it usually has something worthwhile to say.
Recovery didn’t make me weaker.
It made me ready.
And that’s an important distinction.
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I approached Day 21 differently than I did the last time I had an Ascension Day on Day 15.
Instead of hitting the timer and immediately dropping into my first push-up to get it out of the way, I took my sweet-ass time.
That probably would’ve driven Day 1 Andrew crazy, but Day 21 Andrew knew better. He had fought battles in this challenge Day 1 Andrew couldn’t actually yet conceive, and he was going to prove why this challenge was meant for a warrior.