Shredheads

September Challenge - 200 Sit-ups, 200 Squats, 100 Push-ups

I'm a frequent reader of Roni's Weigh and saw her tweet this morning about her 30 day challenge. And being the lemming that I am, I figured that I would give it a try.

And since we don't have anything for September, I figured maybe the Shredheads would like to give it a whirl as well.

It's pretty simple - three times a week for 6 weeks you follow a very simple plan based on your initial test results. Your goal? 200 Sit-ups, 200 Squats, and 100 Push-ups.

Don't fall over.

So, if you're in, you'll want to test yourself tonight (or just start late), and then get started tomorrow with your first day of training. You have to admit - it's free, it doesn't take long, and you should have some killer legs, abs, and arms by the time the month is over.

1. Follow the test for the each: Push-ups, Sit-ups, Squats
2. Determine your rank and therefore your exercise "schedule"
3. Do it three times a week for 6 weeks
4. Take the final test

Here are my test results:

Push-ups: 3 (But they were real!)
Rank: 1 (I suck)

Sit-ups: 92 (They are crunches as per the site)
Rank: Excellent

Squats: 80
Rank: Excellent

So, if you want to participate, feel free to post on your blog and leave the link in the comments. Or you can just leave your results in the comments if you don't have a blog.

You can find lots of support from Roni's community Blog to Lose.

Getting back to the 30 Day Shred

I've read a few tweets from people who have taken a break from the 30 Day Shred - sometimes a few days, other times a few weeks or months.

Whatever your reasons, whether it be injury, boredom, or just needing a break, getting back into the groove with anything, not just the 30 Day Shred can be pretty challenging.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with starting fresh. While we did the 30 Day Shred in 30 consecutive days, there's nothing that says you have to. For some folks, it's a lot easier to just make it a party of their daily routine. For others, it's a bit more challenging to attempt it that way.

Keep in mind that there are no rules - either with the Shred or with our blog here. We're not here to guilt you for missing a couple of days or weeks.

But if you are getting back into it, here are a few things to keep in mind:

You're going to be sore

If you've taken an extended break from the Shred, it will probably feel like the first time you've done it, so expect to be extra sore. Do extra stretches and take it easy. You'll also want to drink more water than usual to help your muscles recover.

Fight one battle at a time

It's much harder to get back into the swing when you're trying to do a bunch of things (diet, exercise, etc.) than just one. So maybe for the first week, focus on getting your exercise groove back. Then add in some simple dietary changes. Don't overwhelm yourself with too much.

Get over the guilt

Okay fine. You took a break. Get over it. Everyone falls off the wagon but the point is that you got yourself back on. Now buckle your seatbelt and make the decision to stay on for the long haul.

Find support

You're less likely to stop exercising if you've got support. Add this blog to your feed reader (how do you like that shameless self promotion?) and follow us on Twitter. If you don't feel like working out, or you want to shove a bunch of donuts down your gullet, leave a comment or tweet it (use the #shredheads or @shredheads us so we can find it)! You'll get a bunch of almost instant support that might carry you right through!

Speaking of support, how did the Shredheads Buddies go for August? Leave us a comment, tweet your results to us @shredheads.