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Why We Do Pushups

markpeterdavis.com

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Re: Why We Do Pushups

#61

Post by aurelianito »

cema wrote: post #48
blacksmythe wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of things managers and coworkers can do that either strengthen or weaken team spirit. In my experience one of the most positive is eating meals together. One of the most negative is playing favorites or improperly assigning credit for accomplishments.

Right, and these are all meaningfully related to work, directly or indirectly. Doing pushups is artificial and feels cheesy at best.

Why is it that eating is more meaningfully related to work than doing pushups?

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#62

Post by dkarl »

joe_the_user wrote: post #19
brosephius wrote: post #11

we’re a tech co - meatheads are nowhere to be found so programmers can't be athletic? I'm sure that's not what he meant, but that's how it comes across. also, the idea of group pushups as a "team building" activity - seriously? that just sounds awkward and weird. not to mention that pushups are not remotely sufficient as exercise if that's all you're doing. you want to help your employees stay in shape? commit to mak…

Indeed, this approach seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Push-ups are, at-best, a difficult exercise to get right (see http://thetoptwoinches.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/100/ ). Do them in bad form and you can injure yourself. Is the team leader going to be both an expert at management AND an expert at physical education? Does the company want the lawsuits if an employee is injured exercising at the direction of th…

Push-ups are, at-best, a difficult exercise to get right

This is surprisingly true. On Monday, I tested my one-rep max on shoulder presses, which involved a couple of balls-out failures with a weight I couldn't lift. Two days later, I feel fine. The last time I tried to find out how many pushups I could do in a row, I hurt my shoulder and didn't feel right again for two weeks. I'm pretty sure on any given day I could simply get on the floor and do pushups (with decent form) until I hurt myself. It's much safer to stick with exercises where you can safely work until failure, since you never know when you're going to accidentally exceed your limits. It's doubly true for people who don't exercise a lot.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#63

Post by ehsanu1 »

matwood wrote: post #47
checker wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taking the stairs is such an easy way to burn a few calories. It surprises me how few people do it in my office. Although, as shown by your story, some people just aren't able to!

It always amuses me to see non-handicap people taking the elevator at the gym.

Unless you're strength training. In which case, you may not care to climb the stairs as they don't really further your goals.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#64

Post by mcantelon »

stiff wrote: post #4

"team building" is like an arranged marriage - either you have a team or you don't, trying to force it doesn't yield any results and usually it's just an euphemism for being forced to do stupid things, most often to get drunk with everyone or "you are not being a team player". I would feel rather silly doing push-ups at work, especially at the command of my "team leader". Maybe people with more submissive personaliti…

"Team building excercise" is a good euphemism for "drill". Cults and command-and-control institutions have employed things like "buddy pushups" for centuries. It's pretty funny this startup thinks it's somehow innovative.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#66

Post by georgieporgie »

I'm horrified. This has very high potential to be harmful.

The defacto nerd position is seated and hunched. Developing the pectorals will only exacerbate this. If you want to engage in group exercise, find a routine which is more balanced, or at least balanced against what you do the rest of the day. Just do some calisthenics and stretch out those tight chests.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#67

Post by sliverstorm »

byrneseyeview wrote: post #43
stiff wrote: post #4

"team building" is like an arranged marriage - either you have a team or you don't, trying to force it doesn't yield any results and usually it's just an euphemism for being forced to do stupid things, most often to get drunk with everyone or "you are not being a team player". I would feel rather silly doing push-ups at work, especially at the command of my "team leader". Maybe people with more submissive personaliti…

Arranged marriages are remarkably successful. People are really good at falling in love given the right context clues. Similarly, team-building exercises can be stunningly effective. The military takes a couple months to make you willing to sacrifice your life for a group of what were recently strangers.

It would be interesting to compare the two. I imagine the foundations of affection in an arranged marriage that turns out well are based on different things than most marriages today.

If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say an "Us against the world, for better or worse, whether we like it or not". That's a classic foundation for strong relationships.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#68

Post by georgieporgie »

btam wrote: post #45
icegreentea wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially if you're sitting at a computer all day. Gotta strengthen that back to keep your shoulders from curling in too much. Then everything starts to go wrong =/

Would you please elaborate on this? Why are curled-in shoulders especially bad?

It leads to terrible neck problems, like the pinched nerve I have. It causes significant discomfort, then intense pain and, eventually, numbness in one or both arms. Recovery is on the order of several years (and counting).

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#69

Post by WalterBright »

Ronkdar wrote: post #2

Absolutely agreed with everything here. Additionally, push-ups help keep you awake. Nodding off? Drop and do 5. Gets the heart pumping again.

I like doing a brief mid-afternoon nap. It'll keep me productive well into the evening. Unfortunately, this is incompatible with the American work style.

Re: Why We Do Pushups

#70

Post by jrockway »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #31
jrockway wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not what "hostile work environment" means. Mandatory pushups are one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard of, but I assume you are not going to be fired if you don't do them. When everyone starts doing pushups, go out for a quick run, or something.

Depending on the situation, you could have a hostile work environment[0]. Take a guy who is over weight and weak, make him feel uncomfortable about not being "good enough" to do the push ups, add "good natured" ribbing from co-workers that goes on day after day and subtle "anti-team" vibe because the rest of the team is pushing up together. Likely? No. Possible? Yes. Something to watch for but not something to stress…

Intent is the key. Making you do pushups isn't intended to make you quit, it's intended to be fun. It's a dumb idea, but it's not hostile.
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