This is Ground Control to Thunder John...

113,225 pushups completed

886,775 pushups to go

5,339 pushups ahead of schedule

Back on my way to Tokyo.  I’m writing this update en route to Japan, somewhere over Alaskan airspace.  More airplane pushups.  More puzzled looks from flight attendants. 

Not a bad selection of movies to choose from.  Just watched the movie “RED” with Bruce Willis et al. – it was better than I expected.  It came highly recommended by the 22 year old girl who cuts my hair / buzzes my head.  Now I’m watching “The Hurt Locker”.  So far not exactly a barrel of laughs.    Uh oh - Guy Pearce just bought the farm.  On deck:  “The Town” starring Gigli’s Ben Affleck. 

The pushups pace you may have noticed has quickened a bit.  The pushups are getting easier.  The hardest part of this whole exercise by far is tracking how many I’ve done on a given day.  It helps to have a pattern.  Usually it’s 3 sets of 25 before my shower, 50 before lunch, 50 after lunch, and that is 175 and only 100 to go until my quote is made.  At home after work it’s a breeze to get in 100 and then some.  I have been having some aches and pains.  I attribute it to the extra 5 lbs I have yet to lose from the holiday smorgasbord. 

Pilot just beckoned me up to the flight deck.  He asked me to take the stick so he could call his wife.  I said no way.  These good people paid money to have themselves flown by a professional.  I also don’t like the fact that it’s no longer called a cockpit.  

Speaking of wives, my wife Molly was eating shrimp at a baby shower and the subject of pushups came up.  She commented that she was worried that if I keep doing pushups, the muscular imbalance would cause my posture to curl forward and I'd look like a hybrid between Montgomery Burns and a cocktail shrimp.  Yeah, she's a keeper.  

 

Peace out,

Thunder John

"Bringin' the thunder, packin' the pain, loaded with pushups - makin' it rain"

The Day The Pushups Died: Jack LaLanne, RIP

January 24, 2011
 112,175 pushups completed
 887,825 pushups to go
 5,658 pushups ahead of schedule

Just a quick post to recognize the passing of Jack LaLanne, 96, fitness Guru.  Jack was the original pushups king and devised many feats of strength over the years.  Here are some of his best:  note the ages at which he accomplished some of these.  Just amazing:

Jack LaLanne Feats and Honors

1954 Age 40: Swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks… an undisputed world record.

1955 Age 41: Swam, handcuffed, from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.

1956 Age 42: Set a world record of 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes on “You Asked for It, a TV Show with Art Baker.

1957 Age 43: Swam the treacherous Golden Gate Channel, towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. This involved fighting the cold, swift ocean currents that made the 1 mile swim a 6 ½ mile test of strength and endurance.

1959 Age 45: Completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hours and 22minutes. “Happy” is born and The Jack LaLanne Show goes nationwide

1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1975 Age 61: Swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1976 Age 62: Commemorating the “Spirit of ‘76”, swam 1 mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed, shackled and towing 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.

1979 Age 65: Towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Lousiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.

1980 Age 66: Towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida filled with 77 people for over a mile in less than 1 hour.

1984 Age 70: Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 ½ miles.

Peace Out,
Thunder John

"Bringin' the thunder, packin' the pain, loaded with pushups - makin' it rain!"

"Well I can't remember if I cried -
his feats of strength were bona fide
he swam towing 70 boats against the tide.
The day... the pushups died."

Thunder John: Nothing Changes, New Year's Day

January 7, 2011

106,825 pushups completed
893,175 pushups to go
4,963 pushups ahead of schedule

Greetings Pushups Fans,

It has been some time since my last blog entry.  If you recall, yours truly was last seen on page 3 of the Glen Ellyn News in an exclusive full page interview.  I'll tell you what, that moved a lot of papers.  The logical question I've had to answer many times since publication is "how much did they pay you"?  The answer:  Nothing.  But consider this:  how much would it cost for me to take out a full page ad in the GE News announcing that Thunder John has arrived?  Considerably more than $0.00 I assure you. 

So next on the agenda is to capitalize on this phenomenon, strike while the iron is hot so to speak.  There's a sandwich named after me at the Carnegie Deli in Manhattan.  It's not on the menu, you have to ask for it "special".  And it's not called anything obvious like "Thunder John's Lean Beef", "TJ's BLT", "Thunderwurst" or "Thunder John Presents a Sandwich".  No, instead we decided to name it the "Reuben".  I know, hilarious name, but ask for it... it's delicious. 

Also, I am in negotiations with two charities - one local and one international.  We are going to set up a "pushup pledge" system where readers like yourself can pledge a certain amount per pushup each year.  For instance, if you'd pledged $0.0001 cents per pushup for 2010, you'd owe 105,000 * $0.0001 = $10.50.  I'd send out statements and you could pay at the end of the year.  We intend to have different levels of sponsorship such as "the pipsqueak", "Adlai Stevenson", "the Mighty Mouse", "Hulk Hogan", all the way up to Thunder John's "circle of honor".  Of course it will all be tax deductible.  Stay tuned, I'll have details forthcoming.  (This is not a joke). 

On a Personal Note, yesterday was my ten year wedding anniversary to Mrs. Thunder John.  A picture of her with my two daughters is below.  It's hard to believe.  The last ten years has felt more like ten minutes.... under water.  (I love that joke). 

Peace out,

Thunder John

"Bringin' the thunder, packin' the pain, loaded with pushups, makin' it rain"

Ain't they cute!!!