In addition to my ultrasignup addiction, I also have a problem with various “challenges” that spring up from time to time. I’ve had varying results, from not much to pretty dramatic.

The most success I’ve had with any challenge was through “75 Hard.” An involved personal development program invented by entrepreneur and YouTube personality Andy Frisella. I won’t comment on his content here, but results don’t lie. On day 1, I was a doughy goof, and on day 75, I was a noticeably less doughy goof.

I’m currently, as of this writing, participating in another challenge involving Andy Frisella. The supplement superstore 8-week body transformation challenge is a contest with cash prizes! I kind of fell into this one. Like all cheap-asses I won’t turn down “free.” So when I was offered a free body scan and meal plan, I was in. This challenge has just started, so there are no results yet. The week one email is cool. There are recipes and workouts. It’s a fantastic marketing tool, for sure.

For a long time, I would pick any random 30-day fitness challenge off of pinterest. They’re really great, because they’re simple and quick. Results may vary. I picked up a great daily “lunges/squats” habit out of them.

I started doing the 100 pushups challenge because I saw more than one of my peers on garmin Connect doing it. I thought “100 pushups? So easy!” It is not. The program is great. Pushups are a wonderful exercise.

Several variations of plank challenges have come and gone. I’ve done a minute a day for 30 days. I’ve done up to 4 minutes. Planks are just fine and difficult, but it can’t be just planks. I need to sprinkle a crunch or burpee in there.

Team RWB had a couple of challenges last year that were the real deal. The 12 days of fitmas and the die-hard challenges over the holidays really tested me. The annual 1776 challenge is great, except they always put burpees in there.

So that’s most of the strength training I use. Mostly free online. Psychological trickery to fool yourself into doing the workout. I believe anything done consistently will produce results.