November Fitness Challenge

Daily fitness challenge for the month of November focused on step-ups.

Daily Challenge

As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.

The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.

Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.

Anyone can find a few minutes to do something beneficial for themselves.

That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.

The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.

The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and optimize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.

Machine learning for humans.

Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training, with the physical benefits secondary to the mental skills developed.

Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.

Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.

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November Daily Challenge: 100 Step-Ups

Could you scale a steep mountain or building if your life depended on it?

Step-ups are an exceptional exercise for building the functional capacity to cover uneven terrain.

Step-ups enhance:

• Lower body strength and endurance

• Balance

• Coordination

• Asymmetric durability

• Core and lower back health

• Resilience

The goal this month is to improve your proficiency and efficiency in stepping up.

The unmodified challenge is to perform 100 step-ups on a 20” platform/box or higher.

Modifications to suit all levels are offered below.

Specific and essential technique is also outlined in both text and video.

Just a few minutes of daily work over the course of a month will cause multiple adaptations in your mind and body.

Stacked skill development opportunity for functional fitness and developing the skill that is resilience.

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Why Step-Ups?

We maintain physical balance through three critical principles: base, center of gravity, and posture. When one element becomes compromised, the other two must rapidly compensate to sustain performance and prevent falls.

Ground movement requires each leg to operate independently. We continuously shift weight, center of gravity, and posture in response to terrain. Navigating steps, rocks, and uneven surfaces demands asymmetric durability and strength.

Balance principles are crucial for fall prevention. An unexpected fall or acute injury can be life-threatening in various contexts, particularly when you’re far from immediate medical assistance.

Maintaining performance requires adhering to core balance principles, which encourage proper form and efficiency. The synergy between base, center of gravity, and posture enables effective weight distribution during movement.

Defining Balance Components

• Base: The secure points of contact with the ground. An optimal base is neither too narrow nor too wide—both extremes are vulnerable to destabilization under resistance.

• Center of Gravity: Determined by head position relative to hips and base. The more centered the head is within the base and weight distribution, the more balanced the body becomes.

• Posture: Spine alignment and weight management during static and dynamic states.

To maintain balance, especially for dynamic movements, synergy between these three components is ideal. The goal is to keep your center of gravity over your weighted base while maintaining posture.

Imbalance introduces additional exertion, compensation, and mental concentration, ultimately reducing physical and mental effectiveness. Consistently compromised balance increases undue bodily stress and injury risk.

Outdoor hiking remains one of the most comprehensive physical activities for improving health and functional performance. When outdoor training is impractical, step-ups offer an excellent alternative.

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Technique & Modifications

* Watch video for technical demonstration and discussion. The written steps can help add detail to the micro-movements and modifications as needed *

Step-Ups

Step-ups simply involve stepping up onto a platform with one foot followed by the other. Once you are standing upright on the platform, step back down with the same lead leg.

When stepping up, the head should slightly shift forward with the lead foot, encouraging weight distribution over the front foot—the primary lifting mechanism. When stepping down, the movement should be done in reverse where the head stays above the foot on the platform until the back leg establishes solid contact with the ground.

Keeping the head up, back straight, and core engaged throughout the workout is essential for good form. Ensure you alternate your lead leg every so often so each leg gets the same number of repetitions (ex. switch your lead leg every 10 reps).

Common mistakes include:

• Compromising posture while shifting head forward

• Generating momentum from the back leg when stepping up

• Shifting head backward when stepping down

These errors decrease performance efficiency and increase injury risk.

Key Technique Points:

• Let the lead leg do the primary work when stepping up

• Fully step onto the platform with both feet

• Lock out hips at the top position

• Keep weight over the platform and not your back leg when stepping down

• Maintain proper form over speed

If you can’t perform a movement slowly, you cannot execute it quickly.

Focus on building proper muscle patterns and form before increasing intensity.

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Progression Guide

For Beginners:

• Switch your lead leg every repetition

• Adjust platform height (ex. stool, ottoman, bench, the bottom stair)

• Perform a hand-assisted step-up when you support your weight with a sturdy object (ex. hands on platform or handrail on the stairs)

• Modify repetition count (ex. 20 total step-ups)

• Adjust total workout time (ex. step-ups for five minutes)

Assisted work causes necessary adaptations for skill adaptations too.

For Intermediate/Advanced:

If able to complete 100 step-ups onto a 20” platform or higher in less than seven minutes, enhanced modifications include:

• Increase platform height (ex. 24”, 30”, or 36”)

• Add weight (ex. weight vest, ruck sack, hold weight, barbell on shoulders)

• Increase repetition count (ex. 200 step-ups)

• Increase total workout time (ex. as many step-ups as possible in ten minutes)

Progressively reach a level of competency with the variations offered here. Once you become comfortable executing in a given way, expand the challenge.

As always, compete with yourself yesterday.

Progressive improvement is the goal.

Quality of movement is far more important than quantity of reps or time.

Use modifications to develop the adaptations needed to perform the variations safely with good form.

Show up and do your best.

Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.

Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.

This is self-care.

The primary purpose of an intentional challenge - training the skill that is resilience physically, mentally, and spiritually.

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Get Ready

I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one.

Track your reps and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and put out.

Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.

How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?

These are the days that matter most.

These are the days that change you.

These are the moments you see what you’re made of.

This is how resilient mental states are forged.

Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.

Deliberate discomfort daily can lead to improved comfort elsewhere forever.

By the end of November, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, your functional movement patterns, balance, coordination, asymmetric durability, trunk health, lower body strength and endurance, mental resilience, and all other associated benefits will be improved.

Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.

Self-care through self-challenge.

A few minutes a day can change your life.

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*Special Offer*

Join our community and earn a group call with other members at the end of the month to discuss progress and other opportunities for improvement:

• Complete the challenge for more than half the month.

• Bonus offer available for those who complete it every day.

In our community chat, we’ll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day’s challenge. Timing and modifications don’t matter—just show up and do your best.

To claim your special offer(s), share your story at the end of November:

Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.

Join our community, and let’s improve together.

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Disclaimer:

The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of the information in this publication.