June 2026: The Push Up Challenge

From the 3rd to the 26th of June (24 days) Team Chánh Đạo took on The Push-Up Challenge 2026 to raise funds and awareness for mental health. 7 Huynh Trưởng (leaders) committed to completing 3,307 push ups each (138 push ups on average a day), with each push up honouring a life lost to suicide in 2024. 5 Ngành Thiếu (Adolescent members) joined the half challenge, completing 1,654 push ups each (69 push ups on average a day).

Collectively we did 26,046 push-ups! Together with the support from our generous donors, we raised an amazing total of $6000 for charities Lifeline, Headspace, and Push for Better Foundation, bettering mental health for all Australians. The Push-Up Challenge helped to share important mental health facts, assisted to lift the stigma revolving around mental health by encouraging both youth and adults to talk about mental health, build better connection and community, and boost mental and physical fitness.

Well done to our push-uppers: Son Ho, Jayde Ho, Cao Nhan Lam, Cao Vinh Lam, Joss Le, Tristan Le, Phukhang Nguyen, Lily Nguyen, Adam Nguyen, Caitlin Nguyen, Viet Nguyen, Thien Thanh Tran. Team fundraising page: https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/chanhdao

A few of team members share their thoughts about the experience:

Joss Lê (Thiếu Nam): Before we started the push up challenge I felt very motivated and passionate to support and spread awareness about mental health. During the event I had a lot of fun doing the physical activities and now that it’s over, I feel happy that I was able to play a role in the event. I have never done anything similar to the push up challenge (for at least I can recall). The reason I joined was because I saw the push up challenge as a way to support people who struggle with their mental health. There were lots of memorable moments primarily at GĐPT, when we got into push position to form the shapes ‘C’ and ‘Đ’.

Tristan Lê (Thiếu Nam): Before we started, I thought I was just going to just get the team a little start. Other than the Viet martial arts I go to, I haven’t really done any push ups elsewhere. The most challenging part was when to push. I had a lot of studies to focus on since I had a lot of CATs (Common Assessment Task) coming up. As I said before, I wanted to help a little. Some people say that, small things can make big changes. The highlight would be “The friends we made along the way.

Adam Nguyễn (Thiếu Nam): Before the challenge started, I was just curious about it. But at the end of it I felt very satisfied with the effort I put into the challenge. I have never done anything like this before. The most challenging part was overcoming the wrist pain I had throughout the challenge by doing alternative push up methods instead. I joined the Ngành Thiếu (NT) push up group out of pure curiosity. A highlight was when the NT group attempted to do a push up wave.

Jayde Hồ (Huynh Trưởng): When I first heard about The Push Up Challenge, it definitely seemed daunting. “Over 100 push ups a day for 3 whole weeks? I’ve never done 100 push ups in a day in my life!” But of course, when a physical challenge like this is for a meaningful cause, I’m usually hooked.

I saw the Push Up Challenge as an opportunity to challenge myself physically and mentally, by breaking down something hard into achievable tasks and just focussing on the present moment. Some days were particularly tough, when the daily target was over 200 push ups, or I had to catch up for previous days. What helps is having a support network/cheer squad and doing it as part of a team, not only to motivate each other and suffer together, but to find ways to have fun doing it. There are many parallels and benefits between the Push Up Challenge and maintaining positive mental wellbeing, and of course, Buddhism.

However, my strongest reason for participating was to make a positive difference, however small, in raising awareness and valuable funds for better mental health. Looking after our mental health is incredibly important, and funding for critical support services such as Lifeline (my chosen beneficiary) is vital to ensure that the help is there for those who need it, when they need it most. Participating in this challenge was also an opportunity to educate myself on how to help those around me. When friends or family have opened up to me about their struggles, I often find myself lacking the confidence in knowing what to do or questioning whether my words are actually helpful. Being there for the people around me is extremely important to me, and wanting to become a better support person served as extra motivation for getting involved.

Overall, The Push Up Challenge was a lot fun, constantly finding any opportunity to fit in push ups. 20 push ups in the bathroom after brushing your teeth, 30 push ups on the kitchen bench waiting for the microwave, 20 push ups in the ball pit at the kids play centre, 100 push ups when the kids are in bed… Of course, the best times were doing it with others – in the lounge room with my family, attempting fancy formations with my fellow Huynh Trưởng after our meeting, and more fancy formations and Mexican waves with Ngành Thiếu at sinh hoạt. The hardest part about this challenge was actually trying to get donations matched on Dollar Match Days (IYKYK)!

Thanh Trần (Huynh Trưởng): I decided to join the challenge to inspire the group that we all can do it and go through any challenges that comes at us. There are always support behind you. In addition, it’s to raise awareness about something that doesn’t get spoken about a lot. It’s okay to reach out and we will support each other.

Before the start of the challenge, I was not confident because it was such a big number. I can barely do 10 on my knee at that time so to complete 100+ on most days is a big challenge for me. But as it got closer, I was pumped and ready to smash it out as it’s for a good cause. I did a lot better than I thought for each day and completing the goals within the same day! Now that it’s over, I feel accomplished to achieve something huge. I have overcome a hurdle and can definitely do more than 10 in a row (on my knees). This is a fraction of what people go through with mental health. So, I’m glad I was able to reach my $500 goal to go towards Headspace to help those in need. This is my first time doing anything like this and proud to have accomplished it!!

The challenging part was not being able to wake up early enough to split the push ups during the day. I ended up cramming it with the support of my fiance who also did the challenge.

 

One of the highlights was doing push ups together at Chi Loan’s house with the Huynh Truong after our meeting. I hope you can see it in the video because there were a lot of laughter behind the scenes. Also, a colleague was doing the challenge so we did it together at work to support each other!

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The Push-Up Challenge 2026 Stats:

• 230,399 participants
• $13,180,190 raised (and counting)
• 334,094,167 push-ups
• Chánh Đạo ranked 103 of all the teams that participated