Fitness influencer @bodybymark is hosting a pushup, plank competition in New York City

Influencer and fitness trainer Mark Langowski, known on social media as @bodybymark, held a pushup and plank competition in New York City this week, where he urged the public to get up and get moving.

To his nearly two million followers on Instagram, Langowski asks fit people to share their workout routines. He was able to meet many New Yorkers in good shape at his meeting in Washington Square Park, in collaboration with Oikos yogurt on May 12.

The male and female winners who achieved the most pushups or held the longest plank were awarded $500 each.

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Besides the prize money, the motivation was to get more people moving, Langowski shared during an interview with Fox News Digital.

“[It’s] a way to promote overall strength and resilience in New York City and across the country,” he said.

“We are doing a plank competition, a pushup competition together. We have a boy who just did 111 pushups. We are just moving people around.”

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Langowski said the characteristics of a great competitor include strength, humility and confidence.

“People who did a lot, didn’t say they would do a lot,” he said. “And there were other people who said they could do 150, and they did 70.”

Being a little humble helps make a good competitor, the coach added.

@BodybyMark films a man who won a pushup competition during a rally in Washington Square Park in New York City on May 12, 2026. (Kelly McGreal/Fox News Digital)

Push-ups and planks mark a “standard general basis” for measuring fitness levels, according to Langowski. Other basics include pull-ups, squats and endurance challenges, such as running a mile – the kind of basics included in elementary school fitness tests.

For those who haven’t mastered the basics but want to get in better shape, Langowski shared some advice on how to get started.

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“Get a coach or someone who knows how to improve you,” he advises. “A lot of people are like, ‘I can’t do a pushup, so I’m not going to do one.’ That’s not the way.”

Langowski recommends starting with pushups on your knees or a wall, then gradually progressing to regular pushups by moving on your toes and lowering yourself completely to the floor before moving back up.

The trainer recommends that you start with pushups on your knees or a wall, then gradually progress to standard pushups by going to your toes and lowering yourself completely to the floor before going back up. (Milan Markovic/iStock)

“You’ll be surprised after doing that for a few weeks, a few months, a few years — you’ll be able to do a lot more,” he said. “No one is born knowing how to do 111 pushups. They put in the work and start somewhere.”

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The trainer noted that in addition to exercise, it is equally important to give the body rest and support muscle growth with proper protein intake and a healthy diet overall.

But perhaps the most important step to getting in good shape, according to Langowski, is having the motivation to get started.

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“I know that’s easy for me to say – I’ve been fit and in great shape my whole life,” he said. “And I know a lot of people are sitting on the couch and they’re having regrets or they’re going through a tough time … You’ve got to get out there.”

The trainer noted that in addition to exercise, it is equally important to give the body rest and support muscle growth with proper protein intake and a healthy diet overall. (Stock)

The trainer suggested starting with a simple walk – even around the block – no gym equipment required.

“You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get in good shape,” he says. “Most of the people I stop on the street, they don’t have a gym membership at all. They do it in their living room.”

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“And that’s where you can do the exercises I mentioned — squats, lunges, pushups,” Langowski continued.

“So, I would encourage people to just start, but also find friends or find a coach, someone to support you and do it safely.”