What is your maximum number of push ups? 20, 30, 50, or more? Perhaps you find yourself struggling to complete just five reps with questionable form.
When it comes to exercise, the push up is often considered the go-to movement. For many years, men have viewed the push up as a true test of strength and masculinity. It doesn’t get much simpler than dropping to the ground and starting to push.
Related: Effective Chest Workouts for Building Muscle Mass, Strength, and More
What is your maximum number of push ups? 20, 30, 50, or more? Perhaps you find yourself struggling to complete just five reps with questionable form.
When it comes to exercise, the push up is often considered the go-to movement. For many years, men have viewed the push up as a true test of strength and masculinity. It doesn’t get much simpler than dropping to the ground and starting to push.
Despite its historical significance, the push up has fluctuated in popularity within the fitness world. While the military and other services have utilized it in fitness testing, it has somewhat faded from the spotlight in muscle-building circles.
Whether you are a fan of functional fitness, a traditional fitness enthusiast, or simply looking to incorporate this classic exercise into your routine, the push up is a valuable addition to any workout plan.
From enhancing local muscular endurance to improving overall stamina, core strength, and stability, there are numerous benefits to including push ups in your routine.
As bodyweight training gains popularity, you may be interested in enhancing your push up skills. Alongside exercises like pull ups, dips, sit ups, muscle ups, and pistol squats, push ups assess real-world strength and stability, showcasing total body control.
Improving your reps, strength, and muscular endurance should be a primary focus in a bodyweight program and an essential component of any strength routine.
8-Week Push Up Power Program
Below is an eight-week program designed to boost your push up capabilities. Following a structured program will help you make progress on this classic yet effective muscle-building exercise.
During this program, reduce heavy presses and flys. Limit heavy bench presses and other compound movements for the time being. Additionally, avoid flys as they can strain the shoulder joints.
Since abdominal strength and stability are crucial for push ups, include plenty of core work in your routine. Weakness in this area can lead to improper form during push ups.
Throughout the program, ensure each rep is performed with proper form and technique. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, lower yourself until your chest touches the floor, and push back up while maintaining a straight spine and engaged core.
Weeks 1 and 2
Begin with a brief pre-test. Perform as many push ups with proper form without pausing at the top or bottom of the movement. Keep a record of your results.
This serves as your starting point. If you have recently trained your chest, shoulders, or triceps, ensure there is ample time between your pre-test and training sessions for accurate results.
- Set a high push up goal to start the program. Aim for approximately four times your pre-test max. For instance, if you achieved 20 reps, your new goal is 80 reps. Complete as many sets as needed to reach 80 total reps, even if the number of reps per set varies.
- Rest for one minute between sets in the first week. Reduce rest to 30 seconds in the second week. Work on decreasing the total number of sets required to reach your goal.
- Perform this routine at least twice a week.
- If you want to include additional training, incorporate exercises like bench press, close-grip bench press, shoulder press, front raises, and dips. Avoid using very heavy weights.
Weeks 3 and 4
By this point, you are likely performing numerous reps with minimal rest. Over the next two weeks, increase frequency, total reps, and reduce rest intervals to enhance muscular endurance and stamina.
- Increase training frequency to three times per week. As you become accustomed to more frequent training, don’t worry about it interfering with strength workouts.
- Further increase total reps to around 150% of your initial goal. For example, if your original goal was 20 reps, aim for 30 reps. Complete as many sets as necessary to reach this new target.
- Maintain rest periods of 30 seconds or less. Strive to minimize rest between sets to perform more reps per set.
- Focus on maintaining proper form and technique.
Weeks 5 and 6
During the following two weeks, continue to raise frequency, reps, and decrease rest time. As you reach higher rep ranges, experiment with different hand placements and angles to add variety.
- Increase training frequency to four times per week.
- Reduce rest time by 15 seconds between sets.
- Further increase total reps by 50% of your original goal. Using the previous example, aim for 40 reps.
- Try different hand placements and elbow angles, such as narrow, wide, elbows out, or elbows by your sides.
- Emphasize maintaining proper form. Avoid rushing through sets simply to increase reps.
Weeks 7 and 8
The final two weeks will present a significant challenge, especially if you are combining this program with your regular resistance training. Increase frequency, total reps, and reduce rest while incorporating new and demanding push up variations to intensify your workout.
- Boost training frequency to five times per week.
- Keep rest intervals to 15 seconds or less. Initially, rest for a few seconds in the early sets and gradually increase to around 15 seconds in later sets.
- Further increase total reps by 50% based on your initial goal. In the case of the example, aim for 60 reps.
- Continue to explore different hand placements and elbow angles.
- Include feet-elevated push ups and hands-elevated push ups in your routine.
- Maintain strict form throughout your workouts.
Post-Program Evaluation
Now it’s time for your post-test. Repeat the test in the same manner as your pre-test. You should notice a significant improvement in reps, overall strength, power, and shoulder stability.
After completing the eight-week program, enjoy the benefits of increased strength and enhanced push up performance. You can either maintain your progress or begin the program anew for a fresh challenge.
Try the Typewriter Push Up: A Challenging Variation of the Push Up.
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