How to train the push-up
One movement, covered properly. Progressions for people who cannot do a single rep yet, the real road to a hundred in a row, what the standards actually are, and the recovery rules that decide whether any of it works.
14 guides · all free · no sign-up
- Training
How to Do 100 Push-Ups in a Row
The full week-by-week plan to reach 100 consecutive push-ups: the max test, the three starting tracks, rest days, re-tests, and what to do when you stall.
18 min read · updated
- Training
Push-Up Progression for Beginners: From Zero to Your First Rep
Can't do a single push-up? The beginner ladder from wall to floor, with the exact number of clean reps that earns you each next step down, and a weekly plan.
17 min read · updated
- Standards
How Many Push-Ups Should You Be Able to Do by Age?
Push-up norms by age and sex, from the published CSEP standards: the full tables, the test protocol they assume, and what your number actually means.
14 min read · updated
- Standards
Military Push-Up Standards by Branch
Army AFT hand-release push-up standards by age and sex, plus Navy PRT push-up scores, the Marine Corps pull-up trade-off, and the 2026 Air Force changes.
15 min read · updated
- Technique
Proper Push-Up Form: What Actually Counts as a Rep
Proper push-up form from hands to heels: depth, elbow angle, tempo, the five faults that ruin reps, and what a camera can actually verify about a rep.
16 min read · updated
- Anatomy
What Muscles Do Push-Ups Work?
Push-ups work the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps, with the core, serratus anterior and glutes stabilising, plus what they do not train.
17 min read · updated
- Training
Push-Up Variations Ranked From Easiest to Hardest
Push-up variations ranked easiest to hardest, from wall and incline to archer, pseudo-planche and one-arm, with the prerequisite for every single one.
16 min read · updated
- Training
How to Increase Your Push-Ups: The 2-for-2 Rule
The honest method for adding push-ups: the 2-for-2 progression rule, how to apply it without plates, and what breaks the plateaus at 10, 20, 30 and 50 reps.
13 min read · updated
- Training
100 Push-Ups a Day: What Actually Happens
100 push-ups a day improves fast for a month, then stalls. The honest week-by-week picture, why the early gains are neural, and the better alternative.
13 min read · updated
- Training
Should You Do Push-Ups Every Day?
Push-ups every day is fine at low intensity and a bad idea at maximal effort. How to tell which one you are doing, and how many days a week actually work.
12 min read · updated
- Training
Grease the groove for push-ups
Grease the groove for push-ups: sub-maximal sets many times a day, never to failure. How to pick your set number, schedule the day and run a block.
12 min read · updated
- Training
Do push-ups build muscle?
Push-ups build muscle when sets are taken close to failure and made progressively harder. What the research shows, and where push-ups genuinely fall short.
11 min read · updated
- Technique
How to count push-ups with your phone camera
Where to place your phone, what angle and lighting work, and how to fix a push-up counter that misses reps or double-counts. A practical setup guide.
13 min read · updated
- Technique
Wrist, elbow and shoulder pain during push-ups
Wrist, elbow, shoulder, back and neck pain during push-ups: the usual causes, what to change first, and the signs that mean you should see a clinician.
13 min read · updated