If you’ve ever wondered if it was possible, it’s true; you can increase your pushups. In this video, I’m going to show you how to increase the number of pushups you can do right now by offering a simple progression of pushup variations to increase the difficulty and intensity of the exercise.
I’ve mentioned before that in order to get a bigger chest from doing pushups, you should avoid ineffective volume (i.e. doing 100 pushups a day). In fact, you should be increasing the difficulty and intensity of the pushup to create progressive overload, similar to adding weight to the bar. When should you progress to the next difficulty level? When you can perform 20-30 reps with relative ease.
For the beginner, knee pushups are the best place to start. The important thing, however, is to make sure that you are using proper form to make sure that not only increases the difficulty of this specific pushup variation, but also drives greater muscle growth. If you can do 30 repetitions of these, we move on to the next pushup exercise.
This would be the standard pushup. I find that most people that are serious about their training can bang out 30 or more reps with relative ease in a given pushup workout. The important thing to note here is that many people performing the standard pushup are shortchanging their reps by avoiding full lockout at the top of the rep. Making sure that the last two inches are taken into account, the exercise is more difficult itself.
The third pushup exercise in this progression would be the hand release pushup. This ensures that you are moving through full range of motion by making sure your chest completely touches the ground. The rotator cuff is also involved as a stabilizer of the exercise itself, which is an added benefit.
Next up is the pause push-up. This variation increases the amount of tension of at the bottom of the rep, which just so happens to be the most difficult portion of the exercise.
This more difficult exercise variation of the push up is the 1.5 rep push up. While this technically will increase the number of push ups you are doing in a given set, the intensity is much greater. This means that a new stimulus of the exercise will create further muscle growth, which is what your goal should be by performing push ups in the first place.
Continuing with the theme of tempo reps, we introduce the slow motion pushup. By lowering down for 5 seconds and returning to the top in a 5 second cadence, you are increasing the time under tension. Not only that, but this pushup allows for eccentric overload, which we know is one of the three main drivers of muscle growth. To grow your chest, this variation of the pushup is going to be great.
Once 30 reps of that exercise is achieved, it’s time to move onto the 3-point dynamic push-up. This can be achieved through the use of the prowler push-up, the spider-man push-up, step through push-up, or the cross knee push-up. By keeping just 3 points of contact on the ground, you are requiring the muscles involved to do more work.
Next, we introduce the wide arm push up. This version takes the triceps out of the equation, which means more load introduced on the chest. While the standard push up is a more “efficient” exercise, when it comes to muscle growth, we must seek out inefficiency. This means challenging your chest more in order to change it.
To make this move more dynamic, you’d be performing the archer pushup. This again takes the triceps out of the equation but increases the difficulty of wide-arm pushup by having to move laterally with each rep. Left-to-right and the opposite each equal one rep. That means when you can do 15 reps to each side, it is time to move on.
Finally, the most dynamic version of the push-up is a plyometric variation. This means creating an explosive movement off the ground to make the exercise as difficult as possible. 4 variations of this push-up would include a simple plyo push-up, a clapping push-up, an extreme version being the superman push-up, or even something athletic like the hannibal push-up. The point is to find the variation that challenges you to get to 30 reps.
Let me know which variation challenges you appropriately in the comments below.
If you’re looking for a complete workout and nutrition plan that will help you to not only get stronger with pushups and build a bigger chest but build a complete, athletic and ripped body – head to athleanx.com via the link below and check out the ATHLEAN-X training systems available.
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Chris Wright
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https://youtube.com/shorts/ahE_GLlfCP4?feature=share
Thank you for the video.
Seeing as you posted this at 2am Nepal time, there’s not much chance of me winning…
Props for recognizing that members of the military are expected to do silly numbers of pushups for the APFT. It’s ridiculous how much stronger I’ve gotten since I got out and have been able to develop a program that revolves around more than pushups and running.
@Sam W2 Dude. I did six years in the infantry. I know.
I enlisted almost 2 years ago and still haven’t done that ancient APFT. The ACFT is far better in my opinion.
@The J lol, that’s fair. I got medically retired in 2015. Still feels like I just got out.
@Bercilak og relax youve done your time
@Bercilak then why moan how you never got stronger my guy.
I remember when I was w the forces for a bit, i used to do pushups between bunk beds (left arm/leg on one bunk, rights on the other). Used to lower my chest to the level of the frame. What’s your thoughts on this
Might be really bad for some people’s shoulders, but if you’re fine now then hey!
@Malgys You may want to check out the Knees Over Toes Guy’s shoulder video clips.
As a skinny gun and knowing you were to, watching your videos gives me the motivation to keep on going, while getting more knowledged on a variety of factors its by far the most non bs channel and the results speak for themselves keep dojng what you do brother.
Why are there no diamond/close grip push ups on the list? Is that because those focus more on the triceps than on the chest? personally i do push ups for more than just chest gains since its a compound exercise, but also different push up variants* to target different areas of the chest, also noticed no incline or decline push ups. for me, i started with normal push ups and went on to doing diamond ones next and found them much more challenging, then started decline push ups too, now i do weighted push ups with a vest on, but will definitely be giving these other push ups variants a try, the hand release push up for sure!
Check out his 22 day pushup workout for more variety that has some variations that hit triceps and shoulders also.
@Giovanni Foulmouth any pain in your wrist ?
Heiii Jeff! I was just watching an old video about how you talk about the roots of strenght ( mobility stability and flexibility) and i wanted to ask you if you could make a video with exercises on how we can improve in those things! Really appreciate your videos man! Been following you for almost 6 years now and you have really helped me with my training! Keep doing the great work!
Jeff needs a lot more content in those subjects! Probably only releases 1 video every few months on flexibility/mobility/stability. I’ve had to go elsewhere for that content. 100% needs more of this!
Calisthenic Movement focusses a lot on those three things if you’re interested.
@Luke R. is the chanel called “calesthenic movement”?
@Ariodas Sure is friend! Here’s one to get you started: https://youtu.be/Ru1hYrwCZJo They’re good quality :)
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you!” well said. Thanks again Jeff!
time stamp?
6:53
https://youtube.com/shorts/ahE_GLlfCP4?feature=share
Jeff, we definitely need this as a series for calisthenics exercises!
https://youtube.com/shorts/ahE_GLlfCP4?feature=share
A series of him straight up copying and stealing thumbnails from Gravity Transformation
1) 30 Knee push ups
2) 30 normal push-ups
3) 30 hand release push ups
4) 30 pause push ups
5) 30 , 1 and 1/2 push ups
6) 30 slow mo push ups (5sec up 5 sec down)
7) 30 no ground contact push-ups
Jeff, as always thanks for the instructions. I am only fit again because of you, your awesome channel and athlean X. One question: could we do the same with deadlift? I have a back hernia, and would really like a way to not overload with weights my deadlift.
Been watching your videos for years but this is my first time commenting. Thank you so much for teaching me new ways to challenge myself, to say you inspire me is an understatement. You’ve really taught me to enjoy seeking areas out of my comfort zone with regards to my workouts. Really hope I can start to apply the same principles to other areas of my life. Again, thank you so much Jeff Cavalier and JESSI!!!
0:06 Love this guy, he’s honest, straight to the point. He doesn’t present any bull sh*t.
This is amazing. Very informative and constructive. Thanks for doing what you do, Jeff. Would love to see this become a series.
Would love to see a series like this with regards to squats and other calisthenics movements.
I didn’t even know I needed this. Moving from standard pushups to one and a half pushups, I can feel that tightness in my pecs again just 10 pushups in. Subbed!
01:54 Level 1: Knee Pushups
02:27 Level 2: (Classic) Pushups
02:56 Level 3: Hand Release Pushups
03:45 Level 4: Pause Pushups
04:15 Level 5: 1 1/2 Pushups
04:47 Level 6: Slow Motion Pushups
05:18 Level 7: Prowler / Spiderman / Step Through / Cross Knee Pushups
06:25 Level 8: Wide Arm Pushups
07:00 Level 9: Archer Pushups
07:30 Level 10: Plyo / Clapping Plyo / Superman Plyo / Hannibal Pushups
Tysm bro ❤️no homo lol
Thank you for sharing this great progressive overload method. Two questions: – Can you point to another video that shows how to reach to 30 consecutive pushups?; – If diamond pushups would be included, between which levels should they be inserted in the progression presented here?