Push-ups can be done anywhere.
They offer numerous benefits such as increased strength, stability, and core strength.
They’re tough and are often done incorrectly.
Being able to do a full proper push up, requires proper training and strength development.
Here’s the exact training plan I use with all of my clients who want to be able to do a full push up.
The Basics
Push ups are a great exercise that can be done anywhere, anytime. They’re my go-to exercise whenever I’m traveling, short on time, or just want to add more of a challenge to any workout routine I’m doing.
Push ups work several muscle groups including your chest, triceps, shoulders, abs, and your upper leg muscles.
Along with building strength, they also provide additional benefits such as muscular endurance, stability, and weight loss.
The more muscle you have from doing push-ups, the more fat you burn and weight you lose.
Push ups may be considered old school exercises, but when it comes to success, old school is still the only school.
Common Goals
In all my years of working with clients, there’s three goals I’ve heard more often than any others:
1. Lose weight
2. Be able to do a full push up
3. Be able to do a full pull up
Being able to do a full push up is second only to losing weight. We’re talking hundreds of clients and this is the second most common goal I encounter. It’s wild.
The push up training plan I’ve created and am going to share with you has yielded a 100% success rate with all the clients I’ve had use this plan over the past decade. It’s safe to say this plan works. 🙂
The Perfect Push Up
There’s three things to be aware of and focus on when doing push-ups. These are:
1. Position
2. Range of motion
3. Breathing
Proper hand, torso, and feet placement are important to complete a full proper push up.
I don’t like seeing push ups that are done with improper range of motion. You may be able to bang out 20 of them, but if they’re done wrong without the proper range of motion, they’re ineffective.
You’re better off doing just a few with proper range of motion, than doing 20 completely wrong.
Quality, not quantity.
It’s important to do them correctly right from the beginning otherwise, it’ll take you more time and effort just to break the bad habits and form. Do them properly from the start.
There’s a tendency to hold your breath when doing push ups too as you’re exerting energy, working your muscles, and pushing through the push up. I see it all the time.
Remember to breath by inhaling as you’re coming down into a push up, and then exhale out as you push yourself up.
Six Weeks To A Full Push Up
Week One – Knee Push Ups
Perform 3 sets of 10 push ups daily.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Note: Chest must touch the ground with each repetition – (proper form starts 15 seconds into the video).
Week Two – Chest Press
Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions every other day using a weight that challenges you on the last 5 reps with each set.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Week Three – Incline Push Up
Perform 3 sets of 10 incline push ups daily.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Note: Chest must touch the bench with each repetition
Week Four – Chest Press with Dumbbells
Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions every other day using dumbbells that challenge you on the last 5 reps with each set.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Week Five – Low Push Ups
Using either a low platform or stairs, perform 3 sets 5 low push ups daily.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Note: Chest must touch the platform or stairs with each repetition
Week Six – Moment of Truth / Full Push Up
Perform 3 sets of 1 full push up daily.
(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it)
Note: Chest must touch the ground with each repetition (proper form is the first 15 seconds)
Keep in mind that you do not have to do all of the repetitions in a row.
If you’re able to, go for it! If not, break up the reps so that instead of doing 15 in a row, you do 8 reps, take a 10 second break, and then do the remaining 7 reps. Make sense?
Increasing Your Full Push Ups
In order to increase how many full push ups you can do, continue using Week Two (Chest Press) and Week Four (Chest Press with Dumbbells) to increase your strength.
You can eliminate Week One, Three, and Five going forward.
As you notice your strength increasing, begin increasing:
1. The weight you use for Chest Press (Week Two)
2. The weight you use for Chest Press with Dumbbells (Week Four)
3. Full push up repetitions from one, to two, to four, all the way until you can do ten.
Impossible Is Nothing
It may seem impossible to you right now, but I promise you it’s not.
I’ve seen an 100% success rate using this method with every single client I’ve worked with over the past decade whose goal was to be able to do a full push up.
Try it yourself, you won’t be disappointing.
6 weeks from now you’ll wish you would’ve started today.
Just think, you’ll be starting off the new year with a successful accomplishment already under your belt.
Talk about momentum – I can’t think of a better way to kick off a brand new year.
Start today, start right now.
You’ll be glad you did.
Thanks for sharing these useful tips! I really like how some exercises do require the gym and/or equipment, but the actual push-ups I can do anywhere. Thanks again!