Performing Push-Ups: 7 Tips to Increase Your Reps in 30 Days.

Performing push-ups all the way down requires strong pecs, shoulders, triceps, and even a strong core. The number of push-ups you can do is also used as a metric to measure your overall level of fitness and upper body strength in most fitness tests across multiple continents. Unfortunately, many people either struggle with push-ups or are stuck at a certain number of reps, even though they want to do more. In this article, we will explore seven effective strategies that can help you increase the number of push-ups you can perform in the next 30 days.

Table of Contents

1. Increase the Difficulty with Weighted Push-Ups

2. Incorporate Knee Push-Ups

3. Lift Weights to Increase Upper Body Strength

4. Train Your Push Strength More Often

5. Try Push-Up Variations

6. Strengthen Your Core

7. Increase Range of Motion

Increase the Difficulty with Weighted Push-Ups

One of the best things you can do to increase your push-up count is to increase the difficulty of regular push-ups by adding weight to the exercise. There are a couple of simple ways to achieve this. You can either add a plate directly onto your upper back or use a regular backpack packed with heavy objects. When performing reps with added weight, aim for a moderate rep count of 10 to 20 reps. The closer you can get to failure within this rep range while maintaining good form, the better. Focus on increasing the weight you can load onto your back rather than the number of reps.

Incorporate Knee Push-Ups

Knee push-ups are an excellent option regardless of whether you're a beginner or more advanced. If you struggle with regular bodyweight push-ups and can't perform 10 clean reps, knee push-ups provide a perfect way to progressively overload and get stronger. Start with the number of reps you can comfortably do, and then drop to your knees to complete the remaining reps. In subsequent workouts, aim to increase the number of reps before dropping to your knees. Even advanced individuals can use knee push-ups to hit true failure on their last set, transitioning from toe push-ups to knee push-ups.

Lift Weights to Increase Upper Body Strength

To increase your push-up count, it's crucial to work on increasing the amount of weight you can lift for your pressing and push exercises. Compound exercises like barbell bench press, dumbbell press, incline press, barbell military press, dumbbell overhead presses, and tricep extensions can all contribute to improving your push-ups. Don't limit yourself to just push-ups; focusing on upping your bench press weight, for example, can significantly enhance the strength of your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Developing overall upper body strength translates to better push-up performance.

Train Your Push Strength More Often

Training your push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) more frequently can help you increase your push-up count. While it's essential to allow for recovery between workouts, training these muscles two or three times a week can accelerate your progress. Combine weight training with push-up exercises in your workouts. Start with the most challenging exercises when you're fresh, such as heavy bench press, overhead press, dips, or weighted push-ups. As the workout progresses, gradually move into bodyweight exercises.

Try Push-Up Variations

To challenge yourself and increase your push-up count, incorporate push-up variations into your training routine. Push-up variations can either decrease stabilization or increase the load on your upper body by shifting your weight. For example, performing push-ups with your feet up on a platform shifts more weight to your upper body, making the exercise more challenging. Dive.

Push-Up Variations

1. Incline Push-Ups: Place your hands on an elevated surface, such as a bench or step, and perform push-ups. This variation decreases the load on your upper body, making it easier to perform more reps.

2. Decline Push-Ups: Place your feet on an elevated surface while keeping your hands on the ground. This variation shifts more weight onto your upper body, increasing the difficulty of the exercise.

3. Wide Push-Ups: Position your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. This variation targets your chest muscles more intensely and can help build strength for regular push-ups.

4. Diamond Push-Ups: Bring your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers. This variation emphasizes your triceps muscles and can improve your overall push-up performance.

5. Plyometric Push-Ups: Perform explosive push-ups that allow your hands to leave the ground at the top of the movement. Plyometric push-ups develop power and explosiveness in your upper body, which can help increase your push-up count.

6. One-Arm Push-Ups: This advanced variation involves performing push-ups with one hand while keeping the other hand behind your back. One-arm push-ups require significant upper body strength and stability.

7. Clap Push-Ups: After performing a regular push-up, explosively push yourself off the ground, clap your hands, and land with your hands back in the starting position. Clap push-ups improve upper body power and explosiveness.

Incorporating these push-up variations into your training routine can target different muscle groups and provide progressive overload, leading to increased strength and the ability to perform more push-ups.

Remember to start with variations that match your current strength level and gradually progress to more challenging variations as you get stronger. Additionally, it's important to maintain proper form and alignment throughout each variation to prevent injury and maximize the benefits.

By combining these variations with the other strategies mentioned earlier, such as weighted push-ups and strength training exercises, you can effectively increase your push-up count over time.

Certainly! Here are some additional tips and information to help you improve your push-up count:

Consistency is key: Like any exercise, consistency is crucial for progress. Make push-ups a regular part of your workout routine and aim to do them at least a few times a week.

Gradual progression: Gradually increase the difficulty of your push-ups over time. Start with an achievable number of reps and sets, and gradually increase the volume and intensity as your strength improves.

Proper form: Maintaining proper form is essential for maximizing the benefits of push-ups and reducing the risk of injury. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engage your core, and lower your chest until it's just above the ground, then push back up.

Breathing: Pay attention to your breathing during push-ups. Inhale as you lower yourself down, and exhale as you push back up. Focusing on your breath can help you maintain control and stability throughout the movement.

Rest and recovery: Allow your body adequate rest and recovery between push-up sessions. This allows your muscles to repair and grow stronger. If you're new to push-ups, it's normal to experience some muscle soreness, but give yourself enough time to recover before the next workout.

Full-body strength training: Incorporate other exercises that target the muscles involved in push-ups, such as chest presses, triceps dips, and shoulder exercises. Strengthening these muscles through compound movements can improve your overall push-up performance.

Weighted push-ups: Once you can comfortably perform a higher number of regular push-ups, you can consider adding weight to increase the challenge. This can be done by wearing a weighted vest or placing weight plates on your back.

Progressive overload: Continually challenge your muscles by increasing the workload. This can be achieved by adding more repetitions, sets, or difficulty to your push-up variations over time.

Variety: Incorporate a variety of push-up variations into your training routine, as mentioned earlier. This not only targets different muscle groups but also keeps your workouts interesting and prevents plateauing.

Adequate nutrition: Ensure you're providing your body with proper nutrition to support muscle growth and recovery. Consume a balanced diet with sufficient protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Remember that everyone progresses at their own pace, so be patient and consistent with your training. With time and dedication, you'll see improvements in your push-up count and overall strength.