96… 97… 98… 99… …
BOOM! Crashing to the floor like Superman on Kryptonite.
For weeks, I had prepared for this moment… So you can imagine the disappointment when I came up one rep short of the goal…
See, for whatever reason, I had always had the goal to do 100 push-ups in a row.
After failing miserably on my first attempt, doing just 71 push-ups straight, I knew I had some work to do.
I needed to start a workout routine that would strengthen my chest muscles and triceps so I could improve my upper body strength.
Now before I introduce you to the push-up training program I used to achieve my goal, you must understand something:
No matter where you are right now in the “push-up game,” you can use the insights found on this page to double or even triple your push-up totals.
Table of Contents:
My Journey to 100 Pushups in a Row
When I did those 71 straight push-ups, I had already been doing push-up training for quite some time.
But it wasn’t until I used the simple tactics in the program below that I started seeing progress and doing more push-ups very quickly.
And now, you can do the exact same thing and reach the goal of doing 100 push-ups in a row.
After doing those 71 straight push-ups, I devised a plan that would allow me to start doing more pushups on a weekly basis without burning out.
Let me ask you something…
Are you familiar with the phrase, “practice makes perfect?” Well, that is the approach that I took.
After spending time researching (and from personal experience), I knew that it wasn’t a big problem to do push-ups more than a few times per week.
More often than not, when people want to increase how many push-ups they can do, a big mistake they make is not doing them enough.
Push-ups aren’t what I call a “big” exercise like bench press, squats, deadlifts, etc.
You can add them a few times more per week to your normal workout routine without a problem.
Of course, you do want to make sure you listen to your body.
If you are overly sore or feel fatigued, it’s probably best to take a day or two to recover so that you can come back stronger and fresh.
As you will see below, we place in strategic rest days so that your body can recover, grow, and get stronger.
Going back to the story from the beginning…
There I was on the 99th rep for push-ups… It would be amazing to write this to you telling you that I pushed through and reached 100 reps on that second attempt…
Yet, on rep 100… My arms just gave out, as if they were saying, “Dennis, that is enough.”
You know the feeling right?
Although I was disappointed in not completing that final repetition, I went back and looked at the stats over the previous two weeks.
In all, I had increased my max pushups from 71 reps to 99 reps.
That’s 28 more reps. Not bad for just 2-weeks.
And it was just days later when I eventually able to achieve 100 push-ups in a row.
In fact, the final count on that third test was 104 straight.
So how on earth was I able to do this and how can you do the same?
The plan that you will find below is very straightforward and to the point.
And as we talked about earlier, “practice makes perfect” when trying to dominate pushups.
If you think you are ready to start dominating YOUR pushups, let’s dive in…
How You Can Get 100 Push-Ups In A Row?
Step One: Test Day
Of course, before starting, you will want to test your pushup strength so you can have a measuring stick when you retest 2-weeks from now.
All you need to do for this is do as many push-ups as possible with proper form.
That last part is VERY important.
You want to make sure that you maintain proper form throughout your total number of pushups.
If you feel that your form is slipping, then stop.
As I like to say, “It’s better to do 25 perfect form pushups than 50 sloppy pushups.”
In the long run, having good form for fewer reps will benefit you more.
So, how many pushups were you able to do?
Write that number down: _______________________. (For example purposes, we will use the number of 50 straight pushups.)
Once you have your pushup total, you will then move to step number two.
Step Two: Goal Number (how many push-ups do you want to do?)
Step two is where we are going to determine YOUR goal pushup number that you will be doing over the next 2-weeks.
What you will do is take your total number of pushups from step one and multiply that by five.
For example, since our example number is 50 straight pushups, our equation would look like this:
50 Pushups X 5 = 250 pushups
What was your number? Write it down: ____________________________.
Note: If your pushup total is over 50 repetitions in a row, your pushups will consist of doing 250-300 reps MAX for your workout routine.
For example, even if your max rep was 70 pushups on your test day, you will NOT be doing more than 300 reps for your workout.
Instead, you will do 250-300 in as few sets as possible (see step 3).
Step Three: Different Day, Different Technique
Now that you have your goal pushup number for the next two weeks, it’s time to go over how to use that number.
Over the next 2-weeks, you are going to cycle through three different kinds of days:
- Max Push
- Sporadic Push
- Rest
Let me explain what each day is:
Max Rep:
Max rep days are the days that you will be training to failure on each set.
*Your goal is simple: To complete all 250 pushups (or whatever your number is) in as few sets as possible.
In between sets, feel free to take a good rest so that you can recover and go hard on your remaining sets. An example of a Max Rep day would look like this:
Set 1: 50
Set 2: 44
Set 3: 38
Set 4: 36
Set 5: 30
Set 6: 30
Set 7: 22
So in this example, it took us 7 sets to get us to 250 pushups. Your goal would then be to beat those numbers the next time you did a Max Push day.
Remember, we are always looking for some kind of improvement.
Next up, we have our sporadic push days.
Sporadic Push:
Evenly spread out your pushups throughout the day to complete them. You are NOT training to failure.
You can call these days your “relaxed” pushup days. All you need to do is simply get your pushups done throughout the day.
For example, you could do 100 reps in the morning, 50 on your lunch break, and 100 when you get home.
You can do sets of 25 or 30 or whatever you want. Simply get all 250 done. Again, you are NOT training to failure on these days.
Rest Day:
Finally, we have our rest days. And I think you can guess what this will be.
Take this day to recover and let your body rest. Do not do any kind of upper body workouts on this rest day.
Now that we have covered the different days that you will be doing on this plan, let’s quickly cover how you are going to cycle them.
If you know anything about me, I like keeping things simple. That’s why all you will do is “rinse and repeat” with the three different days that we covered. This means:
Day 1: Max Rep
Day 2: Sporadic Push
Day 3: Rest
REPEAT
Pretty simple, right?
After day number 12 (which is a rest day), you will take another day rest on day 13 then take your pushup retest on day 14.
If you follow this simple format, you will be amazed at how easy it is to increase your pushup totals in just 2-weeks time.
Write Your Numbers In The Comments Section Below
For those who are serious, I recommend repeating three 2-week cycles so that you can really see how much improvement you can make.
Having the goal of doubling or tripling your pushups or doing 50 or 100 straight, is a great way to keep you focused and motivated in your workouts.
And what’s great about this plan is that you can add it to any workout program you are currently on.
No need to drop everything and just do this. In fact, I encourage you to add this to your current workouts.
Do yourself a favor and take your pushup test today, then post your numbers in the comments section below. Then in 2-weeks, come back and share with us all the progress you made.
Push-ups are an amazing exercise for your chest, shoulders, arms, and core. But you want to make sure you stay balanced.
Here are some very challenging bodyweight back exercises to help round out your routine.
Bonus Push Up Exercises For You to Try:
Frequently Asked Questions
What Will A 100 Push Ups A Day do?
Doing 100 push ups a day would improve your ability to perform pushing exercises as well as build strength, muscle, and mass in your chest, triceps, and shoulders.
Not only will you gain more strength and definition in those muscle groups, but you’ll be improving your overall pushing motion. This will allow you to move on to harder progressions of pushing exercises within calisthenics.
Are 100 Push Ups A Day Possible?
Yes, it is possible to do 100 push ups a day because it only takes a few minutes or so to do it however it takes practice, planning, and dedication to actually be able to do 100 push ups in a row, to begin with.
Should you do 100 pushups a day?
Whether you should do 100 push ups a day depends on your fitness level and how difficult it is for you to complete 100 push ups in a row.
You can also choose to do 100 push ups within multiple sets, which technically would still be 100 push ups a day.
In general, there is no problem with doing 100 push ups a day however it would be more beneficial to make sure you are working your full body so you don’t grow disproportionately.
How many calories do 100 pushups burn?
You will burn about 150 to 200 calories by doing 100 push-ups. The variables are your weight and how many sets it takes.
By doing 100 push ups in a row you will burn a lot more calories than if you break it up into fewer reps per set.
40 push-ups
I’m in my last year of high school at the moment. I want to go into the Air Force through the Air Force Academy ideally. I’m not very good at doing workouts at all, so I’ll try this.
Just yesterday we did a mile run, I was in second place in my AFJROTC wing with 10mins and 14secs.
I want to push harder and show my dedication by both shedding 2mins off of that and increasing my pushup count from 25 to 100.
I’m best at curl-ups, I can do 70 pretty fast
The next assessment of this is in a week from now though.
I won’t hurt myself, but I will try to reach this goal by then.
Is it bad to have uneven numbers?
I have a 7 on chest, but 1’s on biceps and back. I don’t look or feel muscularly uneven, but those seem pretty far apart on numbers and I have almost 0 chance of moving up my scores to 12 pull-ups. I’ve never gotten past 8 even with a marine captain coaching me. xD
Hi Todd,
You mentioned that even if your “number” is 70, you shouldn’t do more than 300 total push-ups on the Max days and Sporadic days. Can you please elaborate why not? Thanks in advance!
Hi todd, I’m luke, currently I’m having my self created training regime which consists of normal Pushups 10 reps 5 sets, diamond 10 reps 5 sets, wide pushups 10 reps 5 sets, bench dips 12 reps 5 sets and australian pull ups 12 sets 5 reps, i would like to finish all of these 5 sets faster but of course, time to time, i really need your help sir since I’m just a 17 who is new to join calisthenics. Thank you sir
Good afternoon, this program just looks amazing. Thank you for sharing it. I was wondering tough, is there a max rest time between sets during max reps days?
I am totally a beginner. Even can’t really do 5 in a row few weeks ago. But now I think I can do 15 consecutive push ups. I will try your method and wish me luck. Thanks a lot.
I could only do 38 pushups at first. Then, after half a year of repetition according to this amazing website, I can do 162 pushups total. This website states it will allow you to achieve 100 push ups in a row if you are disciplined. … Well it is wrong. It can help you do 150. 200. And the list goes on! Congrats to the author of this website.
Hello,
Currently on a good day I will do 60 plus push ups. Normally it’s around 50 or so. I want to do 200 one shot. I started to do 5 sets of 25 every 3 (sometimes 4) days. I would add 5 to the last and then to two lasts and so forth. I am currently at 5 x 35 but find the last two very challenging. Any thing I should change or tweak? I am also stalling at 12 pull ups. Any suggestions as how to increase that number?
Cheers,
Samantha M. G.
Tested yesterday and hit 50. Going to start now and see if I can double the number in two weeks. Stay tuned ?
How long should I rest between sets for the Max Rep day? My number on each subsequent set decreases a lot when I have been resting for about a minute and a half between sets, so should I be resting longer?
Thank you so much man, after two weeks of training with that program on top of my regular workout routine, I was able to go from barely 50 to 101 pushups in a row!!!!! I can’t thank you enough, this will help me greatly when I’ll have to do the tests to try out for the unit I want to join. So thanks again.
After the initial test, when do you start with day 1. The same day as your initial test. The next day or a couple days after?
Thanks. I really enjoyed the article.
I have been doing your program for a few weeks and am making some progress. My last “max push” day, with a “goal number” of 200, looked like this: 50, 17, 13, 13, 14, 12, 11, 12, 12, 11, 12, 12, 12. The entire workout of 13 sets, with 1 minute of rest in between, took me about 20 minutes to complete.
I’ve noticed that with only a minute rest between sets, my rep totals drop off dramatically after the first set because 1 minute is not a lot of recovery time. I’ve started to do some calculations about the road ahead, and the numbers are a bit concerning, so I’d like to make sure I understand your recommendations correctly.
Let’s say that several weeks from now I can do 90 pushups on my “max test” day. That would make my “goal number” 450. If on my “max push” day my sets look something like 90, 16, 15, 13, 13, 13, 12 . . ., that’s going to take me around 28 sets, all taken to failure, to hit my goal number of 450. If I assume an average of about 30 seconds a set, with a minute rest in between sets, that’s going take me about 42 minutes to complete the entire workout. That’s a very long workout, and a very high number of sets, especially since they are all taken to failure. Is that really what you’re recommending?
So on Max Rep and Sporadic Push days you can still do your current workouts but on the rest day absolutely no upper body training?
Hello,
I go to Army Special Forces Assessment & Selection in exactly a week, found this good program a little too late. If I want to dramatically increase my chest push ups (short notice finding out about that), could I do the program 2x a day or so? It never hurts to ask and I’m more than willing to put in the work!
Tried this approach recently. Initially did 52 push-ups. Took me 11 sets to get to 260. On the forth 3-day set was able to cut it to 8 sets. And after 2 weeks tested again at 75 push-ups. Ultimate goal is to do 100 with minimum effort. Probably need to get to 130 max first.
My only concern is overworking the same muscles/joints, and I’m thinking about modifying to various angles and widths after 4-6 weeks.
Val.
Already increased my max from 50 to 58 in just a few days. Looking forward to rockin’ 100 soon. Thanks!
So if we want to train arms and chest, how do we go about doing this push up method? I would love to do it, but i dont want it to interfere with not being able to train arms. Thanks
Hi Todd,
Great to have found this as my goal is to do 70 pushups on my 70th next May.
Currently, I can do 25 with good form, but I realise there’s a lot of work to do.
Really excited to read this programme as I feel my goal is achievable.
Thank you,
Lewis
The plan sounds simple and effective! I like the idea of cycling every 3 days the “max all out”, while having a “recovery day” (albeit quite tough sometimes) and a full rest day. I would only disagree slightly on the resting time on “max all out” days. Because you are going into failure each time, I think at least 3 minutes recovery would be best. I would say 3-5 min – or even more. Even though it’s not “heavy weight” work, you’re depleting the muscles completely and they will need time to recover. I would also add 3 suggestions:
(1) On your first day use your first set to set your “max” and then just continue as per “max all out” days. (In other words, don’t need a separate day to assess your current maximum.)
(2) Listen to your body and allow for 2 rest days when necessary – if helpful, plan to do the “max all out” TWICE every week.
(3) Add pulling work, including elastic bands rows and inverted rows, both on “recovery days” and even as a preparation / warm-up / activation on the harder days.
Royal Marines want 60 tricep push ups with a bleep test can do 40 on a good day how long do you think it will take to get that extra 20
i am a kid of 14 years last day we had a contest in school . i took 28 pushups and my chalenger took 30 after me , all my friends tease me as my chalenger was in 8 grade lower than mine i want to have my pride back . i asked my chalenger how many push ups were the max for him he told me that he would take 100 on each day i think he is boosting and think that his max is around 70 . i chalenged him to a rematch after month that is last week i chalenged him . would you help me take 100 pushups please.
Hi Rex,
Don’t think about people teasing you too much. It’s not worth it. For all we know, your 28 could’ve been done with better form than his 30. Anyway, if you want to get 100, going through this program will get you there. You just have to stick to it. Let me know if you have any questions.
– Todd
Hi Todd what do you do after 2 weeks? Test try your Max again and repeat the process with that new number?
41 today Goal to get to 100 in 4 weeks…
Hi Gabe, you can do it man. It’s no thing.
– Todd
I’ll start today! I let you guys know of my progress! My goal is 100 pushups without a break and I am currently doing 35 pushups without a break.
I will give it a try. My current max is 35 pushups. 35 x 5 = 175 pushups. Sporadic I am going to do 59 in the morning, middle, late of the day.
I’ll keep you all updated to see if this truly works! My goal is 100 pushups in under 2 minutes.
Great article! I worked out on a regular basis but I only lifted weights. I got bigger but I didn’t have the stamina that I have today. It seems that the more I do the more I want to be able to do. I don’t plan on beating any records except for the personal ones I set for myself. Being able to do several push-ups without passing out was my first success. I think, being able to do 100 push-ups without stopping takes me to a whole new level. Thanks a lot for sharing
Question-
When we test the max set, is it how many you can do before pausing? Or pausing as needed and just grinding on til failure?
Hi Geiffin,
The test is how many pushups you can do before having to pause. So if you can’t do any more pushups and you have to rest, that’s your number.
– Todd
35 strict push UP
I’ll be back in 2 weeks
45 strict push up 2 weeks later ( not enough sleep )
2mins of rest between each set of max pushups was pretty impossible for me. Probably took like 2-4 mins of rest before I continued my pushups. It’s pretty normal to feel fatigued to do anymore pushups when you’re doing it to the max. Will be trying out this system…
Hi Cyrus,
Agreed, max pushups is no joke. So rest as much as you you feel you need, just don’t over do it.
– Todd
I began this program 6 days ago so today is my rest day.
My starting push up count is 25, so push up days = 125 push ups.
The first max day was really tough, it’s been a long time! I got to 123 push ups and further attempts I just dropped to the floor. The sporadic day I got to 95 push ups – I was sick, as in throwing up sick that day.
The second max day I got to 119 push ups and my sporadic day I completed the 125.
Back to good health now, max day is tomorrow, looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Those are some good numbers, Pedro. Keep it up, man!
– Todd
All right, final two rounds of the three day cycle….I completed 125 PU’s in 12 sets total, taking 25 minutes.
On the final Day 1 of the cycle, I got it down to 9 sets and 21 minutes. Later that day, I felt a slight pain in my left anterior deltoid, definitely a nerve pinch of some sort. I booked a massage that afternoon and skipped the final “casual day” to rest.
I decided to make that day my rest day and added one more rest day to end the complete cycle. Shoulder was fine so I did my re-test day and hit 31 PU’s.
At first I was somewhat disappointed, then I considered my results the first few days:
-the improvement in overall time per max set.
-reduction in number of sets to complete the max days.
-getting to 125 PU’s after missing on the first two max days.
I’ll take the 24% increase as a solid win.
That is a solid win. Way to go!
– Todd
I do 56 pushups, the i rest almost 2 minutes and can only do 35 to failure, then 3rd set i only do like 22 and my chest muscles cramp up and my arme are killing me… Why 🙁 whats wrong with me?
Hello !
love this program, very simple :
I’m really glad you like it. Let me know if you have any questions about the program.
– Todd
i need to be able to do 100 in a row by friday under 2 mins also sit ups and a 2 mile run in like 10 mins i havent worked out in a while to much time studying for the asvab and have lost my ability to do well more then 15 im curently doing as many push ups as i can then rest for 10 sec then as many as i can and repeat till i get to 150 200 but is their a better way
Hi, I’m aiming to get 100 push ups by the end of 2 weeks and 300 by the end of 6 weeks. Should I use this same strategy for all 6 weeks? Also on max days, how many should I do in each set if my goal is 100 ( i can do 30 now )?
Have never had a proper work out session Im just really active but never sleep have decided that exserise would probly benifit me. I’m very slim and small I can only do 10 push ups but I could only so 5 the other day so improvment already so hopefully will b back in two weeks with 50 in a row then 100 in four weeks. I can’t imagine even doing 30 at this point 🙂
I started out with a max of 29 feet elevated(waist level) push ups,but by the end of this devil of a month I had a max of 85 reps,I am happy as hell,also my max bench before the surgery used to be 350 lbs,I tried it again and its an amazing 370 lbs,I mean what in the hell?I dont understand how I gained 20 lbs on previous bench max without any heavy benching for 3 months whatsoever,could be some thing related to synaptic facilitation,actually,when I did the push ups,I tried to clap the first as many reps I could manage,when the fatigue set in,it became regular push ups though.Now first 37 push ups are clap push ups and the rest are normal.I gotta say though,this routine was brutal,its hard to stick to it because of the difficulty,I mean 2 minutes break between sets thats some alpha shit right there.By the way,thank you very much for the program,it was truly helpful,I doubled my numbers and then some,gonna recommend it to pals that are getting chubby,2 heavy bench sessions a week followed by max push ups sets seems like a good idea.
Hi Todd,thanks man,something superb happened,I started my second max sporadic rest cycle with a max of 43 reps,right after 3 days of starting this plan.This is a really tough and effective program,which is also time efficient,loving it.
A question,some experts believe that having a great full planche or being able to do planche pushups for 8 reps makes you strong enough to be bench twice your bodyweight,while some experts disagree.Is this claim true and logical?Please give me your opinion.Thanks in advance.
So,my max was 40 in a row 6 weeks ago,right before the night of my gyno surgery(a quite unnecessary surgery,means I barely had any,and the recovery was supposed to be completed within 3 weeks),but after 6 weeks here I am with a max of 23 pushups.totally frustrating,hoping to get to 50-60 consecutive pushups by the end of this month,its quite similar to the stew smith’s pushup routine,which is highly effective,but I will give this a shot first,since it will allow me to go 4 weeks instead of just two.Lets see what happens,thnx for the program.
Hi Rick,
Sorry to hear about your surgery. Just keep moving forward incrementally and keep me posted on your progress! This is a solid plan.
Hi Todd,thanks man,something superb happened,I started my second max sporadic rest cycle with a max of 43 reps,right after 3 days of starting this plan.This is a really tough and effective program,which is also time efficient,loving it.
A question,some experts believe that having a great full planche or being able to do planche pushups for 8 reps makes you strong enough to be bench twice your bodyweight,while some experts disagree.Is this claim true and logical?Please give me your opinion.Thanks in advance.
OK, I’m new to all of this bodyweight stuff, but I really wanted to do this. So, I did test day, set my goals (not very high, I’m afraid, but that’s the point of this, right, to change all of that!) then I did my max push day. It was tough, but I got through it in 5 sets with < 1 minute rest in between. Today, I am SO sore. I tried to do a small set to start the day this morning (doing the sporadic push day) and was barely able to get through 5! I'm not talking about "it was REALLY hard, so I stopped," I mean, my muscles would NOT do it! Finally, I was able to do half of my total, but I had to drop to my knees to get that done! Help!!
Hi,
On the Max Push days. How long in between each set would you recommend to rest. I was resting for 1 min and it took ages to complete.
I agree with Ron.
On the Max Push days, how long in between each set would you recommend to rest?
I think it’s very important!
1 minute is perfect. Definitely no more than 2 minutes.
I like what I read…going to give this a try. Question…on “max push days”, is the last set to failure as well, even if it goes over the target amount? For example, let’s say I am able to do 40 perfect push-ups on test day. So the goal is 40X5=200. For argument sake, let’s say on set #6 I have completed 190 total push-ups. Do I only then do 10 more on set #7 and stop at 200, even though I didn’t reach failure? Or do I perform set #7 to failure which might have me exceed 200 push-ups? Thanks.
A few questions about “perfect” form. Currently, I can complete about 10-12 reps of military style pushups, but if I let my elbows come out to ~80 degrees I can get in the 20-30 range depending on how fresh I am. So my question is this: during a regular WO is it better to allow my elbows to drift out or keep them in tight and go to my knees (a lot of times I will lower from my toes, but come up on my knees to keep good form in my back) – which of these will improve my strength more/faster/safer?
Hi Rachel,
Great question. When you keep your elbows tucked in next to your body you are engaging more of your tricep. That’s why you are fatiguing faster when you do this. The tricep is a smaller muscle than the chest. If you are trying to do maximum push ups then let your elbows out a bit so you are in the right form. Watch the video again. The guy’s elbows are relatively close to his sides but not tucked up right against them. Hope this helps.
His elbows are way narrower than ~80 deg…more like 10 deg at the most (ultimately, narrow enough that I’d have to go to my knees on part way through the 2nd round/entire 3rd round). So again, not going for max reps, just for use in the regular flow of a WO to improve overall strength/skill better to keep in tight and go drop to knees to continue reps or allow my elbows to flare a bit? I will say ultimate long term goals include the ability to do some of the crazy advanced BW skills you’ve got on your sight.
Thanks for the quick reply.
You don’t have to drop on your knees. Just do less reps with the correct form. Instead of going to failure, try to do sub-max sets.
Focus more on your shoulders and less on the elbows. Do your shoulder drop forward when you flare out your elbows? They shouldn’t. Focus on keeping your shoulders close to your body through the whole movement (notice the form on the video).
Having your elbows close will help you with the one arm push ups.
Simple is the best. I like it. I’ll share this with clients thanks!
Awesome Richard!
Great plan, it makes lots of sense.
With all that pushing, do you suggest to compliment it with some pulling as well?
Hey Nick,
Absolutely. I’d recommend adding it to your current workout routine (hopefully that includes pulling exercises.)