How many push-ups do you need to do to be superhuman?
Ever wondered how many push ups you need to do to be considered above-average? How about elite? We’ve set you the ultimate challenge of hitting superhuman numbers – keep reading and take the Gravity challenge!
How many push ups can most people do?
Doing a full push up with good technique is a big challenge for a lot of people. But for the average person who already trains, here’s what’s considered “average”.
Men: 10-12 unbroken full push ups
Women: 5-8 unbroken full push ups
By “full push ups”, we mean starting in a plank position and lowering to the floor (elbows wide or elbows tucked in to the ribs) until the chest touches the floor, then pressing back up.
And please don’t read anything into the fact that we’ve said men can usually do more push ups than women can. Obviously we know full well that many women are stronger than many men. A woman who trains will be able to do more push ups than a man who doesn’t train. But we’re talking averages here – and trained men tend to have better upper body push strength than trained women.
Is it push ups or press ups?
Some people say push ups, some say press ups. They’re the same thing: start in a full plank position, bend at the elbows, and lower your chest to the floor with your body in a straight line. Push up immediately without resting your body on the floor.
How many push ups is elite level?
Those numbers are pretty good – especially if they really are done with impeccable form. But what we’re trying to work out here is how many push ups do you need to do to be elite, superhuman, wow-factor above average.
There’s no widely accepted answer to this. So we’re going to set the standard. Want to leave "average" in the dust? Here are your targets to turn heads in the gym:
Men: 35-40 unbroken full push ups
Women: 20-30 unbroken full push ups
How many push ups to be superhuman?
Want to go beyond that and go down in your gym’s history as that person who had mind blowing upper body strength? Try and hit these superhuman standards:
Men: 80-100 unbroken full push ups
Women: 50-70 unbroken full push ups
We haven’t pulled these numbers from thin air, by the way. Military fitness tests and often incorporated push ups in their benchmark standards, and top boxers like Tyson and Mayweather were rumoured to crank out huge sets of push ups as part of their training.
How to get better at push ups
If you can currently do a few push ups with good form and want to reach these superhuman standards, take the little-and-often approach to training. Push ups – like all bodyweight calisthenics exercises – can be done several times a week or even every day.
- Start with 3 sets of max reps, 3 times a week
- Rest 60-90 seconds between sets
- Each week, add 10% of your max number to each set push-ups to each set
- On non-push up days, stretch and do mobility work for the chest, delts, and upper back
How many push ups a day?
Is doing push ups every day good? It’s definitely doable, although we don’t think it’s the optimal way to get your max push up numbers to elite level. Unless you want to challenge yourself to a “push ups every day” challenge, we recommend doing push ups 3-4 times a week to build up your strength and endurance.
If you are doing push ups every day, be sure to balance out the chest and front delt work with plenty of upper back work and thoracic and shoulder mobility – try banded pull aparts, face pulls, and thread the needle stretches.
Try the Gravity Fitness push up challenges
Ready to take on our benchmark challenges? Try 1, 2, or all 3 of these – and be sure to tag us on socials if you post the evidence!
Race to 100
Set a clock and time how long it takes you to do 100 full push ups. Rest as needed but keep the clock ticking.
Top tip: break your push ups into sets (10 x 10, or 20 x 5) so you can keep moving.
5 minutes, no breaks
Set a 5-minute timer and see how many push ups you can do. But here’s the kicker – you’re not allowed to take a break. You can rest in the top (plank) position if you want to, but we don’t recommend it!
30 day push up ritual
On day 1, see how many unbroken push ups you can do. The next day, either hit the same number or add 1 more. Keep this up for 30 days. By the 30th day you might be doing your original max +30!
The Gravity Fitness team is excited to see how you get on – join our calisthenics coaches and athletes online to share the push up hype!
