How to Record Your Maximum Number of Push-Ups: A Simple Guide to Track Strength

Push-ups are one of the most fundamental and effective bodyweight exercises. They target multiple muscle groups, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, making them a great way to test upper body strength and endurance. Recording your maximum number of push-ups can give you insight into your fitness level, help you track progress, and set goals for improvement.

In this post, we’ll guide you through how to measure your maximum number of push-ups, explain why it’s a valuable fitness test, and share tips to increase your reps over time.

Why Testing Your Max Push-Ups is Important

Push-ups are a classic strength-building exercise, and they require no equipment, making them easy to perform anywhere. Recording your max number of push-ups offers several benefits:

• Assess Upper Body Strength: Push-ups are a key indicator of upper body muscle endurance and strength. Testing your max reps allows you to gauge where you stand and identify areas for improvement.
• Track Progress: Recording your max push-ups at regular intervals provides a measurable way to track strength gains over time.
• Set Goals: Knowing your current push-up max lets you set realistic goals, which can motivate you to improve your upper body strength.

How to Perform a Proper Push-Up

Before testing your max push-ups, it’s important to ensure you’re using the correct form. Proper technique not only maximizes the effectiveness of the exercise but also reduces the risk of injury.

Here’s how to perform a proper push-up:

1. Get into Position:
   • Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, your shoulders stacked above your wrists, and your feet hip-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels.
2. Engage Your Core:
   • Keep your core tight by pulling your belly button toward your spine. This will help stabilize your body and maintain proper alignment throughout the movement.
3. Lower Your Body:
   • Slowly lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle from your body (not flaring out too wide) and maintain a straight line from head to heel as you lower yourself.
   • Your chest should come close to or lightly touch the floor at the bottom of the movement.
4. Push Back Up:
   • Press through your palms to extend your arms and push your body back up to the starting position. Make sure your body stays in a straight line throughout the movement—avoid letting your hips sag or your lower back arch.
5. Repeat:
   • Once you’ve returned to the starting position, immediately lower yourself again for the next rep.

How to Measure Your Maximum Number of Push-Ups

To test your max push-ups, follow this step-by-step guide:

1. Warm-Up

As with any exercise test, it’s important to warm up before testing your max push-ups. Spend 5-10 minutes doing light cardio (such as jogging or jumping jacks) followed by dynamic stretches, especially focusing on your shoulders, chest, and arms. You could also perform a few sets of low-rep push-ups to prepare your muscles.

2. Get Into Position

Set yourself up in the proper push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, feet hip-width apart, and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Keep your core engaged and focus on maintaining good form.

3. Start Performing Push-Ups

Begin performing push-ups, maintaining proper form with each rep. Lower your chest to the ground and push back up to full extension for each repetition. Count every completed rep where your chest comes near the ground, and you fully extend your arms at the top.

4. Stop When You Can’t Maintain Proper Form

Continue doing push-ups until you can no longer maintain good form. If your hips begin to sag, your back arches, or you’re unable to lower your chest fully, it’s time to stop. Pushing past fatigue with bad form increases the risk of injury, so form is key.

5. Record Your Number

Once you’ve reached the point of muscular failure, record the total number of push-ups you performed. This is your maximum number of push-ups.

Interpreting Your Max Push-Up Score

Your max push-up score can give you an idea of your current upper body strength level. Once every 3 months on your Fit Forward checkin we’ll ask for your max number so you can track your progress over time and compare your number to benchmarks for your age group.

The key is to focus on improving your own max number rather than comparing yourself to others too much though.

Tips for Increasing Your Push-Up Max

If you want to increase the number of push-ups you can perform, here are some helpful strategies:

1. Practice Push-Ups Regularly

Consistency is key to building strength and endurance. Add push-ups to your regular workout routine, starting with multiple sets of a manageable number of reps. Gradually increase the number of push-ups per set as you improve.

2. Incorporate Push-Up Variations

To build overall upper body strength and improve your max push-up count, incorporate different push-up variations into your routine, such as:

• Wide push-ups: Place your hands wider than usual to target your chest muscles more.
• Close-grip push-ups: Place your hands closer together to focus on your triceps.
• Decline push-ups: Elevate your feet on a bench or step to make the exercise more challenging.

3. Strengthen Your Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Supplement push-up training with exercises that target the primary muscles used in the movement. Include bench presses, shoulder presses, and tricep dips to build strength in these areas and support push-up performance.

4. Improve Your Core Strength

A strong core helps stabilize your body during push-ups, preventing your hips from sagging or your lower back from arching. Incorporate planks, Russian twists, and leg raises to strengthen your core.

5. Use Eccentric Push-Ups

Eccentric push-ups (lowering your body slowly on the way down) can help build strength and muscle control. Focus on a slow, controlled descent for 3-5 seconds, then push back up at a normal pace.

How Often Should You Test Your Max Push-Ups?

You don’t need to test your max push-ups every week. Aim to re-test your max push-up count every 4-6 weeks to allow your muscles time to adapt and grow. In between tests, continue practicing push-ups and incorporating strength-building exercises. Fit Forward will ask for your max once every 3 months during checkin.

Final Thoughts

Testing your maximum number of push-ups is a simple and effective way to gauge your upper body strength and endurance. By focusing on proper form and consistency, you can gradually increase the number of push-ups you can perform. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, push-ups are a fantastic exercise to include in your fitness routine, and tracking your progress can motivate you to reach new goals.