Most people try to get better at pushups by doing more pushups and grind through sets until their form falls apart, rest for a day, and repeat without seeing any results.
The problem isn’t effort. It’s the approach. A pushup is a skill, and like any skill, it improves when you practice it the right way. Random volume with bad form doesn’t build strength. It just reinforces bad patterns.
This guide gives you a smarter method. You’ll learn exactly which muscles power a pushup, why most people plateau, and a clear 4-level progression that takes you from zero reps to confident, strong pushups. There’s also a section on the hidden weaknesses that stop most people from improving, plus a troubleshooting guide so you know what to fix when things go wrong.
Why Most People Struggle to Improve at Pushups
The instinct is to push through. Do more. Go until failure. But that approach has a flaw: grinding tired reps with broken form teaches your body the wrong movement pattern. Every rep is practice, and bad reps practice bad mechanics.
The second problem is muscle imbalance. Most people don’t realize that the pushup is as much a triceps exercise as a chest exercise. Your triceps handle up to two-thirds of the load during each rep. If they’re weak, they give out first and your whole technique collapses. Weak core and inactive glutes cause the same problem, letting your hips sag and putting strain on your lower back.
The fix isn’t just doing more pushups. It’s training the muscles that make pushups possible, practicing the movement with proper form, and progressing at the right pace for your current strength.
What Muscles Do Pushups Work?
Understanding which muscles power a pushup tells you exactly what to train when pushups feel impossible.
| Muscle | Role in the Pushup |
| Chest (pectorals) | Main pushing force |
| Triceps | Extend elbows to complete the push |
| Front deltoids | Shoulder stability and push power |
| Core (abs, obliques) | Keep your body rigid and straight |
| Glutes | Prevent hips from sagging |
| Serratus anterior | Stabilize shoulder blades throughout |
The chest, triceps, and front deltoids do most of the pushing. Your core and glutes aren’t just along for the ride. They hold your body in a straight line so the primary movers can do their job. A weak link in any of these groups will limit your pushups.
How Many Pushups Can You Do Right Now?
Before you follow any progression, be honest about where you are. Starting too advanced leads to injury. Starting too easy wastes time.
| Level | Where You Are | What You Need |
| Level 1 | Can’t do one floor pushup yet | Build foundational strength first |
| Level 2 | Can do 1-5 reps | Build consistency and strength |
| Level 3 | Can do 6-15 reps | Add volume and break through plateaus |
| Level 4 | Can do 15+ reps | Progressive overload and variations |
Find your level and jump to that section in the progression below. Everything builds on what comes before it, so if you’re between two levels, start with the easier one.
What Is the Perfect Pushup Form?
Competitors either skip form entirely or bury it in anatomy jargon. Here’s what you actually need to know.
1. Elbows at 45 degrees, not flared out. Think arrows pointing back, not wings pointing sideways. This is the single most common mistake. Wide elbows put your shoulder in a weak, vulnerable position and reduce chest activation. Bring them in.
2. Hands slightly behind or directly under your shoulders. Too far forward kills shoulder stability. Grip the ground firmly and try to twist your hands slightly into the floor as if you’re trying to wrinkle it. Your muscles engage before you even start the rep.
3. Body in one straight line. Squeeze your glutes hard. Pull your belly button toward your spine. No sagging hips. No raised butt. Your body moves as one rigid unit from head to heels.
4. Head neutral. Look about 30cm in front of your hands, not straight down at the floor. This keeps your neck aligned with your spine and opens your chest.
5. Lower with control, push with intent. Take 2 to 3 seconds to lower down. No bouncing off the floor. No half reps. A full rep means your chest nearly touches the ground before you push back up.
What you should feel: your chest and triceps working, your core bracing hard, your glutes tight. If your lower back hurts, your core isn’t engaged. If only your arms burn, your elbows are probably too wide.
The 3 Weaknesses That Stop Pushup Progress
These three weaknesses explain why most people plateau. They’re not obvious from the outside, which is why so few people address them.
Weakness 1: Weak Triceps
Your triceps handle roughly two-thirds of the load in a pushup. When they give out before your chest, you lose the ability to lock out at the top. Your reps get shorter. Your form falls apart. Training the triceps directly is one of the fastest ways to add reps to your pushup. Tricep dips, close-grip presses, and tricep extensions all help.
Weakness 2: Disengaged Core
A soft core makes every rep harder and puts strain on your lower back. Your core isn’t just your abs. It’s everything between your shoulders and hips working together to keep your body rigid. Planks, dead bugs, and hollow body holds build this. They’re not optional extras. They’re directly responsible for pushup progress.
Weakness 3: Weak or Inactive Glutes
Your glutes stabilize your hips during pushups. When they’re weak or not firing, your hips sag, your lower back compensates, and your whole body fights the movement. A lot of people don’t feel their glutes engage during pushups at all, which tells you exactly what needs training. Glute bridges and single-leg glute bridges fix this fast.
How to Get Better at Pushups: The 4-Level Progression
This is the core of the guide. Follow the level that matches your starting point. Practice 3 to 4 times per week, not every day. Your muscles get stronger during recovery, not during the workout.
Level 1: Building the Foundation (Can’t Do One Yet)
Wall pushups and incline pushups are your starting point. They train the exact same movement pattern as a floor pushup, just at a lower load. They’re not easier exercises. They’re the same skill with less bodyweight to move.
Wall Pushups: Stand about arm’s length from a wall. Place your hands at shoulder height and width. Lower your chest toward the wall, keeping elbows at 45 degrees. Push back to start. Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps. When this feels easy, move to incline pushups.
Incline Pushups: Use a sturdy counter, desk, or chair. The lower the surface, the harder the exercise. Work from counter height down to chair height over several weeks. Do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Supplementary exercises to do alongside:
- Plank holds: 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds
- Glute bridges: 3 sets of 15 reps
- Tricep dips on a chair: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks before moving to Level 2.
Level 2: First Floor Pushups (1 to 5 Reps)
You have the movement pattern. Now build strength. The most effective tool at this stage is the negative pushup.
Negative Pushups: Start at the top of a pushup position and lower yourself as slowly as possible, aiming for 4 to 6 seconds. Don’t worry about pushing back up yet. Stand up, reset, and go again. Research on eccentric training shows the lowering phase causes the greatest muscle stimulus, making negatives one of the fastest ways to build pushing strength. Do 5 sets of 3 to 5 slow negatives at the start of every session.
Floor Pushup Practice: Do 5 sets of max reps, stopping before your form breaks down. Even 1 or 2 perfect reps count. Finish each session with incline pushups to top up volume.
Supplementary exercises:
- Tricep dips: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Plank holds: 3 sets of 30 to 45 seconds
- Dead bugs: 3 sets of 8 reps per side
Timeline: 3 to 5 weeks with 3x per week practice to reach 5 solid floor pushups.
Level 3: Building Consistency (6 to 15 Reps)
This is where most people plateau. They can do a few pushups but can’t break past 10 or 12. The problem is grinding max-rep sets every session. Your body adapts to that stimulus quickly. You need new approaches.
Grease the Groove: Do small sets, about 40 to 50 percent of your max, frequently throughout the day. If your max is 10, do sets of 4 or 5 every hour or two. This builds strength through practice without fatiguing your muscles. It sounds almost too simple. It works.
Pyramid Sets: Do 1 rep, rest 10 seconds, 2 reps, rest 20 seconds, 3 reps, rest 30 seconds. Climb as high as you can. Rest 2 minutes and work back down. This builds volume while managing fatigue.
Rest-Pause Sets: Do max reps, rest 10 to 15 seconds, push out 2 or 3 more, rest again, squeeze out 1 or 2 more. One set becomes three mini-sets and your total volume jumps.
Supplementary exercises:
- Diamond pushups: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- Decline pushups with feet elevated: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Dumbbell chest press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Timeline: 4 to 6 weeks to consistently exceed 15 reps with good form.
Level 4: Advanced Training (15+ Reps)
Standard floor pushups no longer provide enough challenge. Your body has adapted. You need to increase difficulty.
Add Load: A weighted vest or a plate on your back turns a bodyweight exercise into a loaded one. Start light and increase gradually.
Slow Tempo Training: Take 5 seconds to lower, pause for 2 seconds at the bottom, then press up over 3 seconds. Eight slow reps are more demanding than 20 regular reps. This builds serious strength and control.
Decline Pushups: Elevate your feet on a box or bench. This shifts more load to your upper chest and front deltoids and makes the movement significantly harder.
Archer Pushups: As you lower, shift your weight toward one arm while the other extends sideways. This loads one side at a time and builds toward the one-arm pushup.
How Often Should You Practice Pushups?
Practice 3 to 4 times per week. More than that and your muscles don’t have adequate time to recover and grow stronger. The pushup is a strength exercise. Treat it like one.
The biggest mistake people make is doing max reps every session. Your muscles repair and get stronger during rest, not during the workout. Hitting failure every day keeps you exhausted without getting stronger.
| Day | Session |
| Monday | Pushup practice + supplementary exercises |
| Tuesday | Rest or other training (no pushups) |
| Wednesday | Pushup practice + supplementary exercises |
| Thursday | Rest or other training |
| Friday | Pushup practice + supplementary exercises |
| Saturday | Optional light practice at 50% effort |
| Sunday | Full rest |
How to Add Pushup Practice to Your Existing Workouts
You don’t need to overhaul your schedule. Three simple options work for most people.
Option 1: Mini-Sessions. Do your pushup practice at the start of your workout when you’re fresh. Ten minutes of focused work before a class or a cardio session won’t impact your other training.
Option 2: Pair Pushups With Pulling Exercises. Every push needs a pull for shoulder health and balance. Pair pushup training with dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns, or resistance band rows. This prevents the shoulder overuse injuries that come from one-sided pressing.
Option 3: Follow a Structured Program. Random practice beats doing nothing, but a structured program beats random practice. Perspire.tv strength classes include pushups and chest exercises in guided formats with proper warm-ups, progressions, and cool-downs built in. Following a program removes the guesswork.
Common Pushup Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Use this section to troubleshoot when something feels off.
- Hips sagging: Your core and glutes aren’t engaged. Reset before each rep and squeeze everything tight.
- Elbows flaring wide: Bring them to 45 degrees. This is harder at first but builds strength much faster.
- Only going halfway down: Half reps build half the strength. Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor.
- Holding your breath: Breathe in as you lower, breathe out as you push. Holding breath reduces core stability.
- Rushing reps: Slow and controlled builds muscle better than fast and bouncy at this stage.
- Looking straight down: Keep your eyes looking slightly forward. Your neck stays neutral, not cranked down.
- Skipping supplementary work: Weak triceps, soft core, and inactive glutes don’t fix themselves. The supplementary exercises in this guide matter.
How Long Until You Can Do More Pushups?
Weeks 1 to 2: Form improves and your nervous system learns the pattern. You might not add reps yet, but pushups will feel more controlled.
Weeks 3 to 4: Noticeable strength gains. Most people add 3 to 5 reps during this phase.
Weeks 6 to 8: Visible progress. Those who started at zero are doing floor pushups. Those who started at 5 are approaching 15.
Month 3 and beyond: 20 to 30 reps with solid form is achievable for most people within 3 months of consistent practice.
Training frequency research confirms that practicing 2 to 3 times per week produces better strength gains than training once per week, as long as total volume is adequate. Consistency matters more than intensity.
FAQs
How long does it take to get better at pushups?
Most people see noticeable improvement within 3 to 4 weeks of consistent practice 3 to 4 times per week. Reaching 20 or more reps from zero takes around 3 months for most people.
Should I do pushups every day?
No. Your muscles need recovery time to grow stronger. Three to 4 sessions per week produces better results than daily training because your body can actually repair and rebuild between sessions.
Why can’t I do a single pushup?
Usually a combination of weak triceps, underdeveloped chest, and an unsupported core. Start with wall pushups and incline pushups, do the supplementary exercises for 3 to 4 weeks, and a floor pushup will come.
Do knee pushups help?
Knee pushups are useful for one thing: practicing keeping your elbows at 45 degrees. As a strength builder, incline pushups are far more effective because they let you engage your glutes and core the same way a real pushup does.
How many pushups should I do per session?
At Level 1 and 2: quality over quantity, 15 to 25 total reps with good form across all sets. At Level 3: 30 to 50 total reps using methods like Grease the Groove or pyramid sets. At Level 4: fewer reps per set but higher resistance or difficulty.
Why do my wrists hurt during pushups?
Usually from poor wrist positioning or weak wrists. Try rotating your hands slightly outward, about 15 degrees, and actively pressing the heel of your hand into the floor. Building wrist strength with holds and grip exercises helps too.
Will pushups build muscle or just endurance?
Both. In the early stages, pushups build real muscle in your chest, triceps, and shoulders. As you advance past 20 reps per set, they shift toward muscular endurance. Adding load through a weighted vest, decline angle, or slow tempo keeps them in the muscle-building range.
What’s the fastest way to improve pushups?
Negative pushups combined with Grease the Groove. Slow negatives build raw strength fast. Frequent practice throughout the day without fatiguing your muscles accelerates the skill acquisition. Add the supplementary tricep and core work and most people see significant gains within 4 weeks.
Final Thoughts
The pushup is a skill. You get better at it by practicing it well, not by grinding poor reps until exhaustion. Fix your form first. Train the muscles that make pushups possible. Follow a progression that matches your current strength.
Three to 4 sessions per week, consistent supplementary work, and patience get you further than any amount of random effort.
For structured classes that include pushup-based strength training with expert guidance, sign up for Perspire.tv. You’ll find strength, HIIT, and bodyweight workouts designed for all fitness levels. Explore the class library and start training with a program that actually builds results.