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Ask any jacked gorilla at the gym, and I’d be willing to bet the majority of them would tell you that you can’t build muscle with pushups.
And while I’ll agree that you’re not going to see epic results by hammering a quick set of pushups and calling it a day. You’d be surprised at how much potential there is for muscle growth if you’re willing to think outside the box.
See, most of the time, people tend to go about pushups all wrong.
There’ll maybe do 50 or so pushups with sh*tty form a couple of times a week and then throw a mini tantrum when their chest doesn’t look like Hercules.
But here’s the thing…
Building muscle takes time and consistency.
And it doesn’t matter if that time is spent hitting the bench press or repping out pushups until your eyeballs bleed.
If you’re not prepared to dig deep and work your ass off. Then you’re not going to see the results you want.
However, if you follow some of the ideas I’m about to reveal in this long and detailed post. I guarantee you’ll be able to add slabs of rock-solid muscle to your frame in record time.
So grab a pen and start taking notes because today is a day for learning…
Oh, and just a quick FYI…
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Just to give you a little insight, Bar Brothers is a hardcore, 12-week transformation program that’ll get you in the best shape of your life. Using nothing but a bar, your bodyweight, and the iron will of a spartan warrior.
So if you’re struggling to build muscle and want to try something that gets results…
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Table of Contents
How To Build Muscle With Pushups
So to give you a little knowledge, muscle growth occurs when you successfully activate the type 2 (fast-twitch) muscle fibers.
And these type 2 muscle fibers are only activated when the muscle being worked is put under a great deal of stress.
Basically, to build muscle with pushups, you need to put the muscle under more stress than it’s used to handling. As this is what’s ultimately going to force your body to adapt to the new training stimulus you’re giving it.
With me so far?
Now, there are two ways you can activate your type 2 muscle fibers…
Failure Training
The first way is to simply train to failure. Just keep repping out pushups until you’ve completely exhausted the muscle and the body as forced to adapt.
However, the problem with this approach is that it takes a lot longer to reach muscle failure. And because of the number of reps you’re performing, it can sometimes lead to a breakdown in form and cause unnecessary strain on the joints.
Hypertrophy Training
Now, the second way to build muscle with pushups is to use a traditional approach and impliment heavy training in the 6-12 rep range (hypertrophy training).
As you’re probably aware, this is a standard protocol among bodybuilders and such. And the reason it works so well is that it creates almost instant stress to the working muscle, which forces the body to respond.
This, in turn, is what quickly fires up the type two muscle fibers needed to promote muscle growth.
To be honest, this is usually the ‘go-to approach’ when building muscle because it’s very easy to impliment.
You just lift heavy, stay consistent, and your muscles will ultimately grow and adapt, right?
However, the problem when it comes to pushups is that staying within the 6-12 rep range becomes way too easy once you’ve built up a base level of strength.
Which presents a problem…
How exactly do you continue to stress the muscle in the 6-12 rep range promote muscle growth?
Two ways…
Progressive Pushups
The first way would be to start practicing harder pushup variations in the form of progressive calisthenics.
Things like decline pushups, uneven pushups, and even one arm pushups are all surefire ways to continue to challenge the working muscle and get stronger.
Weighted Pushups
The second way would be to utilize weighted pushups by throwing on a weighted vest, backpack, or anything else that you can load your body up with.
Now, what you decide to impliment is going to depend a lot on your training goals.
For instance, if you’re hell-bent on building size and strength, then weighted pushups would be ideal because there isn’t really any limit on how much weight you can add to your frame.
However, if weighted pushups aren’t really your thing, then progressive pushup variations are also an option. If you wanted, you could even mix them up with high rep failure training to really kick things up a level.
I think the take-home message here is that there isn’t really a one size fits all approach to building muscle with pushups.
Because the results you get are ultimately going to depend on several factors such as…
- You body type (ectomorph, mesomorph, or endomorph)
- Workout intensity
- Training frequency
- Overall training volume
- Other things I probably haven’t thought of yet
So just to quickly recap, here are your options when it comes to building muscle with pushups…
High Rep Pushups:
Advantages…
- Easy to impliment.
- Great for muscular endurance and helping to build lean muscle.
Disadvantages…
- Must be done to failure to activate type 2 muscle fibers.
- Takes longer and can sometimes lead to form breakdown and joint stress.
- Not ideal for skinny guys (ectomorphs) looking to build size.
Weighted Pushups:
Advantages…
- Activates the fast-twitch muscle fibers a lot faster (fast-twitch are what is needed for muscle growth)
- Great for building size and strength.
- Strengthens the core stabilizer muscles.
Disadvantages…
- Need additional equipment (weighted vest etc..) to keep progressing.
- Also very taxing on the CNS (central nervous system) and requires more recovery time.
Pushup Progressions:
Advantages…
- No additional equipment needed.
- Great for learning new calisthenics skills and working the body as a unit.
Disadvantages…
- Not as effective as weighted pushups for building size.
- Some progressions are difficult to master.
So Which Is Better For Building Muscle?
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve found that low rep pushups tend to reign supreme here. Because again, it quickly creates more stress on the muscle which then fires up the type 2 fast-twitch muscle fibers needed for muscle growth.
Having said that, high rep workouts have their advantages when it comes to building muscle aswell. So you should still aim to make them a regular part of your workouts.
So here’s what I’d recommend…
Start by finding a happy medium approach by implementing high and low reps into your workout and seeing what happens.
If you’re a natural ectomorph (skinny guy). I’d prioritize weighted pushups over everything else and maybe add one or two high rep finishers into your routine for good measure.
Again, your results will depend on multiple factors, and you should constantly be testing and tweaking things to see what works best for you.
3 Proven Workouts To Help Your Build Muscle With Pushups
Now, before I wrap things up, I think it’s only fair to share with you a few of my own workouts that I personally use.
So without wasting any more of your time, here they are…
Weighted Pushup Workout
Now, this is a weighted pushup workout that I like to impliment regularly.
It’s basically a 6×6 workout where I perform 6 sets of 6 reps with 45-seconds rest between sets.
Here’s what it looks like…
- Weighted Pushups (6 reps)
- Rest 45 Seconds
Repeat 6 times for a total of 36 reps.
The idea behind this workout is that you don’t load the exercise up with too much weight.
Ideally, you’ll want to add enough weight where you’re capable of performing 10 reps on your first set.
Now, the first one or two sets might seem relatively easy. But because the rest periods are so short, it becomes increasingly challenging as you continue to work through each set.
Anyway…
The reason this particular routine works so well is that there’s more than enough volume to stimulate muscle growth.
And because of the work to rest ratios, it keeps the intensity high and your heart rate elevated. Which is perfect for torching loads of unwanted body fat.
Progressive Pushup Workout
When it comes to progressive pushups, there are literally hundreds of combinations you can apply to maximize your results.
But because time is of the essence, I’m going to share one of my favorites that help me a lot when I was training to perform my first one-arm pushup.
Basically, it’s an uneven pushup workout where you perform pushups with more of your bodyweight over one specific arm.
Here’s what it looks like for clarification… (see image)
So what you’re going to do here is start by shifting maybe 80-90% of your bodyweight over one arm and repping out until you get one or two reps short of muscle failure.
Then what you’re going to do is immediately switch sides and perform the same number of reps on the opposite arm.
After that, rest 30 seconds and repeat the entire process for 4-5 sets.
Here’s what the whole thing looks like…
- Uneven pushup (right side dominant)
- Uneven pushup (left side dominant)
- Rest 30 seconds
Repeat for 4-5 sets.
Now, you’ll probably notice that as you work your way through each set that your arms start to fatigue pretty quickly.
This is completely fine, but if you’re struggling a little too much. Then I’d recommend slightly regressing the exercise, so you’re placing around 60-70% of your bodyweight over one arm and working your way up from there.
High Rep Pushup Finisher
Last up is a high rep finisher I like to use occasionally at the end of my workouts.
It’s a Tabata pushup workout that involves a lot of pushups in a very short space of time.
Here’s how to do it…
- Wide pushups (20 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Close-grip pushups (20 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
Repeat 4 more times for a total of 4 minutes (8 rounds total)
Now, even though this workout is only 4 minutes long, it’s really gonna test your muscular endurance and work capacity to the limit.
To maintain focus, I personally like to set myself a specific number of reps for each round and try to hit this number for the entire duration of the workout.
So, for instance, if my goal was to perform, let’s say, 15 pushups per round, then I’d stop every time I hit this target.
And even though the first few rounds are fairly easy, by the time I hit rounds five and six. It really starts to take its toll, and I usually end up performing the last 1-2 sets on my knees.
I think the important thing to remember here is that you push yourself hard and try to do better every time you attempt it.
Taking Your Pushup Workout To The Next Level
So there you have it, a bulletproof, no-nonsense way to build muscle with pushups.
And I guarantee that if you follow the advice above, work hard, and stay consistent. Then you’ll be well on your way to becoming the ultimate pushup warrior before you know it.
Now, even though the above workouts are great, the truth is that they’re only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to building muscle fast.
And when it comes right down to it, there are a few very specific things you can do to take your muscle-building efforts to the next level and beyond.
So if you want to learn how to build muscle fast…
…Develop a killer physique.
And learn gravity-defying calisthenics skill that would put most people to shame…
Then I’d highly recommend taking a look at the Bar Brothers Program in the video link below.
(video will open in a new window)
Anyway, that about wraps things up for today’s post, but if you have any questions or comments. Feel from to drop them in the comments section below.
Until next time…
