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If you want to create a head-turning physique, skyrocket your confidence, and build the godlike strength of a finely tuned athlete… then this is the pushup progression blueprint you’ve been looking for.
Now unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably know that pushups are the staple of most people’s workout.
…They’re simple
…They’re a compound movement (Work multiple muscle groups)
…And you can do them anywhere.
However, the problem most face is their ability to build on their existing level of the pushup.
If you can’t do a single pushup then there’s no point in trying right.
And if you’re cranking out endless pushups without breaking a sweat then there’s no way to progress any further.
Well regardless of what others might say…
…there is a very simple, yet highly effective way to generate insane pushing strength by using leverage to your advantage.
Just look at some of the calisthenics athletes from Bar Brothers or Barstarzz and you’ll quickly see how possible it is to push your body to the limit and beyond.
FREE VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
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Now if you’re reading this then I can only assume one of 2 things…
…You’re a beginner and you’re looking for simple step-by-step progressions that will teach you how to build up to your first full pushup and beyond.
…You’re already a master of the basic pushup and you’re looking for new ways to challenge yourself.
So today I’ll be showing you how to progress both through every single variation of the pushup I know.
And who knows, in time you may just have the strength and physique of an ultimate badass.
Let’s get started…
Table of Contents
The Wall Pushup Progression
Now, this is ground zero when it comes to pushup progressions and is the easiest pushup variation there is.
To be fair it’s pretty self-explanatory.
Holding your arms out straight with your palms flat against a wall. Lower yourself until your chest is just a few inches from the wall.
Your elbows should be tucked in and your hands should be slightly lower than chest height and shoulder-width apart
Keep the movement slow and controlled and you should feel the contraction in both your chest and triceps.
Remember its quality over quantity. 10 reps with great form beat 50 sh*t reps all day long.
Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps before moving on to the next progression.
The Knee Pushup Progression
Next, we’ll be moving away from the wall and attempting good old knee pushups.
So what you want to do for this progression is simply get into a regular pushup position on the floor.
Only from a kneeling position.
This is going to remove some of the extra stress on your core stabilizer muscles by taking your legs partially out of the equation.
The movement is exactly the same as the first progression only your going to be lowering your chest until it’s a few inches from the floor.
Again perform the movement slowly and avoid flaring the elbows out.
Good form should be the main focus here as it will allow you to transition far more easily into the harder progression while avoiding unnecessary injury or strain.
Quick Tip…
In addition to knee pushups, I highly recommend adding static pushup holds to your routine while working on this progression.
To do it, simply hold the position at the top of a regular pushup with your back straight.
As you hold the position, attempt to push your hands and feet towards each other while contracting your abs.
You won’t actually move, but this will force your core muscles to engage and help a lot when transitioning into the next progression.
Regular Pushup Progressions
But by now you should have both the strength and the core stability to attempt regular pushups.
Get into a pushup position with your back straight and your feet firmly on the floor.
Again, lower yourself slowly until your chest is a few inches from the floor. Hold for 1 second, then push yourself back up.
The principles of this move are exactly the same which are…
…slow and controlled
…good form
…elbows tucked in (avoid outward flaring)
…keep your core engaged
Hand Placement
A big mistake I often see people make is hand placement, with most positioning the hands in line with their shoulders.
This neglects all the other important muscle groups needed for overall increases is strength.
The correct placement is to adopt a slightly lower hand position.
It’ll have a greater impact on your triceps, lower chest while at the same time, increasing the load on your core stabilizer muscles.
Think of it like this…
Imagine for a second looking at your setup from directly above your body.
If you set up is correct your body should look like a perfectly formed arrow. (see image)
However, most people have a setup that looks more like the letter T.
What this does is place more weight on your upper chest. Targeting fewer muscle groups and making the move far less beneficial.
Which is why most never progress to more advanced pushups variations.
New Skills & Pushup Variations
As you continue to progress, you’ll quickly find that it opens up a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to increasing your pushup skillset.
Regular pushups are the foundation from where you can start attacking a wider range of muscle groups from a variety of different angles.
You can then begin to attempt…
…wide pushups (greater emphasis on the chest)
…close grip pushups (works the triceps more)
…decline pushups (increases the load on the shoulders)
…plyometric pushups (builds explosive power)
And a whole other array of variations which I’ll be covering in the next few progressions.
What I recommend at this stage is changing things up and working the pushup from every possible position.
You’ll see greater increases in both your strength and physique that will then carry over to the pushup progression you’ll be doing next.
Supplementary Exercises
At this point, you should start adding other forms of bodyweight resistance training into your routine to continue progressing at an effective rate.
Only doing pushups limits your potential.
And as you get stronger at pushups but neglect other movements such as pullups, dips, and rows, it can start to create muscle imbalances that can lead to joint pain and other discomforts
It’s not uncommon to hit a plateau or even regress at this point if you don’t supplement your pushup routine with a broader base of movement patterns.
If I’ve learned anything over the years of bodyweight training.
It’s that the key to making progress…
…building lean powerful muscle
…and making massive improvements in your body composition to the point where you’ll be able to perform elite feats of strength comes down to just 3 things.
They are…
…variety.
…consistency.
...and progressive overload.
And if you embrace all 3 then there’s no limit on what you can achieve.
In fact, Bar Brother has an awesome program that shows you EXACTLY how to incorporate every single bodyweight progression into your routine to get you performing advanced bodyweight movements that defy the law of gravity
As an added bonus, I’ll also throw in ALL of my best-kept training guides worth over $100 if you Join The Bar Brothers Program through any of the links on this page.
Just send me proof of your purchase (screenshot or receipt) using the contact form on this website or email me at dan@un-ripped.com and I’ll send you everything you see below directly to your email address ASAP.
As you can see each one of these eBooks sells for anywhere between $27 – $47 each, and are fully loaded with practical information to suit any style of training.
And they’re yours when you Join Bar Brothers
Anyway, where were we?
Oh yeah…
The Uneven Pushup Progression
Now in this section, we’re going to focus on unilateral pushup patterns that increase the loading on each side of your body for greater increases in strength.
Here’s how to do it.
…Get yourself into a regular pushup position (hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart).
…Position your body further to one side to increase the load on one arm.
…Slowly lower your body until your chest is a few inches from the floor.
…Push yourself back up into the start position while keeping your body positioned further towards your dominant arm.
…At the top of the pushup, shift your weight over to the other arm and repeat.
…Continue to alternate sides until you completed a sufficient amount of reps. (4-6 reps each side is a good target to shoot for)
As you get stronger, you can then adopt a wider hand position to further increase the load on each dominant arm.
This works by restricting the amount of weight your non-dominant arm can support.
Forcing the dominant arm to work harder by further increasing demand.
Try to think of it in terms of percentages.
When you’re new to this pushup variation, you’ll start by placing around 60% of your body weight on your dominant arm.
As you get stronger, you can then widen your hand position which will naturally increase the loading from 60/40 to 70/30, 80/20 and finally 90/10
Sample Pushup Routine
A quick little finishing routing I like to do sometimes is to completely max out on this pushup variation to the point of complete failure.
I’ll start by hammering out a single set of 8-12 reps on each arm.
Rest 30 seconds then repeat for 6-10 reps.
I’ll rest for another 30 seconds, then perform a quick set regular pushups until I physically can’t perform another rep.
The rest intervals and reps can be adjusted to suit your individual needs but if if you do this consistently (2-4 times a week) It will send both your strength and endurance levels through the roof.
The Pseudo Planche Progression
Next up we’ve got pseudo planche pushups.
In this variation, you’re going to be altering the angle of attack by aligning your hand position further towards your waist creating a forward-leaning position.
The great thing about this variation is that the difficulty of the movement is determined by how far forward you can hold the position while executing the pushup.
Now the ultimate goal here is to be able to position your hands in line with your waist while performing a pushup. But at this point, it will be damn near impossible as your feet will naturally attempt to lift off the floor to counterbalance your weight.
Usually resulting in faceplanting the floor (believe me I’ve done it many times).
So what you want to do instead is place your hands in a position that is challenging, but doesn’t sacrifice form.
Now when you first get into position, you’ll quickly notice how much more emphasis is placed on both the shoulders and the core stabilizer muscles.
This is another reason why it’s soo important to practice other movements in the previous progression such as decline pushups and pike pushups.
Quick Tip…
Another tip (and this is down to personal preference) is to turn your hands outwards with the ends of your fingers pointing 90 degrees from your body.
I find it takes a huge strain away from the wrists while increasing your overall pushing strength.
However, this is optional and depends more on wrist flexibility and how comfortable you feel when performing the move.
For best results, I find it helps to practice the pseudo planche along with the uneven pushup as you’ll quickly develop into much harder variations.
The One Arm Pushup Progression (OAP)
The core stability and pushing power you need to get close to a successful repetition of this move are very high.
So before you even attempt it, you should be able to do at least 12 reps of both the uneven pushup and the pseudo pushup progression with perfect form.
The problem with the one-arm pushup (OAP) is that most people attempt it before they’re fully ready.
Which often results in the body contouring into all sorts of weird positions as they lower their chest to the floor.
But if you’re ready for it then here’s what you need to do…
…Get yourself into a pushup position with your feet in a straddle (wide) position. The wider your feet are, the more ground you’re going to cover which will make the movement easier.
…Keeping your posterior chain aligned, remove one hand from the floor and place it on your hip while simultaneously engaging both your core muscles and your glutes.
…Slowly lower your body until your chest is a few inches from the floor making sure to keep your elbow tucked in tight to maintain your balance. Again keeping your core and glutes engaged at all times.
…Push yourself up from the bottom of the movement while continuing to engage all the relevant muscles.
…Give yourself a metaphorical high five, grab a beer and relax. You’re now officially stronger than everyone you know.
A Few Quick Tips…
You might notice that when attempting the OAP that your body might attempt to twist as you work through the movement.
To combat this you simply have twist your dominant hand thought the movement kinda like if you were attempting to turn a door handle on the floor.
It sounds strange but it helps.
Also, when you first attempt the OAP there’s a chance you’ll crumble under your weight during the negative phase of the movement.
This happens sometimes but it shouldn’t discourage you.
If you do find yourself in this predicament then it’s usually down to 1 of 2 things:
…Bad form
…Lack of core strength
If it’s bad form then it’s simply a case of going back to the drawing board with your setup and execution.
Ask yourself…
…Are your feet wide enough?
…Are you engaging the right muscles?
…Are you flaring your elbows?
If everything seems to be in check then your probably lacking in core strength.
In which case you can do one or more of the following.
…Regress to a simpler variation such as the Incline OAP
…Go back to the previous progression. Work on slowing down the movement and increasing total reps until your ready to try again.
…Try loaded pushups: These are awesome for not only increasing brute strength…
…but also activating the deep-rooted inner core muscles needed to reach your goal.
You’ll need a weighted vest or backpack to attempt this.
But the added weight practically forces your core to engage throughout every step of the movement.
I remember years ago when I was struggling to do just one rep of the OAP.
I strapped 50kg to my back and started hammering out regular pushups like they were going out of fashion.
10 days later, I smashed 5 full reps on each arm.
Pushup Variations To Take You To The Next Level
If the OAP seems like child play and you want to take your pushup game one giant leap further.
The next stage is working towards a Full Planche Pushup
It’s a complex progression that deserves its own separate blog post.
However, if you’re ready to take pushups to the next level NOW and learn how to progress to advanced bodyweight movements following a UNIQUE system that’s PROVEN to get you results faster.
Then check out the Bar Brothers program.
And remember, if you join the program via any link on this page and send me a screenshot (or receipt) of your purchase to dan@un-ripped.com. I’ll personally send you the training manuals you see below valued at over $100
That wraps things up for now.
Any more progressions to add? Let me know in the comments below…