How can you get to 80 push ups in two minutes?

RzSco

Member
I thought the key to get better at things is repetition of the movement but no matter how much I practice I can’t get above 35 or so in a “set” with the tempo I’d need to hit 80 in two minutes.

I just fail at the same number, week after week, despite clean surplus eating and TRT and so on.

Also seem to be getting worse at cardio, i do 40 minutes a day and my pace is getting slower and slower at the same heart rate of 140 bpm. The push up sets leave me panting. I’m not happy.
 
Google how to improve conditioning

Thanks, basically it says to do 5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise a week (I’m doing 4 hours 20 minutes, close ish and can certainly increase that to say 6-7 hours) and to do some HIIT.

I suppose the push ups themselves aren’t intense enough to count as HIIT as even cranking them out as fast as I can I still last almost a minute?
 
Sounds like you might be training for the army PT test. Old test anyway.
If you keep try for the same goal with little or no progress you will get discouraged. I change up and do a month of strength training focused on bench with no pushups. then a month of higher rep hypertrophy training. The hit the pushups again. Switching up the goal every month or so keeps it interesting while still making progress.
 
Cardio and conditioning are two totally different things. Idk what you googled but 5 hours of cardio is not how you improve conditioning.

Think maximum exertion for short durations
 
I thought the key to get better at things is repetition of the movement but no matter how much I practice I can’t get above 35 or so in a “set” with the tempo I’d need to hit 80 in two minutes.

I just fail at the same number, week after week, despite clean surplus eating and TRT and so on.

Also seem to be getting worse at cardio, i do 40 minutes a day and my pace is getting slower and slower at the same heart rate of 140 bpm. The push up sets leave me panting. I’m not happy.
I was able to knock out 74 push-ups in one minute for testing. I spent over a year working on building my endurance with running, calisthenics, and specifically LOTS of push-ups. I was also 100% natural at the time in my late 20s. I did tons of pushups, static holds at the top and bottom, and timed sets to failure. (ie- I would set a timer for 10 minutes and do 25 pushups every minute until I couldn’t hit 25 in a “set” anymore then I’d just push for as many as I could till failure then start again the next minute). I had to largely prioritize my training toward endurance and calisthenics. I had to lower my weightlifting training volume to just full body EOD. I ran before every weight session and did calisthenics on the EOD between my weightlifting. Also worth noting, simply dropping as little as 10lbs makes a notable difference in your endurance and rep ranges for calisthenics
 
Sounds like you might be training for the army PT test. Old test anyway.
If you keep try for the same goal with little or no progress you will get discouraged. I change up and do a month of strength training focused on bench with no pushups. then a month of higher rep hypertrophy training. The hit the pushups again. Switching up the goal every month or so keeps it interesting while still making progress.

Yes, not actually doing the test but I thought it might be a fun goal…

Cardio and conditioning are two totally different things. Idk what you googled but 5 hours of cardio is not how you improve conditioning.

Think maximum exertion for short durations

I could add sprints intervals.

Revolutionary but..do push-ups?

If you can only do 35 in a set, how many sets are you doing a day? Do 35, rest, then 35 again. Or even a couple hours later. But just do more pushups.

Tried 1, 3, 5, 10 sets per day. From 1x per week to 6-7x per week. From 3 minute rests to spread throughout the day. The first 30 reps are easy then I just run out of energy and can barely move.

I was able to knock out 74 push-ups in one minute for testing. I spent over a year working on building my endurance with running, calisthenics, and specifically LOTS of push-ups. I was also 100% natural at the time in my late 20s. I did tons of pushups, static holds at the top and bottom, and timed sets to failure. (ie- I would set a timer for 10 minutes and do 25 pushups every minute until I couldn’t hit 25 in a “set” anymore then I’d just push for as many as I could till failure then start again the next minute). I had to largely prioritize my training toward endurance and calisthenics. I had to lower my weightlifting training volume to just full body EOD. I ran before every weight session and did calisthenics on the EOD between my weightlifting. Also worth noting, simply dropping as little as 10lbs makes a notable difference in your endurance and rep ranges for calisthenics

That ten minute method sounds brutal, I can give it a go. I have stopped benching this month just to try and focus on my push up challenge so there shouldn’t be interference there.
 
This is going to sound counterintuitive…due to your goal being body weight reps….

I have passed a number of military and LE tests this way. Blew away everyone else in test groups in fact.

It started when I was doing warm up shoulder raises of 4 positions (front hand lateral to ground, front hand vertical to ground, side hand lateral, and front hand inverted to hit rear delt)

No matter what I did 80 reps were always struggling in last 10 or so. I increased resistance. Added 15 lb dumbbells instead of just trying 10s. 20s instead of 15s….etc

Long and short is that added weight (vest, buddy, bench, etc.) will increase your ability to rep body weight to a great degree.

Alternate weeks of added weight and high rep. body weight. You will make significant progress toward your goal and break that plateau.

Your body will always fight the upper limit of high rep exercises unless you _increase resistance_. So… your genetics are fine… it’s your training.
 
Two things that may help. Get some rest. Take a whole week off and don’t train other than a ten minute walk after eating and extensive stretching sessions daily. Nap as often as possible and eat a caloric surplus high in protein and fat. The second week train body weight fairly light but do all reps as slow and controlled as possible. This will reset the muscles by Allowing them to fully recover and relearn the exercises with good form so they can perform them more efficiently. The second thing is working on your paused bridge. Most guys pause around fifty but ideally you don’t want to pause till at least 80 if you are going for 100. If your muscles can’t recover effectively in your bridge you can’t finish the remaining reps. Go from push up to bridge position and hold for 30 seconds then back to push up position for at least 15 seconds. Rinse and repeat.
 
I did it with this program back in the day it works.

5 sets in a reverse taper 3 days a week with an AMRAP at the end Basically.

Can give it a go following the prescribed rep schemes but if I get to 100 in six MONTHS I will be very surprised.

My bench is only about 1.1x body weight. Am I just too weak/small for this one?
 
5 sets in a reverse taper 3 days a week with an AMRAP at the end Basically.

Can give it a go following the prescribed rep schemes but if I get to 100 in six MONTHS I will be very surprised.

My bench is only about 1.1x body weight. Am I just too weak/small for this one?
You will do it in 4 tops
 
Yes, not actually doing the test but I thought it might be a fun goal…



I could add sprints intervals.



Tried 1, 3, 5, 10 sets per day. From 1x per week to 6-7x per week. From 3 minute rests to spread throughout the day. The first 30 reps are easy then I just run out of energy and can barely move.



That ten minute method sounds brutal, I can give it a go. I have stopped benching this month just to try and focus on my push up challenge so there shouldn’t be interference there.
What are you eating prior to the test? Try taking some sodium bicarbinate before or Tums, that may help, 20 minutes prior i believe.
 
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Wake up and chug a 12oz glass of water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Get a total of 1 gallon water each day.
 
That's just how It goes, progression halts you have to just keep going until you break the plateau. I would change up the program and instead of directly challenging yourself with those sets in particular just do pause reps and things with carry-over for a few weeks and then try again.
 
Back
Top