The 30-day push-up challenge, built from your max

Three sets a day at half your max, a rest day every fourth day, and one more rep per set each week. On day 30 you test your max again. Set your max on the right and drag across the month to see any day.

Day 1

0 push-ups in the month 7 rest days

The plan is our rule of thumb built from your own max, not a clinical prescription. Stop a set that causes pain, and if you have an injury or a heart condition, check with a doctor before starting.

The rule

Three on, one off

  • Find your max: as many clean push-ups as you can do in one set.
  • Each set is half that number. Three sets on a training day.
  • Days 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 28 are rest days.
  • Every seven days, add a rep to each set, or two if your max is 30 or more.
  • Day 30: one all-out set. That is your new max.

A practical rule of thumb, not a number from a study. The source backs regular training and gradual growth: ACSM Position Stand, Garber et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011 recommends resistance exercise for each major muscle group on 2 to 3 days a week, with gradual progression of volume. Daily training goes past its two to three days, so keep the sets moderate and take the rest days.

Day by day

The month for a max of 16

Your own numbers are in the chart at the top.

  1. 1 3×8
  2. 2 3×8
  3. 3 3×8
  4. 4 Rest
  5. 5 3×8
  6. 6 3×8
  7. 7 3×8
  8. 8 Rest
  9. 9 3×9
  10. 10 3×9
  11. 11 3×9
  12. 12 Rest
  13. 13 3×9
  14. 14 3×9
  15. 15 3×10
  16. 16 Rest
  17. 17 3×10
  18. 18 3×10
  19. 19 3×10
  20. 20 Rest
  21. 21 3×10
  22. 22 3×11
  23. 23 3×11
  24. 24 Rest
  25. 25 3×11
  26. 26 3×11
  27. 27 3×11
  28. 28 Rest
  29. 29 3×12
  30. 30 Test
The Pushgard tower screen: the hero’s place on the tower, the steps left and the boss in the arch.
Train it in the game

Thirty days of fights

Pushgard measures your max, counts every rep on camera and turns each set into a fight in the tower.

Test your max first

Questions

The challenge, answered

Your own numbers, missed days, splitting sets and what comes next.

Why not the same numbers for everyone?

A fixed challenge is too easy for some people and impossible for others by week two. Starting from half your own max keeps every day hard enough to count and easy enough to finish.

What if I miss a day?

Do that day tomorrow and shift the rest by one. The plan works on order, not on dates.

Can I split the three sets through the day?

Yes. Morning, lunch and evening works fine. What matters is that every rep is a full one.

What do I do after day 30?

Test your max again, then start a new month from the new number. If it went up, every set goes up with it.

All questions

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Day one is one set

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