Fitness | Health | 100 Push-ups

100 Push-Ups in 1 Set: Training Plan I Used to Do It in 2 Months

It was easier than I thought.

Do you want to do 100 push-ups in one set?

I wanted 2 months ago. My average set was 25 times. 30 if I did my very maximum. I thought that 100 push-ups in one set only superhuman can do.

I was wrong. I achieved this goal in 2 months with the following training approach:

• 3–4 training per week
• 4x1 push-ups
• 10x20 sets
• 1-minute rest

Not clear enough? Let’s discuss this in detail.

How often did I exercise?

Every 2nd day. I had 3–4 training per week.

This time was enough to recover from previous training. I exercised one day and performed stretching and warm-up on the next day to speed up muscle recovery.

Some experts may say that this is too often. They would be right. To build big muscles, you need to let your muscles rest for a couple of days between training. Rest is an essential part of any training process.

But I wasn’t building myself great muscles. I was building my stamina.

100 push-ups in one set are not about strength, even though push-ups are strength exercises. You, probably, can perform 100 push-ups in 10 sets with resting time in between. It isn’t that complex. The hard part is to perform them in one set. Here stamina comes into play.

100 push-ups in one set are about endurance, not about strength. All my training was designed to increase my muscle endurance in the shortest time.

You don’t need big muscles to make 100 push-ups. You need stamina muscles.

What kind of push-ups?

In my experience, a push-up position doesn’t matter much. It should be the proper one, so you wouldn’t hurt yourself. But the exact placing of arms is not so crucial. You can place your palm at waist or shoulder levels or anywhere between these two points. I will tell more about the push-ups technique at the end of this article.

Timing is the key moment. 4x1 means the time you perform one push-up.

4 seconds you go down, then burst up in just 1 second.

The above is the perfect repetition scenario. In the best case, you could perform all push-ups during the training with this technique. But it’s almost impossible, especially for the novice. You get tired in the process, and it’s OK.

I barely did 1 set of 4x1 push-ups when I started. Then the number of 4x1 push-ups in each set of training increased. In 2 months I can perform 3–4 sets with the right technique. The following sets are still messy, but this level is enough to do 100 push-ups in one set.

10x20 sets?

10 sets per training. Each 20 push-ups.

The above is the desired level. Obviously, at the very beginning, you can’t complete 10 sets of 20 push-ups with the correct technique. I couldn’t.

It’s fine to start with 5 sets and a maximum number of push-ups in each.

It will be perfect if you start with 10 sets. The amount of push-ups isn’t that important in the beginning. The main idea is to explain your body pattern of exercising. It’s similar to building a habit. Consistency matter more than quantity.

Assume you built the stable 10-sets-per-training routine. Now it’s time to slowly increase the number of push-ups in each set. The distribution should be more or less even.

You shouldn’t do 20 repetitions on start if in the last setyou can perform only 2

Better to do 12 push-ups in the 1st set and decrease to 8 in the last set.

In parallel with the number of repetitions, it’s time to build the correct technique. You will notice that you can do fewer “clean” push-ups with perfect technique. This is fine. You will balance between perfect technique and the number of push-ups. The more you can do, the more important the 4x1 approach becomes.

What about rest?

1 minute of rest between sets.

It’s again about endurance. Such a tiny amount of time to rest builds your stamina in the muscles. I wanted to show the muscles that they need to work non-stop for a long enough period.

You can start with more rest. But it is an important part of the training system. So it’s better to rest just 1 minute. Still, you can vary rest-time personally.

Do your best. Don’t worry about fatigue or a small total number on the first days. Creating a routine is the hardest part. Then you will follow it for a month or two and get the desired result.

Right Push-Ups Technique

• get on the floor on all fours
• position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders
• place your palms at a comfortable level between waist and shoulders
• extend your legs back, so you are balanced on your hands and toes
• contract the abs to tighten your core; pull your belly toward the spine
• inhale as you bend your arms and go down to the floor
• exhale with contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up
• keep a tight core all the time
• keep your body in a straight line head to toe, without sagging or arching

The above are the very basics of the push-up technique. The start point.

You can learn more by researching yourself. How to build exact muscles or how to make push-ups easier or harder.

Final Thoughts

Following the above advice, you can do 100 push-ups in one set. It won’t take you more than 3 months of exercising. I believe in you!

Completing 100 push-ups in one set proved to me that I can. It gave me faith in myself. It’s a life-changing experience. I strongly recommend it to everyone.

If you must do something, then you can do it. It became my new motto:

Debes Ergo Potes in Latin.

A small disclaimer. When you do 100 push-ups in one set, you probably won’t be able to train that day. It’s okay since you will overload your body with the number of push-ups in one set.

After achieving the goal of 100 give yourself a day or two of rest. Also, don’t repeat it too often. Doing 100 push-ups is more like demonstrative performance at competitions. It is not kind of stable training.

You can read about my other challenges and training here. For example, 365 days water drinking challenge.

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