What constitutes a “good amount” of daily pushups depends on an individual’s current fitness level and specific goals. The pushup is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that effectively targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Because the exercise is highly scalable, the optimal daily volume for a complete beginner will look vastly different from the volume suited for an advanced athlete. A personalized training plan must first establish a starting point before setting any quantitative targets.
Determining Your Current Baseline
The first step toward setting a reasonable daily pushup goal involves performing an assessment of your current capacity. You should perform as many repetitions as possible (AMRAP) of a standard pushup with strict form until momentary failure. Strict form means maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels, lowering your chest until your elbows reach at least a 90-degree bend, and avoiding any sagging in the hips or arching in the lower back.
The result of this single set can help categorize your baseline fitness level. A person who can complete 10 or fewer pushups is considered a beginner and should focus on building foundational strength. An intermediate level falls between 11 and 25 repetitions, indicating a solid base of muscular endurance. Individuals capable of performing 26 or more consecutive, full-range pushups are categorized as advanced.
Establishing Daily Pushup Targets
Your training goal—whether it is strength, muscle growth (hypertrophy), or endurance—will dictate your daily volume. For muscle building, the total weekly volume should fall between 10 and 20 sets per muscle group. This volume should be spread across several training sessions throughout the week, not all in a single day.
Beginners who can do 10 or fewer reps might aim for a total daily volume of 50 to 75 pushups, split into smaller, manageable sets throughout the day. The goal is to accumulate total reps without pushing to failure in every set, which helps maintain form and consistency.
Intermediate individuals with a max of 11 to 25 repetitions should target a higher volume, perhaps 75 to 150 total pushups daily, using sets of 8 to 15 reps. Advanced individuals, capable of 26 or more reps, may aim for 150 to 250 total pushups, or they might shift focus to more difficult pushup variations to maintain a challenging rep range. For strength development, it is more effective to perform fewer repetitions with a more challenging variation rather than simply increasing the number of easy reps.
Why Recovery Is Key to Daily Training
Muscle recovery is a physiological necessity for progress. Intense strength training creates microscopic tears in muscle fibers, which requires 48 to 72 hours for complete repair and adaptation. Training the same muscle group—the chest and triceps—before this recovery period is complete can lead to overtraining, diminishing results, and increasing the risk of injury.
If your goal is significant strength or muscle growth, training the pushup to a high intensity 3 to 5 times per week is more effective than daily, high-volume sessions. A daily routine is better suited for low-volume maintenance or for accumulating volume through multiple, non-fatiguing sets spread throughout the day. If you are experiencing persistent muscle soreness, it is a signal that more rest is needed. Proper rest allows the central nervous system to recover and ensures that subsequent workouts are performed with sufficient intensity to stimulate further gains.
Scaling Pushups for Safe Progression
Effective progression involves modifying the mechanics of the exercise to match your current strength level. Reducing the load on the upper body is the initial focus for beginners. Incline pushups, where the hands are placed on an elevated surface like a bench or wall, decrease the percentage of body weight being lifted. The higher the surface, the easier the movement, allowing for strength to be built safely before moving to the floor.
Once standard pushups become too easy—generally when you can comfortably perform more than 20 to 30 repetitions—the intensity needs to be increased. This is done by manipulating the leverage or stability of the exercise. Placing the feet on an elevated surface, known as a decline pushup, shifts more body weight onto the arms and shoulders, increasing the difficulty. Other advanced variations, such as staggered hand positions or close-grip pushups, increase the demand on the triceps and stabilizers. Focusing on progressive overload through these variations ensures that the exercise remains challenging enough to stimulate ongoing strength development.