There are so many reasons for you to want to do 1,000 push-ups in a single workout. Maybe you want to test yourself. Maybe you want to brag to your friends. Maybe you’re just bored and figure this is a productive use of your time. Whatever the reasons, with a little training it’s totally possible. I’ve done it many times. So, what is the best way to do 1,000 push-ups? Even, can you do a thousand push-ups in one hour?
This is not for beginners. Before attempting to do 1000 push-ups you should at least be able to do 50+ non-stop push-ups, and be accustomed to doing at least 200 in a day. To do 1000 push-ups in an hour, you’ll need to do fast sets well within your capability, every minute for an hour. If you are doing short sets, you’ll only need a short recovery period between sets. If you push as far as you can on each set, you will not be able to put in as many reps total and will burn out – and even risk injury.
There are a number of different approaches to use, but the most important factor in all of them is that you should not do your sets to failure. If you’re wondering about the actual numbers, like how many sets of how many reps, read on and we’ll get into it.
First: get accustomed to high volume
Get used to doing a massive number of push-ups. Try doing a hundred, 10 per min for 10 mins, several times a day. Gradually increase the number of times a day that you do this.
After a few days of doing 5+ 10 min sets of 100 push-ups, try doing 20 per min for a total of 200 per 10 min set. Once you can do this once or twice, followed (later) by 40-50 mins at 10 per min, you will be ready to progress.
Next step: try it in one, slightly longer, session.
Start by trying to do 1000 push-ups in 100 mins, 10 per min. This is considerably slower than the one-hour challenge, but will increase your stamina and muscle density, allowing you to get accustomed to a very high level of volume in your push-up training.
Another great way to get ready for the 1,000 push-up challenge is to do 900 push-ups in one hour, that is 15 per minute for 60 minutes. Once you’ve mastered this, it’s not much of a leap to squeeze in another hundred push-ups for a total of 1,000 within the same time period.
When you are ready to attempt 1000 push-ups in 1 hour:
There are a number of ways to do 1000 in one hour. First let’s do some math and figure out some of the many ways we can break it down.
1 minute per set:
- 10 mins at 25 push-ups per minute, followed by 50 mins of 15 per minute.
- 20 mins of 20 push-ups per minute, followed by 40 mins of 15 per minute.
- 40 mins of 20 push-ups per minute, followed by 20 mins of 10 per minute.
30 seconds per set
- 40 mins of 10 push-ups every 30 seconds, followed by 20 mins of 5 push-ups every 30 seconds.
Marathon sets
If you are very proficient at push-ups and can do 80, 90, 100 or more in a single go, try doing 50 every 3 mins, or even 100 every 6 mins. However this is only for those who are extremely advanced.
These are suggestions as to how exactly you should break down 1000 into manageable chunks. Feel free to experiment and find the right combo for you.
Is it possible to do 1000 push ups?
At the time of writing this, the world record for push-ups in a 24 hour time period is 46001. Obviously this is beyond elite level, but shows what is possible for some, over time, with focus and training.
1000 push-ups is a much more modest goal by comparison. I’m confident that anyone with a BMI in the healthy range can achieve this with just a few weeks of preparation.
1000 push-ups spread over the course of a day is not an extreme goal by any account. In fact, it’s quite reasonable. By breaking it down into small sets, stopping far short of failure, it is totally doable.
Can I do 1000 pushups a day, everyday?
If you can do at least 50 non-stop push-ups or more, you have the strength to achieve 1000 push-ups in a single day. Once you get to where you can achieve this brag-worthy feat, you probably shouldn’t do it every day, you need some rest days. Take a day or two off after doing 1000 push-ups in one day.
That being said, there comes a point where you’ve done so many push-ups, that they don’t really faze you any more. You’ll no longer get sore. You may be a little stiff the morning after, but you definitely reach a level of strength and muscularity where push-ups can no longer help you improve. Without adding additional weight, you will eventually hit a ceiling of muscle and strength gains.
Will 100 pushups a day make a difference?
Yes of course, even 100 push-ups a day will make a huge difference to someone who isn’t already working out. But once you get used to this, and your results taper off, why not push it to the next level and beyond!? Try, 200 a day. 300. All the way up to 1000 push-ups.
Do you just want to be in a little bit better shape? Or a frickin machine!? When you can crank out this many push-ups, I assure you, you will be in good shape. Of course you’ll need to do some lower body training too… 1000 squats maybe?! 1000 push-ups is a huge achievement, and you’ll want to tell everyone that you did it.
So while 100 push-ups will certainly help build arm and chest muscle, tighten the core, and build stamina, why not go for the gold and do way more?! You can certainly do it. If you can do 100 push-ups, you can do 1000 with some hard work and dedication.
How can I do more pushups at once?
You need to build up stamina if you want to be able to do more push-ups in one continuous set. The best way to do this is to train to failure, that is, to do as many as you can until you physically can’t do any more. This is the opposite of what I recommend to do when trying to do 1,000 push-ups in a short period of time.
Training to failure will tear up more muscle fibers and help build more muscle, but you also fatigue much sooner which is why it’s not a good approach when trying to do a large total volume of push-ups.
I have often used a 1-minute challenge to improve the total number of push-ups I can do in one set. Simply set a timer, and crank out push-ups as fast as you can for one minute. If you get to the end of the minute and you can keep going, then keep going! But most people, at least starting out, will burnout before the one minute mark. Do this everyday, and watch your total number grow as you get better, faster, and develop more stamina.
There is a level of muscle density which you will achieve through this type of training that will, over time, allow you to improve to where you can rocket through a huge set of push-ups.
How many pushups should I do per day?
Of course this is really up to you. 1,000 push-ups is a great achievement, but isn’t really necessary to do regularly. Plus, it will eventually get kind of boring. I’ve always felt like 200 push-ups a day is a good level to do for regular maintenance.
Any level of activity is better than none, so focus on what is appropriate for your level of fitness, and aim to improve. Train within your capabilities, and focus on getting a larger total number of push-ups rather than how many you can do in one go. For example, if you are just starting out and can only do 10 pushups, start by doing five sets of 5. Focus on perfect technique, and make sure that your elbows are bending to a 90° angle at the bottom of the movement.
It is still really effective to break it down into one set per minute, which also has some cardiovascular aspects. This will keep your heart rate elevated for the duration of your workout, and help you burn calories and fat.
Absolute minimum, do 100 per day. Once or twice a month, once a week, or however often you like, push for something amazing, like 1000 push-ups. This will keep your body growing and adapting, and will create awesome strength and muscle density.
How many days per week should I do push-ups?
Since you’re only using your body weight, and after you’ve been doing them for a few weeks you should no longer experience any significant soreness, you can do push-ups everyday. Three times a week should be a minimum, but I would recommend doing push-ups five or six days a week.
It’s always a good idea to take at least one rest day per week to allow your muscles and joints to decompress and recover. If you’re hitting huge amounts of volume (like 1000) you could probably use 2-3 days of rest each week for optimum recovery.
How many push-ups are too many?
The subject of overtraining is pretty controversial. But generally, if you are continuously sore, or experiencing any pain, stop and check with your doctor. Otherwise, with push-ups you are more likely to simply experience diminishing returns. That is, you won’t get any more improvement, or results, no matter how many push-ups you do.
Sometimes it just takes a few days of rest to break through a sticking point. But usually weat this point you should start doing some additional exercises, if you’re not already, like using free weights or machines at the gym.
So it is hard to put a number on the subject of how many are too many push-ups. So listen to your body, and back off if it hurts.
In conclusion:
If you’re in decent shape, and can already do a good number of push-ups, 1000 push-ups is a very achievable goal. The results will be… the ability to do a ton of push-ups, well sculpted chest and arms, and a tight midsection. Whether or not this is a goal worth pursuing is up to you. But you can do this, and it’ll be something to mention to your fitness friends with pride.
Related Posts:
Can Squats Be Considered Cardio?
Squats are a resistance exercise primarily designed to strengthen and build the muscles of the lower body. As anybody who has ever done squats will tell you, it is not something that most people can do continuously for a long period of time. It’s too difficult. Comparing squats to a typical cardio exercise like jogging is like comparing push-ups to dribbling a basketball. However if you structure your squat workout the right way, it can resemble cardio and have some of the same cardiovascular and fat loss benefits.
What’s The Best Way To Do 200 Push-Ups?
I call it PPM (Push-ups per minute). Place a clock or timer near you. You could watch a movie or TV show and have the timer running. Listen to music, whatever. Every minute, on the minute, do 10 push-ups as fast as you can, then rest and stretch for the rest of the minute. Continue this for 20 minutes. You will notice that at first this is really easy, but once you’ve got a few sets under your belt, it’ll start to take a little bit longer. As the sets take longer, your rest periods become shorter, providing less recuperation for the following set. Your heart rate will be elevated for the entire 20 minutes, and for a few minutes afterwards. Providing a workout with a steadily increasing difficulty from warm up to final set.
