Former Navy SEAL's 2-Week Push-Up Protocol
Former Navy SEAL Stew Smith's 'Push-Up Push Protocol' is a two-week method to increase max push-up reps. It involves testing your max, multiplying it by four for a daily target, and alternating between completing that total in a workout or spreading it throughout the day for 10 days, followed by rest and a retest.
If you want to get better at push-ups, taking a leaf out of a former Navy SEAL's book would be a step in the right direction. Former Navy SEAL and fitness coach Stew Smith recently shared a simple method called the Push-Up Push Protocol, which is designed to help increase your max rep score in just two weeks. Rather than requiring you to train the same way every day, it combines high-volume training with different ways of distributing your reps to help you accumulate more practice.
What Is the Push-Up Push Protocol?
To start the protocol, Smith says you first need to test the maximum number of push-ups you can perform in a single set with good form. Take that number and multiply it by four. This becomes your daily push-up target for the next 10 days. So, if your current max is 30 reps: 30 x 4 = 120 push-ups per day.
The protocol then requires you to alternate how you complete those reps. On odd-numbered days, you complete your daily total during a workout, aiming to get through the reps in as few sets as possible. These can be added to your existing upper-body training. On even-numbered days, you spread the same number of reps throughout the day in smaller, more manageable sets. Continue alternating between the two approaches until you've completed 10 consecutive days.
The Results
After day 10, Smith recommends taking three to four days away from upper-body pushing exercises, giving your chest, shoulders and triceps a break from the unusually high workload. On day 14 or 15, retest your maximum push-ups and see whether your score has improved.
Smith also puts a ceiling on the volume. If you're already knocking out around 80 push-ups in one set, Smith doesn't recommend using the protocol at all, instead suggesting a more conventional upper-body programme.
Who is It For?
The Push-Up Push Protocol is essentially a concentrated block of high-frequency push-up practice. If increasing your push-up score is your specific goal, that specificity makes sense as you're getting plenty of opportunities to practise the movement while accumulating a large number of reps.
However, more isn't automatically better. Going from a relatively low weekly push-up volume to hundreds of reps every day is a substantial jump in workload and may leave your wrists, elbows or shoulders a bit battered. If you're going to try it, keep your reps controlled, stop if you experience pain and remember that it's a short-term push-up challenge rather than a way to train year-round.
