100 PUSH-UPS
V3 · DYNAMIC
// 8 weeks · push + pull balance
Current Max 40 / 100
// Core principles
Prescriptions are 50% of current max — they auto-update when you retest
Last set of MWF sessions: push to 1–2 reps shy of failure
GTG sets (40% max) always stay fresh — never to failure
Reactive deload: reps stall 2 sessions in a row → cut volume 40% for 5 days
Feeling beat up? Tap to read ▼

Signs you need a deload: reps stalled or dropped 2 sessions in a row, shoulders/elbows ache, sleep poor, motivation crashing.

The deload (5 days): Cut volume 40%. Run only Mon/Wed/Fri at 60% of normal target reps. Skip GTG. Skip the heavy day. Keep one easy set of rows daily.

After deload: Resume where you left off. Don't restart — your body kept the adaptations.

40
Push Max
6
Pull Max
1
Week
60
To Go
// projected max over time
Dotted: original projections from start (May 18, max 35). Solid: updated scenarios anchored on last retest. Green dot = actual test result at its real date.
Original (35)
Fast — 10w total
Moderate — 12w
Conservative — 14w
Start (35)
Actual retest
// push-up retest targets
// pull-up projection
Dotted: original from start (May 18, max 6). Solid: updated from W4 retest (8). Goal 15+.
Original (6)
Fast — 9 wks
Moderate — 10 wks
Conservative — 11 wks
Start (6)
Actual retest
// pull-up retest targets
Fetching Hevy data…
// how the program works
Eight weeks of structured overload from a tested max of 40 to 100 push-ups in one set. Three mechanisms work in parallel: neural adaptation via GTG (Grease the Groove), muscular endurance via high-rep volume sets, and reserve strength via Saturday heavy work.
Push-up prescriptions are always 50% of current tested max — they auto-update when you retest. GTG is 40% of max. Retest at the end of Week 2 and Week 4.
// weekly structure
Mon/Wed/Fri: 5 sets at 50% max, 2-min rest. Last set 1–2 reps shy of failure.
Tue/Thu: GTG — sets at 40% max spread across the day, always fresh, never to failure. This is the primary neural driver.
Sat: Heavy variation (weighted / decline / diamond) 4×8. Builds reserve strength so high reps feel easier.
Sun: Full rest.
Pull-ups on every push day + Thu pause reps + Sat heavy. Matches push volume to protect shoulder health.
// expected plateaus
1 — The Lactate Wall
Hits around 40–55 reps
Around rep 30–35 the metabolic environment forces form failure before the muscle actually gives out. The burn stops the set, not the chest. Stopping at the same pain threshold every session means never pushing the lactate buffering adaptation forward.
// how to break through
On MWF last set, stop at form failure — not when it burns. Add a micro-pause at lockout around rep 20–25: hold 2–3 sec, one full breath, continue. Clears enough lactate to extend the set 5–10 reps. Drill this before test day. Exhale hard on the push, slow inhale on the lower — rushed breathing amplifies the burn.
2 — The Volume Ceiling
Hits around 55–70 reps — the hard one
Working sets at 5×20 train a mostly neuromuscular rep range. The 40–80 rep zone is near-pure aerobic endurance — a different energy system that is not being trained. Neural gains carry you to ~55; the 55→70 jump requires metabolic adaptations that only come from time spent in that zone.
// how to break through
Weeks 6–8 specificity sets (40, 45, 50, 60 reps) are designed for this zone. Earlier lever: once a week on a GTG day, do one longer set at 30–35 reps — still fresh, not to failure, just touching the target zone. Heavy Saturdays also help: with extra load in training, rep 60 at bodyweight becomes ~75% capacity instead of ~90%.
3 — The Pacing Zone
Hits around 70–90 reps
Past ~70 reps the limiting factor stops being muscular capacity and becomes pacing, breathing control, and willingness to sit in discomfort. The physiological capacity exists — going anaerobic too early in the set is what prevents finishing.
// how to break through
Pace the first 40 reps to feel almost boring. Mini-pauses at lockout every 5–8 reps past rep 50. You cannot recover from a fast start. The Week 7 mid-test exists partly to make rep 70 feel familiar before test day — remove the fear, not just build the fitness.
4 — The Neural Stall (false plateau)
Weeks 3–5, feels like a plateau but isn't
Neural gains front-load in weeks 1–4 then taper off. Retest numbers at Week 4 grow more slowly than Week 2 — structural and metabolic adaptations continue on a ~2-week lag from the neural peak. Nothing is broken.
// what to do
Don't drop reps. Hold the prescription and add GTG frequency. If reps stall for two consecutive sessions, that's overreaching — run the 5-day deload. It almost always produces a rebound past the stall point.
// reactive deload protocol
Trigger when any of these appear: reps stalled or dropped 2 sessions in a row · shoulders or elbows ache · sleep poor 2+ nights · motivation crashed · same workout feels much harder than last week.
5-day deload: Mon/Wed/Fri only at 60% of normal target reps (3 sets, not 5). No GTG. No Saturday heavy day. One easy set of rows daily.
After: resume where you left off — don't restart. Adaptations persist. You will often come back past the stall point.
// pull-up progression
MWF: 3 sets at 50% pull max, 2-min rest. Last Friday set to 1 RIR.
Tue GTG: Singles and doubles throughout the day, 10–15 mini-sets, never to failure.
Thu: Pause pull-ups 3×2 — 2-sec hold at top + 2-sec dead hang at bottom. Kills momentum, builds real strength.
Sat: 4 sets at 50% max. Switch to weighted (backpack) once max hits 8+.
Progression rule: When all sets land clean with 1 RIR on the last set, add a rep across all sets.
Stalling at 8–9: add negatives on Sat — jump to top position, 5-second slow lower. Breaks the strength bottleneck faster than standard volume.
// pull-up expected timeline (from max 8, W4 retest)
Weeks 1–3: 6 → 8 (neural gains dominate)
Weeks 4–6: 8 → 11 (structural adaptation kicks in)
Weeks 7–10: 11 → 14
Weeks 11–12: 14–15+