Push-Up Booster

Week 1 — Volume & patterning

Focus: Grease the groove on hand-release mechanics, shoulders over wrists, rigid plank, consistent depth.

Day 1 — Pyramid volume

• Warm-up: 2 × 10 scap push-ups (hands under shoulders, elbows locked, only shoulder blades move), 30 sec rest between.
• Main set — pyramid: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 hand-release push-ups (or regular push-ups if HRP is new). 45–60 sec rest between rungs; 90 sec after the top (5).
• Finisher: 2 × max strict push-ups (no release) with 2 min rest—stop 1–2 reps shy of failure to protect form.
• Coaching: Chest to ground, full release of hands, pause, press. If the pyramid fails mid-way, resume at the last completed rung next set.

Day 2 — Tempo & holds

• Warm-up: Arm circles and 30 sec dead hang from a sturdy bar or table edge bodyweight row hold if no bar—2 rounds.
• Main set: 5 × 8 push-ups with 3 sec lower, 1 sec pause chest 1 inch off floor, explode up—90 sec rest between sets.
• Accessory: 3 × 30 sec front plank (glutes squeezed, ribs down), 45 sec rest.
• Coaching: If 8 reps breaks form, drop to 6 reps and keep the tempo.

Day 3 — Active recovery / easy sets

• Main set: 6 × 5 perfect HRP or push-ups, 60 sec rest—focus on elbows ~45° from torso, not flared.
• Finisher: 100 total knee or incline push-ups in as few sets as possible, max 20 reps per set, 45 sec between sets.
• Coaching: This is a technique day—stop any set that loses the straight line from head to heels.

Day 4 — Negatives & density

• Warm-up: 2 × 12 wall push-ups, slow and controlled.
• Main set: 4 × 5 slow negatives (5 sec down, release, reset from knees or top) for HRP or standard push-up—2 min rest.
• Density block: EMOM 10 min: minute 1 6 push-ups, minute 2 6 push-ups… if you miss a round, next minute do 4 instead.
• Coaching: Stop if wrists or shoulders ache sharply—substitute incline push-ups.

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Week 2 — Intensity & specificity

Focus: Higher neural drive, shorter rest on submax sets, and test-readiness without daily failure.

Day 1 — Ladder + max

• Warm-up: Same scap push-ups as Week 1 Day 1.
• Main set — ladder: 2-4-6-8-6-4-2 HRP or push-ups, 60 sec rest between rungs.
• Max test: 1 × max HRP in 2 minutes (stop if form breaks)—record number.
• Coaching: 48+ hours before next hard upper day.

Day 2 — Cluster sets

• Main set: 5 rounds of (4 + 4 + 4) push-ups—10 sec between mini-sets inside a round, 2 min between rounds. Use HRP if possible; otherwise strict push-ups.
• Accessory: 3 × 12 band or chair dips (shoulders down, elbows back), 90 sec rest—skip if shoulders feel beat up.
• Coaching: If the third “4” fails, finish the round with knee push-ups and note it for next week.

Day 3 — Explosive & core

• Main set: 6 × 6 hands-release with explosive press (still controlled landing)—75 sec rest.
• Core: 3 × 12 dead bug (slow), 45 sec rest between.
• Coaching: Quality reps only—no bouncing off the floor.

Day 4 — Peaking practice

• Warm-up: Easy 2 × 8 push-ups.
• Main set: 3 × submax sets at ~80% of your Week 2 Day 1 max (e.g. if max was 30, do 3 × 10–12) with 2 min rest—stop each set with 2 reps in reserve.
• Optional: 1 × 20 sec max perfect HRP in the last minute of the session (stop at first form break).
• Coaching: No training to failure in the 48 hours before an official HRP test.

Rest rule: Minimum 1 full rest day between Days 1 & 2 and between 2 & 4 if you feel sore. Sleep 7+ hours for strength adaptation.