500 Pushups 1

500 Pushups

Built to Endure Training the Tactical Athlete CAPT Mike Prevost, PhD, US Navy

www.built-to-endure.blogspot.com and programs represented in this program or any of our training programs or other

CAPT Mike Prevost, PhD, US Navy www.built-to-endure.blogspot.com

© Copyright Michael C. Prevost, 2015. All rights reserved. Duplication and redistribution of unaltered copy is authorized. The content, in whole or in part is not to be offered for sale. Share it if you find it useful.

Disclaimer: The advice and information contained in this document may not be appropriate for all individuals. Therefore, the author, employees, company, affiliates, or any other parties involved in the creation or promotion of our products are not responsible for any injuries or health conditions that may result from advice, opinions, or information provided. The information on this website and in the training program is the opinion of the author and is not a replacement for medical advice. You should consult a physician before starting any diet or exercise program. If you choose to follow the program without consulting your physician, you are doing so at your own risk. We claim no responsibility for any injuries you might sustain. The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private opinions of the author and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the U.S. Navy or Department of Defense.

How to Build Tremendous Pushup Durability I spent several years as the director of the human performance laboratory at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). While at USNA, I also served as an exercise physiology consultant to the athletic department and to the Brigade of Midshipmen. During my years at USNA I helped many Midshipmen prepare for various tactical programs (i.e., BUD/S, USMC TBS, Ranger etc.). I had an opportunity to experiment with several methods before settling on one that seemed to work best. For many tactical schools, the ability to endure hundreds of pushups per day without injury is a necessary ability. Building that ability alone is simple. However, building that ability while simultaneously working on strength is more complex. It is really easy to wreck your shoulders if you are not careful. You can tolerate quite a bit of volume if the fatigue stimulus is managed. By structuring the pushup training in a smarter way, we were able to do both simultaneously. The program described here is set up for a program that includes strength training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (or 3 nonconsecutive days per week). It works equally well if you strength train on Monday and Friday only. If you train on other days of the week, you will have to adjust the program. 1. We set daily pushup volume at 250% of the one set maximum. This is a guideline and probably represents a “middle of the road” position in that it is a reasonable daily volume based on a max but doing up to 50% more or less would probably also work. One set maximum is the maximum number of pushups you can do with correct form in one continuous set. This is tested by doing one set, straight through until you cannot complete an additional repetition. No resting is allowed in either the up or down position. 2. We did a set number of pushups every day. We could have “waved” the volume but we wanted to keep it simple and we also found that waiving the fatigue stimulus was better than waiving the volume. This gives you one target to hit every day. 3. We did the same number of repetitions for each set on a given day (plus one last “clean up” set to get to the target number of repetitions). This was also a “keep it simple” solution. All you have to remember is the rep count per set for the day and the total. Cut a 10” piece of string and keep it in your pocket. Every time you complete a set, tie a knot in the string. It helps you keep track (you will lose count otherwise) and it serves as a reminder every time you put your hands in your pockets. 4. We put the greatest pushup fatigue stimulus on training days, and the lightest fatigue stimulus before and after strength training days. The fatigue heavy stimulus set the repetitions at 75% of your max and the recovery days used 30% or 50% (weekends). For the fatigue heavy stimulus days, complete all pushup sets within 2 hours. We recommend doing them in conjunction with strength training or immediately after. For the recovery days, spread the sets throughout the day “grease the groove” style. 5. Use perfect form for each and every repetition. No sagging hips or partial reps.

6. Increase the amount of “pulling” volume to offset all of the pushing volume. This can involve simply adding a few sets during the course of your normal strength training workouts. 7. Maintain flexibility across the pectoralis and deltoid muscles. Note: #5, 6 and 7 are critical and should not be ignored. Also, one of the weekend pushup days is optional. Skip a Saturday or Sunday pushup workout if you need the extra recovery. If you start to experience any nagging shoulder pain, you need to reevaluate your pushup form and will probably need to reduce volume. Most people were able to work their way to 500 with meticulous attention to form and not getting too greedy with volume. A conservative approach to increasing volume is best. When in doubt, don’t increase the volume. This is a long term solution and not a quick fix. Going from 100 pushups per day to 500 per day is more of a 6 month (or more) goal than a 6 week goal. More realistic is probably 1 year. Patient trainees will be rewarded with great progress and no injuries.

The tables below represent sample weekly programs based on the 7 principles we discussed. We provided enough examples to give you a general idea of what this structure looks like. You can stick to these numbers and progress only when you reach a new maximum on the table below, or you can interpolate and calculate your own numbers based on your maximum. Testing your maximum every 2-3 weeks is probably a good idea. When you test your maximum, rest plenty before your additional sets and complete the day’s volume with sets of about 20% of your maximum for the remainder of the reps, done “grease the groove” style.

About the Author Mike Prevost earned a PhD in exercise physiology from Louisiana State University in 1995. He specialized in muscle physiology and metabolism. Throughout his college years (10 years total) he worked as a personal trainer and coach in various gyms and fitness centers. He has trained athletes for many different sports including triathlon, ultra-running, surfing, power lifting, bodybuilding, mixed martial arts, football, basketball and more. After finishing his PhD, he took a commission in the U. S. Navy as an Aerospace Physiologist in the Navy Medical Service Corps. While serving in the Navy he developed human performance training material for the U. S. Special Operations Command. He developed new fitness standards for Navy rescue swimmers. He served as a consultant to the USMC in evaluating the safety of the USMC Combat Fitness Test. He also served on a Navy committee tasked with proposing alternatives to the Navy physical fitness test. He trained thousands of aviators and aircrew on survival techniques, physiology, and human performance. He also served as the Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the U. S. Naval Academy, where he performed physiological testing of athletes to improve performance, developed the Principles of Strength and Conditioning Course for all Midshipmen, and served as the director of remedial fitness training programs. He has over 25 years of experience in working with athletes.