There is no magic number. There is a right number for you, and a simple way to raise it.
Short answer: do a number you can repeat tomorrow. Test your best single set. Our rule of thumb: do two sets of half that number every day. If you are starting out, that usually means 10 a day in 2 sets of 5. Add reps only when the current number feels easy with clean form.
The World Health Organization guidelines (2020) and the NHS physical activity guidelines ask adults to do strength activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week. The NHS names push-ups as one example.
Two things follow from that. First, the guidelines set a minimum number of days, not a number of push-ups. Second, push-ups mainly work the chest, shoulders and arms, not the whole body. Pair them with squats for the legs and hips, a pulling exercise such as pull-ups for the back, and leg raises for the abdomen.
Warm up for a few minutes. Then do as many push-ups as you can in one set, with good form: body in one straight line, chest close to the floor, arms straight at the top. Stop when your hips sag or you can no longer go all the way down. That count is your best set.
Our rule of thumb for a daily number: two sets of half your best set. Your daily total is then about the same as your best set, and each set stops well before you fail.
| Your best set | Each day | Daily total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 sets of 5 | 10 |
| 16 | 2 sets of 8 | 16 |
| 20 | 2 sets of 10 | 20 |
| 30 | 2 sets of 15 | 30 |
| 40 | 2 sets of 20 | 40 |
Is your best set under 10? The same rule works: a best set of 6 means 2 sets of 3. Or do 2 sets of 5 as incline push-ups: hands on a kitchen counter or a sturdy table, body straight. The lower the surface, the harder the push-up. Move to a lower surface, and then to the floor, as the sets get easy.
This plan starts at 10 a day. If 10 is too many today, start with the 30-day plan on our push-up page, which begins at 1 rep.
| Weeks | Daily total | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 10 | 2 × 5 |
| 3–4 | 14 | 2 × 7 |
| 5–6 | 20 | 2 × 10 |
| 7–8 | 30 | 3 × 10 |
Move to the next row only when the last set of your current row feels easy, with clean form, for 3 days in a row. If it does not, stay where you are for another week. That is not failure; that is the plan working. Test your best set again at the end of week 4 and week 8, and use the best-set table if your new number calls for more.
Yes, if the number is moderate. The guidelines ask for strength work on at least 2 days a week and do not set an upper limit. What makes daily push-ups work is the size of the number: sets that stop a few reps before you fail are easy to repeat the next day.
If your chest, shoulders or wrists are still sore, do half your sets that day, or switch to incline push-ups. Keep the habit, lower the number. Sharp pain in a joint is different from tired muscles: stop, and talk to a doctor or a physiotherapist.
100 push-ups a day is a popular challenge. Unless your best set is close to 50, 100 a day means many sets spread through the day, and a jump from 20 a day to 100 a day is hard to keep up. Treat 50 or 100 as a destination, not a starting point: when your daily total feels easy for two weeks, add 5.
A 2019 study in JAMA Network Open followed 1,104 active male firefighters, average age about 40, for 10 years. The men who could do more than 40 push-ups at the start had a much lower rate of cardiovascular disease events than the men who could do fewer than 10.
The study shows a link, not a cause, and it looked only at active men. It is not a reason to chase 40 reps. It is a good reason to keep a simple test of your strength, and to repeat it now and then.
A health note. This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart, blood pressure or joint condition, or you are coming back from an injury, ask your doctor before you start.
StreakUp is free to download and use. Log each set as you finish it, and your sets add up to a daily total. Push-ups get their own streak and calendar, and the stats show your weekly, monthly and all-time totals, so you can see when it is time to move to the next row of the plan.
Start with 10 a day, in 2 sets of 5. If 5 full push-ups in a row are not possible yet, do them as incline push-ups with your hands on a kitchen counter or a sturdy table. Add reps only when the current number feels easy with clean form.
It is a good start and an easy habit to keep. It is not a full strength routine: WHO and NHS guidance asks for strength activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week. Push-ups cover the chest, shoulders and arms, so add squats, a pulling exercise and a core exercise.
Yes, with a moderate number. Stop each set a few reps before you fail, and do fewer or easier push-ups on days when you are still sore. Pain in a joint is different from tired muscles: stop, and ask a doctor or a physiotherapist.
There is no single standard. A 2019 study of 1,104 male firefighters found that the men who could do more than 40 push-ups had a much lower rate of cardiovascular disease events over 10 years than the men who could do fewer than 10. It shows a link in active men, not a cause. Use it as a reason to test your best set now and then, not as a target.
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