Doing push-ups for four weeks won’t make your chest muscles thicker, even if you get stronger at doing them.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2018 Mar

The study found that doing progressive push-ups for four weeks made men stronger but didn’t make their chest muscles thicker — which is exactly what the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness

Score: 46

DOI: 10.1519/jsc.0000000000002345

Similar Assertions

If you do progressive push-ups for 4 weeks, you’ll get much better at doing more push-ups—about 2.5 more levels—compared to just lifting weights on a bench, which only helps you get about 0.8 levels better.

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82%

After nine weeks of lifting weights—whether heavy or light—men who work out casually don’t get bigger pectoral muscles, even though other muscles in their body do grow. This might mean some muscles just don’t respond the same way, or maybe they’re not doing the exercises right.

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78%

Doing push-ups three times a week for a month can make you stronger at bench pressing—about 3.4% stronger—and it works just as well as lifting weights on a bench press machine.

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78%

Doing push-ups that get harder over time can make your arms and chest stronger—even without any weights—so it’s a good option if you don’t have gym equipment.

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74%