The Study
Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain
This study is like a fair race between two ways to get stronger: doing push-ups and doing bench presses. Both groups got stronger in their chest and arms, and neither was clearly better — so we can say they probably work about the same. But we can’t say this is true for everyone, like girls, older people, or pro athletes.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups of guys trained for 8 weeks—one did push-ups, the other did bench presses—both using light weights that felt easy but they pushed until they couldn't do more.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 546 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—push-ups can build chest and triceps strength and size just like bench presses, but not biceps.
- 2You still need weights to grow your biceps with this method.
- 3Both groups got stronger and their chest and back arm muscles got thicker.
- 4Only the bench press group got thicker biceps.
- 5Neither group got better at throwing or doing more reps.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness
Year
2017
Authors
N. Kikuchi, K. Nakazato
Related Content
Claims (5)
If you do push-ups or bench presses with light weights until you can't do another rep, twice a week for two months, your arms and chest will grow just as much — so push-ups can be just as good as gym machines for building muscle, if you push yourself just as hard.
You can make push-ups easier or harder by changing how you do them—like bending your knees or putting your hands on a raised surface—to match the same effort as lifting 40% of your max bench press weight, so you can still build strength without any gym equipment.
If you're a young guy who's never lifted much before, doing push-ups and light bench presses until you can't do any more, twice a week for two months, will make you just as strong on the bench press as if you were lifting heavier weights — and you don't even need dumbbells or barbells.
Doing push-ups with light weights until you can't do more doesn't make your biceps bigger, but doing the same kind of light-weight bench presses does — so your arms respond differently to these two exercises.
Doing light weight exercises until you can't do any more for 8 weeks won't make your arms stronger or more powerful if you're new to lifting — you probably need to lift heavier or move faster to see real gains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.