The Study
Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness
This study shows that if you do push-ups that get harder over time, your arms get stronger — just like doing bench presses. But we can’t say it works the same for everyone, or that it makes your muscles bigger.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if doing harder and harder push-ups can make you as strong as lifting weights.
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 strength like weights, even without equipment, and make you better at doing more advanced push-ups.
- 2Push-ups made men 3.4% stronger on bench press and improved their push-up level by 2.57 levels.
- 3Muscle size didn't change.
- 4Medicine ball throw didn't improve.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2017
Authors
Christopher J Kotarsky, B. Christensen, Jason Miller, K. Hackney
Related Content
Claims (5)
Doing push-ups for four weeks won’t make your chest muscles thicker, even if you get stronger at doing them.
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.
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.
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.
If you're a guy who's already fairly fit and you do push-ups or bench presses for four weeks, your ability to throw a medicine ball while sitting won't get any better.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.