FREE Two Week Protocol for Pullups and Pushups (Increase 50-100%)

What is a FREE proven resource any PT Test Taker can use right now to crush fitness tests?

Since the mid-1990's, I have on certain occasions recommended someone try the Pullup Push and the Pushup Push Protocols to help increase their pullups and pushups respectively. Depending on your current progress in these two calisthenics exercises, you could see an increase in 1-2 minute fitness tests by anywhere between 25 to 100% in 14 days! Obviously, an improvement from 20 pushups to 40 pushups will be easier than 40 pushups to 80 pushups, so the range in improvement depends on your current max. 

This is one of many ways to utilize the Overload Principle:

With calisthenics, you can use this overload principle by doing more sets and repetitions supplemented into your current workout daily.  We will be increasing the volume with a system of repetitions and will help build muscle stamina (strength-endurance). The only difference with this routine is you will be asked to do pullups / pushups daily for 10 days straight - THEN take a 3 day rest from pulling or pushing exercises and then test on day 14.  Try it out - you simply add the reps to your current workout.  Check out the details below:

PULLUP PUSH PROTOCOL

Take your current pullup max effort score and multiply by 5.  That is your daily number of pullups.  So if you can do 10 pullups in one max rep set and fail at 11, then you need to do 50 pullups a day in a total repetition count of your workouts. See chart below as to how to manage ODD / EVEN days: 

ODD DAYS:  Supersets OR pyramids:

These are your normal pullup workouts and your goal pullup number is to be completed in a single workout period.  Shoot for several max rep sets in this workout to push your maximum efforts.  I like to take my goal number and try to achieve that number in as few sets as possible. 5-8 sets is a good goal.  The fewer sets you have to do shows that you are building muscle stamina and endurance. To get better at pullups, you have to turn a traditional strength exercise into an endurance exercise - especially if you want 20+ reps. 

EVEN DAYS:

Do your total maximum pullups x 5 anyway you can throughout the day and NOT in a single workout.  Do small repetition sets until you reach your goal pull-up number in non-failure sets.

Rotate for the next ten days from odd day workout options and even day pull-up supplement, then take three-four days off from doing ANY pull-ups.  Test on day 14-15 and let me know your results. Remember, this is a supplemental program, so if you are doing pullups and pushups in your regular workouts, these totals count toward the daily amounts.  Mainly just add pullups

Push yourself and you can quickly perform better on your pull-up test. You can fit this type of program into your present workout plan by just adding 25-50 pullups on your rest days so you do a ten-day routine of pull-ups.

PUSHUP PUSH PROTOCOL

Take your current pushup max effort score and multiply by 4.  That is your daily number of pushups. So, if you can do 50 pushups in one max rep set and fail at 51, then you need to do 200 pushups a day in a total repetition count of your workouts. See chart below as to how to manage ODD / EVEN days: 

On ODD days: 

Do pushups (or your max X4) in as few sets as possible (max rep sets) completed during a workout session.  You can still do upper body workouts on these days if you are on a program already.  This is a supplemental program that simply adds pushups to your regular workout program using maximum repetition sets 

On EVEN days: 

Do pushups (or your max x 4) throughout the day. This can be little sets of ten done every half hour or 40-50+pushups done four times throughout the day.

RULE:  If your maximum is under 50 pushups (do no more than 200 pushups a day).  If your maximum is 60-75, 250-300 pushups a day is fine. BUT I would not attempt this workout if you are in the 80 pushups zone currently.  Your answer is to do a normal split routine of upper body exercises every OTHER day with maybe a pyramid, super set, and a max rep set workout once a week.

Repeat the ODD / EVEN routine for a total of 10 days. Then take 3-4 days off and do NO upper body pushing exercises that work the chest, triceps, and shoulders.  Then on day 14, give yourself the pushup test (1 or 2 minutes depending on your PFT).

Sample: Take your current max, say 50, multiply by 4 to equal 200.  That is your daily total.

Some Rules:

After this 2 week supplemental plan, I would not try it again.  Go back to an every OTHER day approach to high volume calisthenics and make them an upper body and lower body split similar to these free workout weeks:

Three Favorite Workouts to Crush the PT Test

Classic Military PT Test Week of Training / Article and Video

I would not attempt this workout if you are in the high teens of pullups or 80+ pushups. That is too much daily volume in my opinion and will see minimal gains. 

Can you do both at once?  Some have seen progress with that option, but these were not made or tested when doing both at the same time.  My advice is to do pullups for 2 weeks and pushups for 2 weeks and see how you do in one month's time on both. 

The best response are those under 40 pushups and those under 10 pullups. We have seen many 50-100% increases coming from this level in 14 days using this supplemental workout.

This is a supplemental workout - that means you need to be running, swimming, lifting, doing leg days, etc.  Do not just do pushups / pullups ONLY for 2 weeks - that is a waste of 2 weeks of training. 

I would not recommend this workout more than once every six months, since it is rather challenging on the same muscle groups repeatedly. 

When it comes to pullup and pushups, what is an innovative phone app every PT Test Taker needs to know about if they want to crush fitness tests in the very near future?  Yes there is an APP for that too and helps you keep track of your daily totals!

The Pullup Push - Pullups APP

The Pushup Push - Pushups APP

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