Pushing yourself to do 100 push ups a day sounds like a bold challenge, but is it really worth it? Just like other extreme diets, like dry fasting or water fasting, there are always dangers to going to the extreme for quick results. The truth about daily high-rep routines isn’t always so straightforward. You can’t expect to achieve quick results by simply pushing yourself to the limit.
In this article, we break down the real benefits, potential downsides, and whether this popular challenge is right for you.
We’ll take a closer look at the benefits of doing 100 push-ups a day, and some potential downsides you might face when suddenly increasing your push-up rep count.
Key Takeaways
- Push-ups are a highly effective bodyweight exercise that engages the chest, triceps, shoulders, and also strengthens the core and back muscles when done with proper form.
- Performing many push-ups consistently can improve upper body strength, muscular endurance, and overall fitness levels, helping to establish a regular exercise habit.
- Doing 100 push-ups every day without rest can lead to muscle imbalances, overuse injuries, and fatigue due to lack of recovery time.
- Beginners should avoid jumping straight into 100 push-ups daily.
- o build overall strength and prevent plateaus, combine push-ups with other exercises like pull-ups, squats, lunges, planks, and push-up variations.
What Is a Push Up?
A push-up, like its name, involves you lowering and raising your body from a high plank position by extending and bending your arms. Unlike other popular gym exercises like squat, bench, and deadlift, a push-up is a body-weight exercise. It is considered one of the most complete upper-body exercises. This is because a push-up is able to target major muscle groups per rep, including the chest, shoulders, and triceps, as well as your core muscles.
What Is the 100 Push Ups a Day Challenge?
Done over 30 days, the challenge is in its name. Those who attempt the challenge will need to complete 100 push-ups every single day, for 30 days straight. This is done as a way to achieve your fitness goals by building endurance (with the high rep count) and muscle strength.
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While doing 100 push-ups a day is good for muscle growth and building endurance, doing the same exercise this intensely can have several drawbacks. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of doing several push-ups a day for a long period of time:
Pros of Doing 100 Push Ups a Day
a) Improves upper body strength
Push-ups are one of the best body-weight exercises in terms of the muscles that they engage. Doing push-ups allows you to engage the main muscle groups, such as the chest, triceps, and shoulders. In fact, when compared to bench press training, a progressive push-up training routine can lead to a more significant increase in upper body strength. So much so that participants in a randomized, controlled trial had the ability to do more pushups compared to bench press after a period of 4 weeks of training [1].
b) Strengthens the abdominal and back muscles
Cross-sectional evidence from one study revealed that push-up tests are positively associated with better cardiorespiratory fitness, trunk muscle strength, and endurance [2]. This is despite pushups mainly working the chest and arm muscles. In fact, trunk muscle strength increases with a push-up due to the plank position that is required. For instance, when you are in the starting position of a push-up, you would need to squeeze your “abs” (core muscles) in order to stabilize the lower back and maintain the proper form without compromising the position of your body.
Cons of Doing 100 Push Ups a Day
a) Can lead to muscle imbalances
Unsurprisingly, doing high repetitions of a single exercise, or simply focusing on the “number” of push-ups without proper form, can create uneven muscle development. For example, in a study done with 296 athletes specializing in overhead sports such as handball, water polo, or volleyball, the strength ratio for the external rotation to internal rotation (ER/IR) was found to be in deficit. This deficit has been linked to shoulder pain, a reduction in stability, as well as an increased risk of injuries [3].
b) Risk of muscle strain or overuse injuries
Similarly, excessive and repetitive exercise can increase the risk of overuse injuries without proper rest days. For instance, a large cohort study found that up to 51% of young conscripts had suffered from overuse injuries, plus the added risk of severe injuries for those with low levels of physical fitness [4].
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To repair and grow your muscles, you would need to have adequate rest and recovery. Without sufficient rest for recovery, performance may plateau, and it can cause an increase in injury and fatigue.
Doing 100 push-ups a day, every day, without allocating recovery time in between can result in delayed-onset muscle soreness and increased stress on the joints.
Should You Attempt 100 Push Ups a Day?
For beginners, jumping straight into 100 push-ups daily may be too demanding and can increase the risk of shoulder, wrist, or elbow strain. Instead, it’s best to start with a more manageable target and gradually increase the repetitions over time.
This allows your muscles, joints, and tissues to adapt to the exercise safely.
Alternatives to Doing 100 Push Ups a Day
So, is doing 100 push-ups a day worth it? Probably not.
Instead of doing the same exercise for a month straight, you can try making it interesting by switching up your routine with variations of the regular push-up or other exercises that target the core and lower body. Popular variants of the push-up include the negative push-up, wall push-up, and incline push-up. These exercises also work the muscles targeted in a regular push-up, albeit a bit differently.
Regardless of what exercise you choose to incorporate in your push-up routine, exercising will be able to build overall strength, prevent plateaus, and grow your muscles efficiently than being sedentary!
The Final Takeaway: Exercising Safely
Challenging yourself with workouts like 100 push-ups a day can feel like a good push, but balance is still of utmost importance. If you are looking to strengthen your entire body, you need to do it safely by incorporating a variety of exercises, giving yourself time to recover, and listening to your body.
If you want to track your progress and create a balanced workout plan, Eato can help. The app allows you to log and sync your exercises with Apple Health integration, monitor nutrition, and spot trends over time so you can stay on track and train smarter. Try it today for free!
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