If you can already do a handful of clean pushups and want that number to climb, "doing more pushups" comes down to one principle applied patiently: progressive overload on a bodyweight movement. You add reps by doing more honest volume over time, by getting genuinely stronger through the full range, and by recovering enough that the work sticks. This hub maps the proven methods — greasing the groove, ladders and pyramids, breaking plateaus, testing your true max, and programming it across weeks — and points you to the deep dive for each. (If you can't yet do a single full rep, start with the beginner progression instead; this page assumes you already have reps to build on.)
Start with your real max, not your guess
Every method below is measured against one number: how many strict, full-range pushups you can do in a single set to honest lockout. Most people overestimate it, because fatigue quietly shrinks their range of motion — the last few "reps" are half-depth and wouldn't count on a fair test. Before you program anything, run a clean max test: full lockout at the top, chest to roughly fist height at the bottom, no rest, and stop the moment your depth breaks down. That honest number sets your training percentages and gives you something real to beat in six weeks.
This is also where measurement earns its keep. Pushup RPG uses your phone's front camera to count only full-range reps — it reads depth and cadence on-device, so a shallow rep simply doesn't score. That makes your logged max and your whole rep history honest instead of a self-report, which matters enormously once you're chasing small week-to-week gains.
Grease the groove: reps from frequent, easy sets
The most reliable way to add reps without beating yourself up is to practice them often and never near failure. "Greasing the groove" means spreading many small sets — roughly 40–50% of your max — across the whole day, always stopping well short of fatigue. You're treating pushups as a skill to rehearse, not a workout to survive, and that frequent sub-max practice builds strength and coordination without the soreness that forces rest days. Research generally finds that training a movement more frequently drives strength gains efficiently, as long as each session stays fresh. The full prescription — how many sets, how far apart, and how to progress week to week — is in the grease the groove guide.
Ladders and pyramids: stack volume in one session
When you do want a single focused session, a ladder beats grinding straight sets to failure. You climb 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 reps (and often back down), resting briefly between rungs. Because every rung stays sub-maximal, you accumulate far more quality reps than you would by maxing out once and collapsing — and total honest volume is the main driver of more reps over time. Ladders and pyramids also scale cleanly: add a rung, shorten the rest, or run a second pyramid as you get stronger. Copy-paste templates and exact rest-per-rung rules are in the pushup pyramid and ladder guide.
When the number won't move: breaking a plateau
Stalling is normal, and it usually traces to one of four causes: your reps are secretly getting shallower, you never added real overload, you're piling on so much daily junk volume that you never recover, or a supporting muscle (triceps, serratus, mid-back) is the true limiter. The fixes match the cause — restore full range first, then add overload through slower tempo, a small deficit off two low handles, or a loaded pack, and program a deload week when everything feels heavy. Change one variable at a time so you can tell what actually worked. If you feel sharp joint pain in the elbow or shoulder rather than muscular fatigue, stop and let it settle before adding volume again.
Program it across weeks — and decide daily vs. rest
None of these methods pay off in a day. Expect meaningful jumps over roughly six to twelve weeks of consistent work, with your max climbing in uneven steps rather than a straight line. The most common question here is whether to train every day: frequent sub-max work like greasing the groove is fine daily and even helpful for the habit, but daily high-volume sets taken to failure tend to stall your reps and irritate the elbows and shoulders. A recovery-aware week — hard ladder or overload days spaced out, easy greasing in between, and at least one genuine rest day — will out-produce grinding to failure every morning. Pick one method as your engine, keep your form honest, and let the number climb.