Can Pushups Build Muscle That Is Strong?

I get this type of question all the time and it's a very good one. Can pushups really build a lot of muscle and if so, is it strong muscle? What you will learn is that, like everything, the answer really depends on the person and the situation! I know, nothing is every easy!

First, it's important to understand what is meant by "strong". The human body really is incredible at adapting to its environment. You get a stomach bug and your body fights it and adapts to it. You become a stronger person and are immune to that stomach bug once you develop antibodies. Well, weight training is sort of similar. In weight training terms, I could define "strong" as the amount of weight you can lift once. This would be called absolute strength. I could also define strength as how many times you could perform a certain activity, such as a push up. This type of strength is called strength endurance.

Let me give you the best example of sheer absolute strength I can think of. Have you ever seen weight lifting in the Olympics. The are actually called the "Olympic lifts". What I am referring to is the clean and press, and the snatch. These lifts require a significant amount of weight be lifted from the floor and held over head in various fashions. If you look at the athletes in the light weight classes, they are very lean an muscular and sometimes don't even weigh 170 pounds yet they are moving more than twice their body weight! Contrast this with professional bodybuilders that achieve almost grotesque muscular physiques that are enormous. Does this mean they are much stronger than the Olympic lifters? Not necessarily since most bodybuilders focus on higher repetitions and not absolute strength. Of course, anabolic steroids complicates the discussion but that is way beyond the scope of this article.

Now that we have some context, I can start answering questions. Do you want to build strong chest and arm muscles with pushups? The type of strength that would allow you to push a car out of the ditch in the winter time? In order to accomplish this, you need to provide your body with progressively heavier loads. This is how the body is forced to adapt and increase strength and muscle size. Using only push ups would make it difficult to increase absolute strength beyond your ability to push your own body weight. There is a solution though!

One must increase the training load over time to force the muscular adaptations required to build absolute strength and muscle size. Using pushups, this can be accomplished through various training implements such as weights vests, bands and chains. Chains? Yes, that's right! Have someone drape heavy tractor chains across your back while you perform push ups. This is an advanced technique and certainly not required for most individuals.

My favorite progressive resistance technique for pushups is the use of bands. You can purchase giant rubber bands of various widths from weight training stores (my favorite is elitefts). These bands are "hooked" across your back and across each hand palm. These bands are able to provide tremendous resistance that will allow you to increase your absolute strength significantly. Yes, pushups can build muscle!