July 11, 2025, 9:05 am | Read time: 7 minutes
Regularly doing push-ups shapes your upper body. Or does it? Well, it’s not quite that simple. There are many parameters to consider. This is why determining the right number of push-ups for muscle building isn’t easy and is quite individual. Fitness expert Markus Bremen shared with FITBOOK author Tony Poland what truly matters.
Push-ups improve our overall basic fitness, and the bodyweight exercise also trains the arms, shoulders, chest, and back. While one person might focus more on strength or endurance, another might aim to become visibly more defined. Of course, you can pursue multiple goals simultaneously. It’s crucial to adhere to certain principles; otherwise, the push-ups you complete are wasted effort, and you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t see results. The number of push-ups is just one of many criteria–and how many push-ups you need for visible muscles (assuming you eat healthily and not too calorie-rich) varies depending on your fitness level. While some achieve a lot with ten push-ups a day, others need to plan for more push-ups daily. Personal trainer Markus Bremen explained the details to us.
Overview
The Right Expectations
More power, improved posture, a more stable core, and well-defined shoulder and chest muscles: Push-ups are excellent for all these aspects. At least, if you seriously want to pursue these benefits and stay committed. It’s essential to have patience and even plan for minor setbacks. But with the right mindset, success comes quickly, and motivation is easier to maintain.
“Visible successes can simply be muscle definition in the upper body, improved body shaping, or just a higher frequency in arm and core muscles,” says Markus Bremen. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, doing many push-ups also increases strength and stability.
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The Key to Success
There is a magic word for sustainable results, and it is simply: consistency! Regular push-ups and increasing difficulty to introduce new training stimuli help the body gradually change positively. But: It doesn’t happen overnight, so stay committed and overcome resistance! “Of course, there will be an adaptation process,” Markus Bremen points out. To keep the body adapting, you must continually surpass this effect.
Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced: The Right Number of Push-ups per Day
How many push-ups are needed daily to make continuous progress? Well, there is no universal number. Everyone has a different starting level or conditions, ranging from fitness level to age and weight.
Beginners can try about 10 to 20 push-ups per day, ideally several times a week. This would be a solid foundation to build on. You can divide them into multiple sets, taking a short break in between.
But: More is not always better! If you start to perform poorly halfway through the workout, you’re not doing yourself or your body any favors. Incorrect or half-hearted repetitions don’t build muscles but rather bad habits, possibly incorrect strain, and even injuries. So, focus on proper execution of each push-up. Quality always trumps quantity! This applies to almost every fitness exercise…
“Basically, I would categorize this into beginners, intermediate, and very fit. Beginners should do between 10 and 20 push-ups per day, divided into two or three sets. For intermediates, I recommend about 30 to 50 daily, perhaps in sets of 10, and for the advanced, about 50 to 100 push-ups a day,” advises Markus Bremen. However, even for the personal trainer, the number depends on quality. “Clearly, even with push-ups, you achieve much more with perhaps ten perfectly executed push-ups than with about 50 quick ones,” says the expert. The goal is clean and deep push-ups with a full range of motion!
Why Rest Periods Are So Important
Those who train daily or frequently should definitely allow for recovery and not constantly push to exhaustion. Muscles need time to grow and develop during recovery periods. Therefore, it’s advisable to include less strenuous days or even a rest day per week. Afterward, the body is refreshed, and you can tackle your workout with full energy.
“It also depends on the performance level. As a beginner, you naturally take breaks; I would recommend two training days followed by a rest day,” says Markus Bremen. “For intermediates, then three to four training days, and for the advanced, there’s nothing against daily push-ups,” says the expert.
To continue achieving success, you need to reach a certain number at a certain level to maintain the stimulus. “That’s why I often use a maintenance day as my so-called recovery day. And on the other days, I try to train above the threshold to keep progressing,” Markus Bremen shares from his own experience.
This Push-up Variation Is Particularly Effective
Push-up pros like Markus Bremen, who does 50 to 100 push-ups daily, also incorporate various variations into their workouts. This can be 50 repetitions in a row, two sets of 25, or four sets of 25 if more time is available. “There are also great protocols for static holding, where I have 30-second intervals. Then I hold the top position for 30 seconds and go down for 30 seconds. So you only have one complete push-up, but you hold it for an extremely long time,” he explains. The special thing about it: “It’s almost more intense for building strength in the joint than just doing regular repetitions!”
How the Body Changes
If you are disciplined, it will eventually show. During the first week, this might manifest as muscle soreness in the shoulders or arms. The body then reacts to the new strain. After about ten days, the movements should become smoother and more stable, and the core gradually adapts.
In the second or third week, you should slowly notice improved posture and a bit more definition in the arms and chest. This results in a strength increase that can already be noticeable in small everyday activities. Perhaps carrying grocery bags suddenly feels easier?
In the fourth week, provided you continue to perform the repetitions correctly and perhaps even incorporate a few small variations, you should notice some differences in the mirror when looking at your upper body compared to day one. “After four weeks, there should definitely be something there. This could be slightly rounded shoulders, a suddenly visible vein, or a bulge in the middle chest,” Markus Bremen lists. But: “Every body reacts differently and adapts differently. There are no fixed points that will definitely change or grow,” he emphasizes.
Important to Note!
Sure, push-ups are one thing for muscle building and visible abs. But they’re just a small part of the truth. Equally crucial is the body fat percentage. If it’s too high, you’ll never see muscles. The workout alone can’t burn enough fat if you constantly eat sweets or fast food before or after. This means: Be sure to maintain a healthy diet, get sufficient and restful sleep, and, if possible, incorporate cardio training. This results in a real magic formula.
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Conclusion: Building a Habit Is More Important Than the Number.
Rather than chasing any number of repetitions, you should integrate push-ups firmly into your daily routine. But if you need a number as a guideline, doing 20 or 30 a day is a good start. If you feel good and strong enough, there are hardly any limits upward. But only if proper execution is possible.
Just as important as push-ups are a healthy lifestyle and a generally active way of life. After at most four weeks, you’ll feel a change in your body. The mere number doesn’t make you stronger, but the habit, paired with discipline, does.