Push-Ups compared to bench press - with calculator

 Push-ups compared to bench press

Have you ever wondered how you would compare the different types of push-ups to a barbell press?

Well I did but couldn’t find a good push-up to bench press calculator. So I did some research online, made my own calculator based on the actual load and verified the results.

Of course direct comparison is not possible because the two exercises are completely different but we can compare the loading parameters between barbell press and push-ups. So a fair warning if you can bench press 1.5x bodyweight you are not able to do one arm push-ups or the other way around. It just doesn’t work that way. But if you currently can do one arm push-ups with good form you could probably reach the 1.5x bodyweight bench 1RM relatively fast by practising the actual lift.

In the following we will look at:

• Strength standards - how much you should actually press to be intermediate or advanced

• 1RM vs 6-10RM for bodyweight exercises

• Push-up variations and actual load

• Top and bottom lockout difference

• Why the standard push-up doesn’t get you far

• Why is it hard to move from one exercise to a more difficult one?

• Loaded push-ups

• Actual load of push-ups - with calculator

Summary:

• 1.5x bodyweight press would be considered an advanced achievement. 1.2x BW would be Intermediate level.

• Two arm versions of the push-up (Kneeling, Standard or Decline) won’t get you to intermediate or advanced level. You’ll have to use at least one of the assisted one arm versions.

• The easiest exercise where Advanced strength level (1.5xBW 1RM) can be reached is with 10-12 reps of the decline Assisted One Arm push-up. By doing 2-3 proper One Arm Push-ups you would also reach the Advanced strength level.

• By using additional load at least 20% of your bodyweight the Two arm decline push-up allows you to reach intermediate strength level with 10reps. And advanced strength level with Assisted One Arm Push-up for 10 reps.

• For bodyweight training rep ranges between 1-5reps might not be functional for all so I suggest tracking the 1RM based on how many reps can be performed at a moderate rep range 6-10reps. Higher rep count  above 10reps does not predict your 1RM performance very well.

For those who are interested my current chest routine is:
Workout A 4 sets of Assisted One Arm Decline push-up with handles (for full ROM)
Workout B 4 sets of Weighted Chest dip
I can do 3 One Arm push-ups with chest touching the ground and with a pause at the bottom. For kneeling OAP I can do about 10 reps which is in line with the calculator I made. I could work my way up to 15 reps on Kneeling OAP to get my OAP to a decent rep range (6-8) But since the higher rep ranges don't correlate well with maximum strength better option would be to load the Kneeling OAP with ~5-10kg and work my way up to 8-10 rep range. This would get my OAP to 6-8 rep range.

Strength standards

First let's take a look how much we should actually be bench pressing in order to be strong enough to qualify as intermediate or advanced. According to different coaches:

Mark Rippetoe

Intermediate 1.1x BW

Advanced 1.6X BW

Elite 1.9x BW

Tim Henriques

Decent         1.3x BW

Good 1.5x BW

Great 2.0x BW

Martin Berkham

Intermediate 1.2x BW

Advanced 1.5x BW

Highly Advanced 1.8x BW

These numbers are 1 rep maxes (1RM). We should be aiming for at least to the Advanced level so pressing 1.5x BW would be considered a good achievement. 1.2x BW would be Intermediate. 1 rep maxes don’t well translate to different push-ups or bodyweight exercises since usually the load is way less than what our one rep max would be. So we have to estimate how much our 1RM actually is based on the weight lifted and repetitions we can do with that weight. 

Most commonly used formula is the Brzycki method. Different 1RM formulas have slightly different outputs but there is not much difference in between methods. Also there is individual variance between athletes so essentially using any formula we are just guessing what the 1RM would be.

Brzycki 1RM ≈ w / (1.0278-0.0278r) 

w = weight used

r = repetitions completed with that weight

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-repetition_maximum#Brzycki

Let's find out how many reps we should do for given weight in relation to bodyweight to reach advanced level (1.5x BW). Lets add 1.5 x BW as our 1RM to Brzycki formula to find out how much weight we should lift for given number of reps

Some basic math for all of you:

1.5 x BW = w / (1.0278-0.0278*r)

w = 1.5 x (1.0278-0.0278*r) x BW 

1RM = 1.5x BW (Advanced level)

2RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*2) = 1.46 x BW

3RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*3) = 1.4 x BW

4RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*4) = 1.38 x BW

5RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*5) = 1.33 x BW

6RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*6) = 1.3 x BW

7RM ~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*7) = 1.25 x BW

8RM~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*8) = 1.2 x BW

9RM~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*9) = 1.15 x BW

10RM~1.5*(1.0278-0.0278*10) = 1.1 x BW

In perspective if our goal would be to bench press 1.5x bodyweight for a single then our 8 rep max would be around 1.2x BW. Or for example 10 reps with 1.1 x BW would be equal to 1RM 1.5 x BW

For the intermediate we can do the following:

1RM = 1.2x BW (Intermediate level)

6RM ~1.2*(1.0278-0.0278*6) = 1.05 x BW

7RM ~1.2*(1.0278-0.0278*7) = 1.0 x BW

8RM ~1.2*(1.0278-0.0278*8) = 0.95 x BW

9RM ~1.2*(1.0278-0.0278*9) = 0.93 x BW

10RM ~1.2*(1.0278-0.0278*10) = 0.9 x BW

1RM vs 6-10RM for bodyweight exercises

For bodyweight exercises I would suggest we look for performance between 6-10RM since this would be a realistic rep range for most. When we go higher in reps the correlation between the reps  performed and the actual 1RM becomes unclear. Also lifts below 6 reps might not be suitable for everyone so I prefer to stay in a moderate rep range to avoid injuries and keep form in check.

So for example athlete weighing 70kg in order to have 1.5 x Bodyweight press should be able to perform one of the following lifts to qualify as Advanced.

1RM = 1.5x 70kg (Advanced level)

6RM = 1.3 x 70kg = 91kg for 6 reps

7RM = 1.25 x 70kg = 88kg for 7 reps

8RM = 1.2 x 70kg = 84kg for 8 reps

9RM = 1.15 x 70kg = 80 kg for 9 reps

10RM = 1.1 x 70kg = 77kg for 10 reps

Push-up variations and actual load:

Let me list the exercises first so you will see the exact exercises and the correct form for them. The reason is that most people cheat in their push-up form by not going all the way down with their chest touching the ground and with a slight pause at the bottom. Especially with the one arm push-ups people cheat a lot and they are not reaching proper depth. The reason is that the one arm push-up load with proper form is equal to pressing almost 1.5 times your bodyweight. Most of the guys performing the one arm push-ups are not clearly strong enough.

Kneeling push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HxtxoXRFG0&t=20s

Standard push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WXc4E-zcao

Decline push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKPab2YC8BE

Assisted One Arm Push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyDBGkJWgZE

Decline assisted One Arm Push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h_JmZFGCxU

Kneeling One Arm Push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5MqJVsIYI

One Arm Push-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27nT550dXLc&t=510s

Now let's look at different push-up variants and their actual load. The numbers are based on research and averages. There is about +/-5% tolerance in the research numbers. The assisted one arm push-ups (OAP) I measured myself to give some idea what the load is since I could not find it in the literature. Assisted versions are difficult to compare since people use various forms. I prefer the straight arm assistance which provides minimal support and maximises the load on the working side.

Push-up load in relation to bodyweight from bottom position to top lockout

Kneeling push-up 0.60..0.55 x BW

Standard         0.73..0.68 x BW

Decline         0.80..0.75 x BW

Assisted OAP 0.96..0.90 x BW

Decline Assisted OAP 1.10..1.05 x BW

Kneeling OAP 1.20..1.10 x BW

OAP 1.45..1.35 x BW

As you see due to the mechanics top lockout load is about 5% less than in bottom position.

To reach intermediate in a reasonable rep range mentioned before we are looking for numbers in between 0.9..1.1xBW. The first exercise to fit this requirement is the Assisted OAP 0.96..0.90xBW. Performing a set between 8-10reps would get you to the intermediate strength level. Decline assisted OAP is already too heavy for the intermediates since the BW multiplier is 1.1..1.05x

To reach the advanced level in a reasonable rep range we are looking for numbers between 1.1..1.3 x BW. First exercise to fit this requirement would be Decline assisted OAP. By performing 10reps with this exercise we would be around advanced strength level. Kneeling OAP would get us to the advanced level with 9..10reps also. Doing about 1-2 reps of OAP would get us the advanced level.

From the previous we can see that standard two arm versions of the push-ups (kneeling, standard, decline) won’t get us to the intermediate level in a reasonable rep range. And the first exercise to get us to the advanced level would be the Decline assisted OAP.

Why is it hard to move from one exercise to a more difficult one?

Okay so here is what happens when you move from easier exercise to a more challenging one. The actual load you are pressing changes. If you were lifting weights you would usually increase the weight by 5kg for bench press. This would result in 2 reps less if your 1RM stays the same. 

So for example let's say you did 6 reps with 80kg. Now if you used 85kg you would only get about 4 reps. Both sets have the same 1RM based on the 1RM calculator.

For bodyweight exercises the load increases more. For example 70kg athlete increases the resistance by 5kg going from Standard to Decline push-up (51kg → 56kg change in load). But going from Decline push-up to assisted one arm push-up the load changes 11kg. This causes the reps to drop by about 4 when going from Decline push-up to assisted one arm version. That’s why the rep ranges should be a bit wider for some exercises so you have some headroom when you switch exercises. For example if you did 10reps of decline press you should now be able to do about 6 reps of assisted one arm push-up. Going from kneeling one arm push-up to full one arm push-up the load changes even more. 18kg for the 70kg athlete (25% load increase related to bodyweight).

Just to calculate the load increase for you:

Load change between exercises

Kneeling push-up 0.60..0.55 x BW

Standard         0.73..0.68 x BW → 0.13x BW increase

Decline         0.80..0.75 x BW → 0.07x BW increase

Assisted OAP 0.96..0.90 x BW → 0.16 x BW increase

Decline Assisted OAP 1.10..1.05 x BW → 0.14 x BW increase

Kneeling OAP 1.20..1.10 x BW → 0.10 x BW increase

OAP 1.45..1.35 x BW → 0.25 x BW increase

If you were to go from Decline assisted OAP to the OAP the load increases by 0.35x bodyweight. For 70kg athlete this would be 24.5kg increase in load.Using the 1RM estimation 10 reps of Decline Assisted OAP equals to 1 rep of OAP (1.45x 70kg = 102kg). Using the Kneeling OAP in between will help with the transition from Decline Assisted OAP. This prepares your core to meet the stabilization requirements and will get you used to single arm pressing. By doing 10-12 reps of Kneeling OAP will get you to about 3-4reps of OAP.

Loaded push-ups

We can make some push-up variants more useful by loading them with external load. Usually this means loading plates on your upper back or using a backpack as additional weight. Personally I prefer using a solid backpack with straps that lock the backpack in place to prevent the weight from moving around.There is a limit for additional weight which is somewhere between 10-25kg for most. So let's assume we can add around 20% weight related to bodyweight..

Loaded push-up load in relation to bodyweight from bottom position to top lockout with additional 20% of BW load added

Kneeling push-up 0.72..0.66 x BW 

Standard         0.88..0.82 x BW

Decline         0.99..0.90 x BW

Assisted OAP 1.15..1.10 x BW

Decline Assisted OAP 1.30..1.25 x BW

Kneeling OAP 1.45..1.30 x BW

OAP 1.74..1.60 x BW

Now the first variation to reach advanced level strength would be Assisted OAP with 10reps and lower intermediate level would be 10 reps with Decline push-up.

Also using moderate additional weight we can make switching exercises a lot more easier. Let's say you want to do OAP push-up but can do only 10reps of the Decline assisted OAPs. The transition is too hard since the load increases too much. If you use additional weight lets say 5kg on your Decline Assisted OAP and work your way up to 10reps you are more likely to succeed in the transition. For our 70kg athlete the 1RM for 10reps with additional 5kg would equal to about 4reps of OAP. Using more load such as 10kg for 10 reps would get us to a reasonable rep range of 5-6reps for OAP.

Push-ups load calculator:

I made this calculator to help estimating equal bench press load and to see the load difference between exercises. In order to use this calculator Save a Copy to your own drive

Push-up Load Calculator - Google Drive

• Enter Bodyweight

• Enter Working weight to calculate numbers for the loaded push-up

• One arm load calculated

• Equal two arm load calculated which would be equal to barbell press

• You can adjust the percentages if you want

• Load difference between exercises is calculated

• 1RM calculated based on reps you enter. Play around with the rep numbers and match the 1RM between exercises. For example to see how many OAPs you should be able to perform if you do 10 Kneeling OAPs. This will help you plan the transition between exercises so you won´t try to do harder exercise if you are not strong enough to stay in a moderate rep range

Just to leave you with some useful tips on training volume and rep ranges. Aim somewhere between 8-12sets per week with most of the work done in 6-10rep range to make progress. For single workout per week do 8-9sets and for two workouts per week do 4-6sets (totals 8-12 weekly sets)

Have fun progressing your push-ups toward the advanced level!

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