Push-Ups vs Bench Press: Which Builds Strength?
General information: This article is general information about push-ups and strength training and how an app works. It has not been reviewed by a dietitian, doctor or qualified trainer, and it is not a substitute for their advice.
No gym, no bench, only a mat at home: can push-ups do the job of the bench press? This page checks what trials that compared the two report, and what a force-platform study found about push-up variations, so you can progress without equipment.
The short answer
For upper-body strength, it can, in short trials: two small randomised trials found strength gains from push-up training, and one found them similar to bench press training, as long as the push-up is hard enough. A 5-week randomised trial (Calatayud et al., 2015) found similar strength gains from 6RM bench press and 6RM band push-ups, and a 4-week randomised trial (Kotarsky et al., 2018) found both a push-up group and a bench press group increased their bench press 1RM (its abstract gives no between-group 1RM comparison). The catch is load: a plain push-up is the same weight every time, so you progress by changing the variation.
What the research says
- Similar gains, band push-up vs bench. In the 5-week randomised trial (Calatayud et al., 2015) of 30 university students with advanced resistance-training experience, muscle activity (EMG) was not significantly different between a 6RM bench press and a 6RM elastic-band push-up. After 5 weeks both training groups improved their 1RM and 6RM significantly and similarly, while a control group did not change.
- Progressive push-ups vs bench. In the 4-week randomised trial (Kotarsky et al., 2018) of 23 moderately trained men (14 push-up, 9 bench, 3 days a week), 1RM bench press rose significantly in both groups. A push-up progression measure rose significantly more in the push-up group, and neither muscle thickness nor a seated medicine-ball put changed significantly within either group.
- Variations change the load. In a force-platform study (Ebben et al., 2011) of 23 recreationally fit people, push-ups with the feet elevated produced a higher ground reaction force than every other variation, and hands-elevated and knee push-ups produced a lower force than all the others. The authors say the data can be used to progress push-up intensity.
These are small, short trials in healthy young adults (the first with advanced lifters), so they describe averages, not what will happen to you. The findings do not say push-ups replace heavy barbell training for maximum strength.
A push-up ladder (our practical template)
The table below is our own reading of those studies, not a trial result.
| Step | Variation | Move on when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hands on a raised surface (the study used 30 and 61 cm boxes) or knee push-ups: each gave a lower force than a regular push-up (the study does not rank them against each other) | You can do 3 sets of 12 good reps |
| 2 | Regular push-ups on the floor | You can do 3 sets of 12 good reps |
| 3 | Feet elevated on a low box or step: the highest force in the study | Add reps; a higher step is our idea, the study did not rank step heights |
Train the push-up two or three days a week, as the 4-week trial did, and give yourself the rest between sets you need to keep every rep clean. A plan like the beginner home workout plan already includes push-up variations, the beginner gym plan lists the Dumbbell Bench Press and Incline Push-Up, and the progressive overload guide explains how to progress.
When to see a doctor or trainer first
If you have an injury, wrist, shoulder or other joint pain, a medical condition, are pregnant, or have not exercised for a long time, ask your doctor or a qualified trainer before you start, and do not push through pain. Stop and get advice if you feel chest pain, dizziness or sharp pain. A trainer can check your push-up form.
Setting up push-ups in NYUS
NYUS is an AI diet and workout coach. When you build your plan it asks "Where will you train?", and one of the options is Bodyweight only. On the workout screen you can log each set and use the rest timer, and each exercise shows what you did last time ("Last: ..."). NYUS does not decide which push-up variation is right for you: you choose when to progress.
Plan a bodyweight workout in NYUS
Tell NYUS you train with bodyweight only, then log each set. An AI diet and workout coach built around Indian food. 30-day free trial, then ₹499/month, no card needed to start. No ads, no data sold.
Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Can push-ups replace the bench press?
For upper-body strength gains they can, in short trials, if the push-up is hard enough: elastic-band push-ups gave similar 1RM and 6RM gains to bench press over 5 weeks, and progressive push-ups raised bench press 1RM over 4 weeks. The trials were small and short and do not say whether push-ups replace heavy barbell training.
How do I make push-ups harder?
A force-platform study found feet-elevated push-ups produced the highest force, and hands-elevated and knee push-ups the lowest. Our practical reading: start from the easier variation, move to regular push-ups, then raise your feet.
How many push-ups should I do?
The studies do not give one number. Our practical reading is 3 sets of up to about 12 good reps before you move to a harder variation, two or three days a week; the beginner home plan on this site uses 6 to 12 reps.
Do push-ups build muscle size?
In the 4-week trial, muscle thickness did not change significantly in either the push-up or the bench press group. The studies were short, so they do not say what happens over longer training.
Sources (read 23 October 2026)
- Calatayud et al., Bench press and push-up at comparable levels of muscle activity results in similar strength gains (J Strength Cond Res 2015) (abstract; DOI 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000589, PubMed 24983847, read 23 Oct 2026): 30 university students with advanced resistance-training experience; EMG no significant difference between 6RM bench press and elastic-band push-up; 5 weeks; bench and band push-up groups improved 1RM and 6RM significantly with similar gains; control unchanged.
- Kotarsky et al., Effect of progressive calisthenic push-up training on muscle strength and thickness (J Strength Cond Res 2018) (abstract; DOI 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002345, PubMed 29466268, read 23 Oct 2026): 23 healthy moderately trained men, push-up (n = 14) vs bench (n = 9), 3 days a week for 4 weeks; 1RM and push-up progression (PUP) increased in both groups, with the PUP increase greater in the push-up group (no between-group 1RM result in the abstract); no significant differences within groups for muscle thickness or the seated medicine-ball put.
- Ebben et al., Kinetic analysis of several variations of push-ups (J Strength Cond Res 2011) (abstract; DOI 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31820c8587, PubMed 21873902, read 23 Oct 2026): 23 recreationally fit people, six push-up variations; feet elevated produced the highest ground reaction force; hands elevated and flexed-knee push-ups the lowest.
- The push-up ladder, rep targets and practical rules are NYUS's own reading, not from a trial. App behaviour checked in the NYUS app on 23 Oct 2026.