Here's how it works:
- Begin in a standing position.
- Drop to a push-up position and do one push-up.
- Stand back up quickly.
- Drop back down and do two push-ups
- Stand back up.
- Drop back down and do three push-ups, then stand back up.
Repeat this pattern until you do 10 reps on the last set of push-ups. So, you'll end up doing a total of 55 push-ups, standing up between sets, and trying not to rest. Or barf.
- Goal 1. Just try to finish all the sets. If you do, then congratulations, you're adequate. Whoopie.
- Goal 2. Finish all the sets in under two minutes. Do that and you can brag. A little.
- Goal 3. Now it gets personal. From this point on, try to beat your previous time. Or, get a few buddies together and see who finishes first.
Use a full range of motion on the push-ups. None of that halfway stuff. Most people "hit a wall" around the 7th or 8th set, so don't get too cocky when set 6 feels easy. Pride comes before the fall. If you have to rest more than a few seconds between sets, you fail. Try again another time.
Take the Texas Push-Up Challenge on an off day, or do it first thing on the day you train chest or upper body. You may want to truncate your chest workout a bit though since you'll be doing 55 intense reps of push-ups at the beginning of your normal workout.
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