Proven program, faithfully implemented
One Hundred Push-ups
One Hundred Push-ups is a six-week programme with exactly one exercise in it. Three sessions a week, five sets each, and every session ends on a rep-out. What makes it unusual is that the programme re-tests you and moves you between columns as you go — after weeks two, four and five you take a max set, and the result decides which numbers you run next. ⚠ The hundred itself is not in the six weeks; it is the test you take afterwards.
About the program
Created by: Steve Speirs — hundredpushups.com — the six-week training programme, week 1 to week 6.
- Creator: Steve Speirs — hundredpushups.com
- The initial test: Take the test that picks your level
- His book: 7 Weeks to 100 Push-Ups
Who it's for
- Best for: A single, concrete push-up goal — conditioning and endurance rather than strength or size.
- Experience: Beginner to intermediate. It scales from a handful of push-ups upward, and needs no equipment at all.
- Time: Six weeks, three sessions a week. Sessions are a few minutes long.
How you can run it
One Hundred Push-ups runs three ways, and you pick which one when you start it — Iron Forge builds the sessions to match. All three run 3 days a week.
- Level 1 · fewer than 5 push-ups in the initial test
- Level 2 · 6–10 push-ups in the initial test
- Level 3 · 11–20 push-ups in the initial test
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Iron Forge fills in the exact weights for you from your maxes. Shown below: the Level 1 · fewer than 5 push-ups in the initial test layout — see “How you can run it” above for the rest.
One Hundred Push-ups
Day One
- Push-Up
Day Two
- Push-Up
Day Three
- Push-Up
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Six weeks, three sessions a week, one exercise. Five sets a session through week 4; from week 5 the second and third days break into eight and then nine shorter sets.
The last set is a rep-out
Every session ends on a set the source writes as 3+, 9+ or 60+. The printed number is the floor, not the target — take it as far as you can.
⚠ Re-test, and change column
The three columns are re-drawn as you go: weeks 1-2 use <5 / 6-10 / 11-20, weeks 3-4 use 16-20 / 21-25 / >25, week 5 uses 31-35 / 36-40 / >40, week 6 uses 46-50 / 51-60 / >60. So after weeks 2, 4 and 5 you re-test, and the result names the column you follow next — your position does not carry over. A level is fixed for the life of a cycle here, so re-test on those days and start again at the level your result names.
The hundred is not in the programme
Week 6 finishes on a rep-out in the 40s or 50s. The hundred itself is the author's separate final test, taken after the six weeks are done.
One Hundred Push-ups in Iron Forge
FAQ
- Which of the three levels do I pick?
The author's initial max-rep test decides it: under 5 push-ups is column 1, 6-10 is column 2, 11-20 is column 3. A result of exactly 5 lands in column 1 here — his bands leave it unassigned, and rounding down is the conservative reading.
- What does the + mean on the last set?
It is a rep-out. The number printed is the minimum, not the goal — the source writes 3+, 9+, 60+ throughout, and the last set of every session is taken as far as you can go.
- Why does my level not change when I re-test?
⚠ This is the one place the app does less than the source. He re-tests you after weeks 2, 4 and 5 and moves you between columns; a level is fixed for the life of a cycle here, so a mid-programme re-assignment cannot be expressed. Re-test on those days as he says, and start a new cycle at the level your result names.
- Why does the rest keep changing?
Because he prescribes it that way: 60 seconds throughout week 1; 60, 90 and 120 in weeks 2-4; and 45 seconds on the eight- and nine-set days of weeks 5-6, where the sets are shorter and there are more of them.
- Why do weeks 5 and 6 have so many more sets?
The volume is redistributed rather than added. Days two and three of week 5 break into eight sets, and week 6 into nine — shorter sets, shorter rest, more of them.
- Will I be able to do 100 push-ups at the end?
The programme takes you to a rep-out in the 40s or 50s at the end of week 6. The hundred is the author's final test that follows it, on its own — it is not one of the eighteen sessions.
- How often do I train?
Three times a week for six weeks — eighteen sessions in all, with a day off between each. The rest between sets is prescribed and the rest between sessions is not, so take more than a day if you need it; the table does not care what the calendar says.
- Nothing changes when a session goes badly. Is that right?
Yes. The six-week table is the programme, and nothing you log rewrites it — the same eighteen sessions are waiting whatever happens on the day. The only thing that moves you is the author's re-test, which is a decision you make rather than something the app infers. If a week beat you, run it again before going on.
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