I Took On A 30-Day Banded Push-Up Challenge: Here’s How It Went

Push-ups have always been my go-to exercise whenever I’m traveling or don’t have much time. Multiple push-up variations exist, each of which requires little set-up time and little equipment. Because of this, I perform them on the go to work on my body composition, muscular strength, and mobility. 

In previous challenges, I’ve tried bicep push-ups, scapula push-ups, and handstand push-ups. I’ve also looked at the benefits of doing push-ups every day for a week and had great success. 

In this challenge, I’ll be performing banded push-ups every day for a month. I’ll start with three sets of 20 every day and go from there. I’ll also look to increase the band resistance to see how far I can push myself. These are my banded push-up benefits after a month!

Doing Banded Push-Ups Every Day For A Month — My Experience 

I decided to keep a weekly diary throughout the challenge to give you a better idea of what to expect. I checked in regularly so you can see how my experience changed as the challenge progressed. Alongside this, I detailed potential barriers I overcame. 

Week 1

At the start of week one, I was quite excited to progress the normal push-up movement. I’ve tended to use different variations rather than more weight to increase my training intensity. So, this is a method of progressive overload I’m keen to explore. 

I’m very familiar with the normal push-up movement. Therefore, I don’t think I need to spend this week learning it. I’ll jump right into my sets and see how I go.

One thing I like about the banded push-up is how versatile the movement is. All I need to do is carry a small resistance band around in my bag and come down into a high plank. 

I have multiple resistance bands meaning I can also increase the intensity as a way of push-up progression. This is another scalable aspect I’m excited about. 

At the end of the week, so far so good. The banded variation feels a lot harder than the normal one and I love the constant resistance the band provides. It adds a more unforgiving element that requires you to focus on the correct technique to get the repetitions.

Week 2

I’ve completed week one with no issues. Therefore, it’s time to increase the intensity. This method of progressive overload without weights is so easy to do. I’m going to add an extra set and see if I can handle the volume. If that goes well, I’ll increase the band resistance.

Even though the movement is simple, using the band really increases the intensity. Although I’m classed as an intermediate lifter, I feel that the intensity is enough to improve my upper-body strength. Banded push-ups feel like a great upper-body strength exercise. 

The resistance gets harder as you extend your elbows to the starting position. So, this feels like a great way to increase my lockout strength. Hopefully, this will improve my bench press performance.

It’s the end of week two and I’m halfway through the challenge. I struggled a little with adding the extra set. However, my general form is still pretty good. Therefore, I’ll keep the volume the same but increase the intensity with added resistance in week 3. 

Week 3 

Using the resistance band with variable but constant resistance is a great way to improve my explosiveness. I’m going to focus on slowly lowering to the ground before powering up quickly. Changing my lifting tempo in this way should help.

I’ve started to feel the strain at this point in the challenge. My upper body is quite sore, even at the beginning of each day. I probably should have added rest days to avoid overtraining. 

One thing I’ve noticed is that my tricep muscles feel bigger. I think the constant resistance and bigger volume have improved their size. I have pretty small arms so I’m really pleased with this benefit.

At the end of week three, I managed to do four sets of 20 repetitions with the higher resistance. However, I did struggle and needed to take breaks during some sets. Because of this, I’m going to keep everything the same for week four and see if I notice more changes.

Week 4

With only one week left, it’s time to make a final push to complete the challenge. I feel like my joints are healthier and more stable. This has made the movement slightly easier as the challenge progressed and reduced potential injury risk.

Because I’m feeling quite sore this week, I’ve decided to split the sets up a little more. I’ll do one set of 20 repetitions and five sets of 15 repetitions. This means I’ll perform the same exercise volume but hopefully reduce the potential fatigue.

At the halfway point in week four, splitting the sets up more has helped. I’ve been able to focus on my form with fewer struggles. 

If I were to do this challenge again, I would probably only focus on one thing at a time. Increasing the volume and intensity and changing the lifting tempo have been hard, even though I’m fairly experienced. For me, this is too many progressive overload methods at once.

With this, I would say that banded push-ups provide an excellent way to progress your bodyweight training. While the movement is simple, the added resistance provides a challenge. Add them to your training and enjoy the versatile benefits they offer!

Results And Key Changes 

Some of the results and key changes were a welcome surprise in what was an enjoyable challenge. These are the main five I experienced out of many throughout the four-week period.

I Increased My Strength Level And Muscle Size

Improving strength levels and muscular size tend to be the two main goals for many exercisers. Training intensity is key for improving muscular strength while training volume is key for muscular size. These refer to the difficulty of exercise and the amount of work performed, respectively. 

The normal push-up movement uses body weight as resistance. Volume is commonly increased up to a certain point after which weight is added. This makes it a useful exercise to work on these components of fitness.

Speaking of training volume, check out this article if you’re wondering how many push-ups should I be able to do. We look at the different factors to consider in more detail.

The banded push-up variation uses a resistance band to increase the intensity. Alongside increasing the volume, this method of progressive overload is a great way to improve strength levels. Because of this, four weeks of performing banded push-ups increased my strength levels and muscular size.

My Lockout Strength Felt Better

The bench press movement is one of the big three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that develops muscular strength and power. Therefore, it’s commonly included in many powerlifting and hypertrophy programs.

The bench press can be split into several distinct phases, one of which is the lockout. This happens as you extend your elbows to a fully flexed position when pushing the bar away. During this, the tricep brachii muscles take over as the primary movers.

Adding bands to the normal push-up movement increases the intensity of the lockout when pushing away from the floor. This also involves full elbow extension to complete the movement. 

With this, four weeks of dedicated banded push-ups improved my tricep strength and function. At the end of the challenge, my lockout strength felt better. 

My Joint Health And Stability Improved

Joints are the connections between your bones and muscles that allow them to move and function. Good joint health means they can move freely with a lower risk of injury.

The elbows are some of the most commonly injured joints when weight training, accounting for 11% of all injuries. With this, the health of the elbow joints and surrounding muscles and bones should be a main focus.

The push-up movement requires high degrees of elbow flexion and extension. The elbows bend when lowering to the floor and straighten when pushing up. 

Adding a resistance band to the normal movement provides a great way to increase the exercise intensity. At the end of the challenge, this increased intensity improved my joint health and stability. I felt more confident when bending and straightening my elbow joints. 

Banded push-ups are a great bodyweight movement that provides a safe exercise option to improve joint function when performed correctly.

I Felt More Explosive

Explosiveness refers to being able to generate the maximum amount of force in the smallest amount of time. This combination of speed and power allows for dynamic, explosive movement patterns. When correctly applied, this may help to improve performance in strength and power-based sports like Olympic lifting and sprinting.

Banded push-ups provide variable resistance. As you push up to the top position, the bands stretch and increase the resistance. This offers a great plyometric exercise to work on aspects of speed and power generation to improve explosiveness.

During the challenge, I performed a slow downward movement before powering up when pressing through the floor. This provided a great way to improve my explosiveness using a bodyweight movement. It should benefit similar explosive movements, such as when pushing an opponent away during sports like rugby.

My Core Strength And Endurance Were Challenged

Core strength refers to the ability of your pelvis and spine to maintain the correct alignment during movement and activity.

Core endurance is the ability of these muscles to maintain their function over a sustained period. Both are vitally important for sports performance, exercise, and everyday activities. 

Maintaining the straight body position during the push-up requires suitable core strength and endurance. Adding the resistance band increased the intensity to provide a further challenge. 

Performing banded push-ups for four weeks challenged my core strength and endurance. At the end of the challenge, I felt like my core strength and core stability improved. My core endurance got better too.

Each of these improved my overall function during tasks of daily living and activity. Banded push-ups are a convenient bodyweight exercise that can help with well-rounded development. 

How To Do A Banded Push-Up 

How To Do

1. Find a suitable padded area or mat in an open space. Stand straight and bring a resistance band around your upper back. The middle should be just above your shoulder blades with an end in each hand.
2. Assume a high plank position on the floor. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width with your shoulders stacked over your hands. There should be a straight line from your head to your heels.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and lower to the floor by bending your elbows. Pause briefly at the bottom position before your chest touches the floor. 
4. Inhale and push through the floor with your hands to come back to the starting position under control. Keep your elbows tucked in while using a neutral head position throughout. 

Tips

• Keep your core engaged throughout to maintain a stable exercise position. Avoid letting your hips sag or back come up at any point. This correct exercise technique allows target muscle focus.
• Your elbows should stay tucked in throughout the movement. Avoid letting them flare out at any point to minimize potential elbow stress.
• You should perform a suitable warm-up before each session. This should consist of aerobic exercise and some dynamic stretches that work the same primary movers. In this case, it would be your chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles. 
• Make sure the band is secured at the correct points before initiating each set. This prevents possible injury from the band moving out of place.

Final Thoughts

Banded push-ups are an excellent functional movement to improve multiple aspects of performance. Adding the resistance band offers a convenient way to increase the exercise intensity. This gives you a versatile bodyweight movement that can be performed anywhere and adapted to your ability level. 

While the challenge was hard, the benefits I experienced made it worth it. If you enjoy a challenge and love bodyweight training, this is the movement to try. Add it to your workout and see what you think!

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