Push ups to build strength, not mass...

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Ok so for the past couple months i've been doing push ups without a specific routine, not having any prior knowledge about how many push ups are too little or too much and how too much can hinder strength gains. So id say i can do 35-40 push ups without stopping. Can someone give me some advice or an idea on a new push up routine i can start implementing without hindering my strength gains but gradually increasing them??? thanks in advance folks....
 
have a small child sit on your shoulders while you do push ups.

seriously. to gain strength you need more weight, and the ideal rep range per set is 3-6 reps to focus on strength (vs. mass).

this is why bodyweight exercises only get you so far...you have to increase the weight being moved.

you could buy a weighted vest, but those are costly and you have to keep buying more weights for them.
 
If you don't have kids, use an old backpack and put heavy things (rocks) in it. Stick to doing 5 sets of 5 reps, but keep increasing the weight. By doing this, you're basically simulating a bench press.

When you say increase your strength, I take it to mean the amount of weight you can lift. While I'd say that the more push ups you can do, the stronger you are, it's probably more accurate to say you've increased your endurance.

While you're at it, throw in some pull ups so you won't develop an imbalance.
 
However much weight makes it difficult to do 6x6. It'll take some trial and error, but you'll figure it out.
 
so if i do this but sacrifice my endurance, that wouldnt be a good idea ah? So wut if i workout like 5 times a week and 2 of those days i do as many push ups up or like 300-500 so i can to keep my endurance up? Or would that not be such a good idea?
 
also, i must add, im doing these 6 x 6 push ups very slow, is that how it should be done? and how long should i rest in between sets?
 
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You should push quickly to generate explosive power. But going down slowly is fine. If I were you, I would do them 3-1-1: go down for 3 secs, 1 sec stay at the bottom and 1 sec to push.
 
If you want to start working strength with push ups, you need to decrease the leverage to make the movement more challenging. As others have posted, you can only get so much strength from doing standard push ups, but you can vary the leverage by performing push up variations such as one arm push ups, one arm and one leg push ups, dive bomber push ups, one arm dive bomber push ups, hand stand push ups, etc. These are all effective strength builders
 
Newb said:
so if i do this but sacrifice my endurance, that wouldnt be a good idea ah? So wut if i workout like 5 times a week and 2 of those days i do as many push ups up or like 300-500 so i can to keep my endurance up? Or would that not be such a good idea?
Click to expand...

Well, that all depends on your goals. I'm pretty sure you can do both, but if you only did 6x6 with heavy weight, you'd get stronger in that you could lift more weight with a single lift, but I think your endurance would suffer. Which may or may not be a bad thing, depends on what you're looking to achieve.
 
alright i got everything down, thanks alot for the help fellas, my last question before i implement this new regimen is, how long should i rest in between sets? You guys said long rest periods, how long do you suppose?
 
For strength, rest for as long as needed until you feel "fresh" again. Remember if you want to be strong you have to practice being strong, performing sets while you are winded or not fully recovered is not practicing at your strongest
 
1 to 2 minutes between sets at the most.
 
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