Push-Up Progression: 60 to 80 Reps
The 60-to-80 push-up bracket is the middle tier of the NSW progression, for candidates who max between 60 and 80 reps. This is comfortably above the 50-rep PST minimum but still short of the competitive range. The guide prescribes 4-5 sets of 20-25 reps, for 80-125 total reps per session.
What This Bracket Means
A 60-to-80 max puts a candidate solidly past the minimum with room to spare. It is the bracket most people occupy for the longest stretch of a preparation cycle, because the gains that came easily below 60 slow down here. The guide keeps the set count at 4-5 but pushes reps per set to 20-25. The extra reps per set build the muscular endurance needed to hold a fast pace through the back half of the two-minute test. Candidates at this level should also start thinking about pacing strategy for the PST, not only raw capacity.
The Daily Workout
Complete 4-5 sets of 20-25 push-ups on 4-5 days each week, resting 1-2 minutes between sets, for a session total of 80 to 125 reps. Sets of 25 done with strict form are demanding at this level, so it is fine to run 4 sets of 20 early in the bracket and grow into 5 sets of 25. Keep the lowering phase slow. The guide notes that placing the hands anywhere other than beneath the shoulders stresses the elbows, so the standard hand position stays the default even when variations are added for variety.
Testing and Moving Up
Test one all-out set about once per week under PST conditions and log it. Cross into the 80-to-100 bracket once the max set hits 80, which is where competitive PST scores begin. Because progress slows in this range, a candidate who has been stuck at 70 for a month should look at sleep, food, and total weekly load before adding sets. More push-up volume on top of the prescribed 80 to 125 reps rarely fixes a plateau and usually causes shoulder or elbow pain instead. Trust the bracket and give it time.
Daily prescription for this bracket
| Sets | Reps per set | Total reps |
|---|---|---|
| 4-5 | 20-25 | 80-125 |
At this level the PST becomes a pacing problem. Practice a steady rhythm for the full two minutes instead of sprinting the first thirty seconds and stalling.
Related Terms
The 80-to-100 push-up bracket is where a candidate's max set enters the competitive PST range. Competitive push-up scores start around 80-100 reps in two minutes, so this bracket marks the transition from qualifying to standing out. The NSW guide prescribes 3-4 sets of 30-40 reps, for 90-160 total reps per session.
The 40-to-60 push-up bracket covers candidates whose max set falls between 40 and 60 reps. It straddles the PST minimum of 50, which makes it the bracket where a candidate first becomes eligible to qualify. The prescription is 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps, for 60-100 total reps per session.
Push-ups are a foundational upper-body calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). In BUD/S preparation, push-up training follows a progressive volume approach where daily targets scale based on the candidate's most recent PST max.
Progressive overload is the training principle of gradually increasing the demands placed on the body over time. In the NSW preparation program, progressive overload is applied systematically — cardio distances grow week over week, calisthenics rep targets scale with PST performance, and strength training loads increase as the candidate adapts.
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