Push-Up Progression: Under 40 Reps
The under-40 push-up bracket is the entry level of the NSW calisthenics progression, for candidates whose current max set is fewer than 40 push-ups. The guide prescribes 5-6 sets of 10-15 reps, for 50-90 total reps per session, performed 4-5 times per week.
What This Bracket Means
A max set under 40 push-ups sits below the PST minimum of 50, so the first job is building a base rather than chasing speed. The NSW guide addresses this with volume spread over many short sets. Six sets of ten reps is a full workout at this level, and every rep should be slow and controlled, with the lowering phase taking at least twice as long as the press. Form built here carries through every later bracket, so there is no reason to rush. Candidates in this bracket often improve quickly because the muscles involved respond fast to consistent, submaximal work.
The Daily Workout
Perform 5-6 sets of 10-15 push-ups, resting 1-2 minutes between sets, on 4-5 days of the week. Pick a rep count you can complete on every set with clean form. If the last set falls apart, drop the reps per set rather than the number of sets. The total for the session lands between 50 and 90 reps. Pair the push-ups with sit-ups and pull-ups in the same session, as the guide's Push-Sit-Pull block does, and keep the work separate from upper body strength training on the same day so the chest and triceps are not exhausted twice.
Testing and Moving Up
About once a week, perform one max set of push-ups with PST form: palms under the shoulders, body straight from head to heels, elbows to right angles on every rep. Record the number. When that max set reaches 40, move to the 40-to-60 bracket and its higher rep targets. Do not skip ahead early. A max of 35 trained at 40-to-60 volume produces sloppy reps and sore elbows, not a faster jump. Patience in this bracket is what makes the next one work.
Daily prescription for this bracket
| Sets | Reps per set | Total reps |
|---|---|---|
| 5-6 | 10-15 | 50-90 |
Under 40 usually means the lockout or the bottom position is weak, not the whole movement. Hold the bottom for a full second on every rep this week and watch the max climb.
Related Terms
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.
PST standards define two thresholds for each of the five Physical Screening Test events: a minimum score that qualifies a candidate to enter the Naval Special Warfare pipeline, and a competitive score that reflects the level successful candidates actually arrive with. The gap between the two is the target of the 26-week preparation program.
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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