The pushup is the classic upper-body exercise. And most calisthenics programs focus on building to higher repetition work, but StrongFirst focuses on strength. The Hard Style pushup progression to the one-arm pushup is a worthy journey, but how can we keep the strength focus with the traditional pushup? Just add a band. According to a study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research1, when a 6RM load/intensity is equated between the bench press and the pushup, similar strength gains and muscle activity can be achieved. The research used an elastic band and testing to find a 6RM load for the pushup and then a training protocol of 6/5 with four minutes rest trained two times a week for five weeks and the same testing and training protocol used for a Smith Machine bench press. EMG was also used to confirm the muscle activation levels between the bench press and pushup. The results showed similar strength gains between the groups. | 
