Tom Rowland | Six-Week Pushup & Sit-Up Improvement Program | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 407

In this Physical Friday episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, host Tom Rowland shares a proven six-week pushup and sit-up improvement program that he personally used to prepare for GoRuck Selection and SealFit Kokoro. Whether you're preparing for military fitness tests, first responder physical standards, or working toward a personal New Year's resolution, this tested program has helped countless people dramatically increase their pushup and sit-up numbers. Tom breaks down the exact weekly progression, explains why understanding your specific standards is absolutely critical, and reveals the one mistake that causes people to fail tests even when their numbers are high enough. The system is simple, it works, and it's designed to be repeated until you hit your target numbers.

The Foundation: Understanding Your Standards

Before Tom even gets into the numbers and weekly progression, he makes one thing absolutely clear: understanding the exact standards you're training for is more important than the program itself. He's seen people train for months, get their numbers sky-high, and then fail tests because they didn't know the specific requirements. Does your chest need to touch the ground, or just come within a fist's height? Do your elbows need to break 90 degrees, or do they need to rise above your shoulders? Army sit-ups and Navy sit-ups are completely different movements. Tom emphasizes videotaping yourself to ensure you're meeting the standards during training, because showing up to an event and getting no-repped on every single pushup means all that work was for nothing. The critical importance of standards and how to verify them starts at 4:12.

The Initial Test: Establishing Your Baseline

The program starts with a simple two-minute max test. Set a clock, do as many pushups as you can in two minutes to your required standard, then rest and repeat the test for sit-ups. Tom uses 50 reps as his example number for easy math throughout the explanation. This baseline number becomes the foundation for your entire six-week program—every workout percentage is calculated from this initial test score. What makes this test so important isn't just getting a number, but getting an honest number using the exact standards you'll be judged by when it counts. How to conduct the baseline test and why it matters starts at 4:51.

The Six-Week Progression System

Tom's system is brilliantly simple but requires discipline. Week one starts with 30% of your max—so if you hit 50 pushups in your test, you're doing 15 pushups every minute on the minute for five minutes, then finishing with a max set of as many as you can do in one minute. That's Monday and Wednesday. Friday bumps to 35%. Week two starts at 35% and moves to 40% by Wednesday and Friday. Then comes the crucial moment: week three is retest week. Your number will have gone up, maybe by one, maybe by ten. That new number becomes your baseline, and you start the cycle over—30%, 35%, 35-40%, retest. The pattern repeats every two weeks. The complete weekly breakdown with specific percentages starts at 6:47.

Why This Program Works and How to Extend It

Tom is clear that this isn't some revolutionary program he invented—it's a tried and true method many people have used successfully. What makes it effective is the progressive overload combined with frequent testing that keeps your training percentages accurate to your current ability. If you don't hit your target number after six weeks, Tom's answer is simple: start over again with your new baseline. Test, get your number, start at 30%, progress through the weeks, retest. He used this exact program multiple times for both GoRuck Selection and SealFit Kokoro, and his numbers went up significantly each cycle. The twelve-minute total workout time (six minutes for pushups, six for sit-ups) means this fits into anyone's schedule. Tom's personal experience with the program and how to continue beyond six weeks starts at 11:25.

Final Thoughts from Tom

I've used this program multiple times, and it works. It's not fancy, it's not complicated, but it gets results. The key is consistency and honesty with yourself about the standards. I've seen too many people show up to events with high numbers but poor form, and they fail because they didn't train to the actual standard. Don't let that be you.

What I love about this program is that it's scalable. Whether you're starting at 20 pushups or 80 pushups, the percentages work the same way. And the retest every two weeks keeps you honest and shows you the progress you're making. There's something powerful about seeing those numbers go up every two weeks—it builds momentum.

If you're preparing for a fitness test or just want to improve your pushup and sit-up numbers, give this program a shot. Text me at 305-930-7346 if you have questions. And listen to the whole episode—I break down the exact progression and explain why each piece matters. This one's straightforward and actionable.