How do you train to max pushups on an APFT?

What I do to help me max my pushups I do Diamond Pushups until I can no longer do it. Take a 30 second rest, do regular pushups until exhausted, take a 30 second rest, and the pushups where the arms are just outside of your shoulder with. Do this 2 times a day spacing it every other day. I increased my pushups by 10. Let me know if this helps you at all

Beginning in January, I started maxing my push-ups and beyond that. There are several things I did. First, I stop doing push-ups unless its at work. Push-ups are a waste of time and they can be counter productive unless other cross training methods are used such as a chest machine or hitting up the free weights on a bench. Another thing I did was lowering my body fat from 22 or 23 to 7 percent. My numbers improved every where not just in push-ups. My eating habits are on point. I reduced my sugar and simple carbs and raised my complex carbs. So far I am consuming nearly 500g a day of complex carbs. I have become a beast at 39 years old. I went from doing 50 to 60 push-ups in 2 minutes to doing 90 push-ups. My sit-ups went from 70 to nearly 90 in two minutes. My run has even went into the 13s in 3700 feet above elevation. My weight training in the gym consist of working upper, lower and lower at least once a week. I do some sort of cardio training nearly every day and it might be running on one day, or biking or low impact cardio machine. I am running over 10 miles now. I take my health and fitness very seriously now.

I was a fairly lanky guy as well and used to do different hand placement about every 20 or so. This would help work different muscles throughout the 2 minutes. I think as long as your hand doesn't move from the ground you are good.

What you gotta do is widen your arms out so you don't have to travel as far and you are still meeting the standard.

I always maxed my push ups, and still would have time left. Go to the gym and work on declined bench press (head lower than the body) and flat bench press. I took a fellow NCO to the gym while we were deployed to Bosnia, and worked on this. He was amazed how simple the push up event became.

If you are alloweddueing the test, (I was, as were all in my unit), keeping your hands flat on the deck, you can slide them to reposition them slightly further apart, creating an angle with them I will put more focus on your chestand less on your arms. I always started the first minute with a close placement, which works the arms more and minimal chest, then for the second minute/ last, I reposition at an angle and slightly further apart, which again puts more work on chest and less on arms.

As someone else mentioned below, do 20 and then go to a rest position for several seconds. Believe it or not, a lot of stress can impact poor performance. Have your overwatch tester annouce the time, realtime, to you.

I would do the following: (push-ups are done per second, 1pu in 1 second.)

Push 20 fast( but clean!) then rest 5, the. push 10, then rest 5, then push 5, and rest 5. (Or 10).
You now have 35 done and should be feeling warmed up, and have ten seconds left in your first minute, if you only rest for 5 on your last set.

Do the same for your last minute.

As SGT Manuel said, core exercises will help tremendously as you are using your core to maintain the "proper" front leaning rest position.

Go at YOUR pace, which you should have already established well before test time. Have a battle buddy test you and work out your own rhythm and pace. Do this every other day, at least three times a week so it becomes muscle memory. Now then, just apply that rhythm and pace (yours) come test time. Profit max pts

Bench press and plank until you die... But seriously, total upper body strength is key to push-ups, not just focusing on arms, shoulders, and chest. Core is essential.

If you can do wider arm pushups the travel will be less, making it easier to max. Unfortunately, this uses your muscles differently, but you might want to consider it.

p90x works wonders trust me

Planks will definitely help I would also have someone place extra weight on your back ie 10lbs starting and build from there.