The “Half Your Max” Method for Pushups and Squats: Low Stress, Real Progress

One of my daily habits is what Pavel Tsatsouline calls “morning recharge”: a set of simple calisthenic exercises such as Sun Salutations, Hindu squats, and Hindu pushups—not for strength, but as “health restoring calisthenics” and daily maintenance.

According to Dr. Andrew Huberman, morning exercise boosts mood, focus, and motivation by increasing dopamine and aligning the circadian rhythm, especially when combined with sunlight exposure. It enhances sleep quality, reduces stress, and promotes habit consistency. Training early also supports hormonal balance and fat metabolism.

I follow Pavel’s Super Joints recommendation of doing reps matching your age—in my case, currently 49 pushups in one set, and 98 squats (legs feed the wolf—Indian wrestlers always double the number for squats).

Contrary to what most people do – training to failure in a manner of notoriously known “what does not kill me, makes me stronger”, I train to success – I “avoid (or at least delay) the unfavorable internal conditions…that lead to failure or prevent continued work at the required intensity.”

This is the philosophy of so-called anti-glycolytic training.

How to do it?

Let’s say you’re my age, and you need to work up to 49 pushups—or maybe you’re training for a test at your martial arts school or in your police unit—how do you get there smoothly, following our Strong Endurance principles and the ideal of Health & Strength?

I use the “half your max” method: test your repetition maximum, divide it by half, and do as many sets as needed to meet your total target.

Example:

Let’s say you want to work up to 49 reps.
You test your max and get 24 clean pushups.
24 ÷ 2 = 12
Do 5 sets of 12 (total: 60 reps—your target of 49, plus some spare change).

Stick to it for 2–4 weeks, then retest.

Let’s say you now hit 36 good reps. Proceed in the same manner:

36 ÷ 2 = 18
Do 3 sets of 18 (54 reps total—your target of 49, plus some spare change).
A 2-day on, 1-day off schedule is recommended. The simplest way to avoid potential overuse issues is to vary the grip slightly—either a bit wider or a bit narrower.

You’ll find the proper technique and other program options in our GGP: The Great Gama Protocol.

If you want to embark on a full-year comprehensive transformation program covering mobility, flexibility, strength, endurance, daily habits, and mindfulness, please check out THE FORGE.

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