Herschel Walker Workout Plan: Push Ups, Sit Ups, Sprints

Published November 6, 2026 · 19 min read

Herschel Walker won the Heisman Trophy, starred in the USFL and NFL, pushed a bobsled at the Olympics, and won two MMA fights in his late 40s. By his own account, he built that body with push ups, sit ups, and sprints.

This Herschel Walker workout plan covers what he actually did, where the sources disagree, and how you can train the same way at a volume your joints can handle.

Want to train like Herschel Walker, at a volume that fits your level? Get the free Superhuman Strength app.

The Herschel Walker Workout in 60 Seconds

The Herschel Walker workout is a high volume bodyweight routine built on push ups, sit ups, and sprints, later expanded with pull ups, dips, and martial arts. He started at 12, split his reps into short sets through the day, and has said in interviews that he trains without weights.

Those ranges are wide, and we explain why below.

Who Is Herschel Walker? A Quick Athletic Timeline

Walker grew up in Wrightsville, Georgia, and became one of the most versatile athletes in American sports. Here's the sporting record.

• 1976 to 1979, Johnson County High School: Football, basketball, and track. As a senior he ran for 3,167 yards and 45 touchdowns, and his team won the state title (EBSCO).
• 1980 to 1982, University of Georgia: Won the 1982 Heisman Trophy as a junior. His 5,097 rushing yards set an NCAA record for three seasons (Heisman.com).
• 1983 to 1985, New Jersey Generals (USFL): League MVP in 1985, the USFL's final season.
• 1986 to 1997, NFL: Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, then back to the Cowboys.
• 1992, Winter Olympics: Finished seventh in the two-man bobsled with driver Brian Shimer (Olympedia).
• 1999: Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
• 2010 and 2011, MMA: Beat Greg Nagy by third round TKO at 47, then Scott Carson by first round TKO at 48, both in Strikeforce (Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report).

After sport, he went into business and later public life.

How the Herschel Walker Training Regimen Started

Walker was not a natural athlete as a boy. In an NFL.com interview from around 2015, he said he grew up overweight, had a speech impediment, and was picked on.

The publisher's description of his 1985 book, Herschel Walker's Basic Training, says he was 5'3" and 100 pounds at 12. STACK reports that his older sister Veronica could beat him in footraces, which drove him even harder.

At 12, he asked local track coach Tom Jordan how to get stronger (EBSCO). In Basic Training, Walker recalled the advice simply: "He said to do push-ups, sit-ups, and sprints." (as quoted by Art of Manliness)

There were no weights at home or at school. According to Art of Manliness's account of the book, he trained on the living room floor, sprinted up the hill and dirt road in front of his house, and knocked out push ups and sit ups during TV commercial breaks at night.

The Academy of Achievement reports that in that first year he did more than 100,000 push ups and 100,000 sit ups. That works out to roughly 275 of each per day, every day, for a 12 year old.

Walker has also credited reading. In a 2018 Fox Business interview he said "my workout came from reading books," including one about a Marine who was devoted to push ups and sit ups.

The Herschel Walker Workout Routine, Broken Down

Push ups, sit ups, and sprints were the core from day one. Everything else, including pull ups, dips, squats, and martial arts, grew around them.

Push Ups

No number in Walker's story varies more. Bleacher Report (2010) put him at about 1,000 a day. NESN (2010) reported about 2,000. NFL.com reported he once did about 3,500 a day, then cut back to 1,500 after he started training for MMA.

He didn't just repeat standard reps. FitnessVolt's summary of his approach describes long runs of partial reps broken up by harder variations (feet raised, hands close together, one arm), slow full reps, and handstand push ups to finish.

The full numbers debate, claim by claim, lives here: how many push ups Herschel Walker did a day.

Sit Ups

Sit up totals usually run higher than push ups. In a 2013 WTOP interview, Walker said: "Every day I'm doing about 3,500 sit-ups, about 1,500 pushups every day."

Other reports agree fairly closely. Sports Illustrated put him at 3,000 sit ups a day at age 40 (2002), and SI.com reported up to 3,500 in 2014. NESN (2010) is the low outlier at about 1,000.

Summaries of his book describe a mix of bent leg sit ups, straight leg sit ups, leg raises, side crunches, and twists rather than one exercise done thousands of times.

Sprints

Running was always part of the Herschel Walker workout program. Hill sprints in the Georgia heat were the original cardio, and in high school he won state titles in the 100 yard dash, the 220 yard dash, and the shot put (Art of Manliness).

That didn't stop when football did. In 2013, WTOP reported a daily run plus a 15 to 25 mile bike ride. NFL.com said that before MMA, he was on a track almost every day. Want to mix running with bodyweight work today? See calisthenics and cardio.

Pull Ups, Dips, and Martial Arts

According to Art of Manliness, there was a chin up bar out back, so pull ups and chin ups soon joined the routine. STACK reports that at one point he worked up to 1,500 pull ups and 1,000 dips in a day.

Walker also holds a fifth degree black belt in taekwondo (Art of Manliness). Before his MMA debut, he trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose (Las Vegas Sun). NFL.com describes him working on gymnastic rings and the pommel horse well into his 50s.

Did Herschel Walker Lift Weights?

By his own account, mostly no. Asked by SI.com in 2010 whether he had finally started lifting, he said: "I don't know how to lift." Around 2015 he told NFL.com: "Still doing no weights. Everything has been body exercises."

The full picture is a little messier. Art of Manliness says he didn't start lifting weights until several years into his pro career, which suggests he did some weight work at some point. The same piece reports that he benched 375 pounds in a college team test without ever training the lift.

So the honest answer is this: bodyweight training was his foundation for over 40 years, and his own recent statements say he doesn't lift. He also told NFL.com he doesn't think weights are bad, only that too much weight can be harmful. For how that compares with gym training, see calisthenics vs bodybuilding.

Why the Numbers Don't Match

Nobody was standing next to Walker with a clicker. The numbers differ for some ordinary reasons:

• Different eras. A 12 year old, a college sprinter, an MMA fighter in camp, and a man in his 50s train differently.
• Different seasons. He cut his push ups from about 3,500 to 1,500 for MMA (NFL.com).
• Casual interviews. "About 1,500" on a red carpet is a rounded number, not a training log.
• Repetition and growth. Fitness sites copy each other, and big numbers tend to get bigger as a legend gets older.

The most consistent adult claim from 2002 to 2018 is roughly 750 to 1,500 push ups and 2,000 to 3,500 sit ups a day. Treat it as a range, not a record.

Why His Bodyweight Training Worked

Walker's results weren't magic. Several well-understood factors stacked up.

Effort builds muscle, not just load. A 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues found that light loads taken close to failure grew muscle about as well as heavy loads. Heavy loads still won for maximal strength.

Push ups can match a light bench press. In an 8 week study by Kikuchi and Nakazato (2017), push ups loaded to match a 40% bench press built chest and triceps thickness about as well as the bench press itself. More on that in how to build muscle with calisthenics.

Frequency builds skill. Short, frequent, submaximal sets are what coach Pavel Tsatsouline later called "greasing the groove." This mainly improves how efficiently your nervous system runs a movement. On its own, it does little for muscle size.

Consistency over decades. Walker trained almost daily for more than 40 years. Even modest daily work adds up over that span.

Sprinting and sport. He was a state champion sprinter and a full time football player. Art of Manliness quotes his own belief that doing many different sports and exercises is why he developed so well.

Genetics. Most people won't respond like a Heisman winner and Olympic bobsledder, whatever they do. That isn't a reason to quit. It's a reason to compare yourself with last month's you, not with him.

The honest limit: a 4 week study by Kotarsky and colleagues (2018) found push up training raised strength without measurable muscle growth over that short span. Bodyweight gains come, but they take months. See this month by month look at calisthenics body transformation.

Is the Herschel Walker Exercise Routine Safe for You?

Short answer: his volume is not safe for most people. Thousands of daily reps on top of a desk job, poor sleep, and no base of fitness is a fast route to an overuse injury.

Here are the main risks:

• Shoulders. Shoulder impingement is almost always an overuse injury from repetitive motion. Pain at the front of the shoulder is your first warning.
• Wrists. Hundreds of reps a week in full wrist extension adds up. Fists, push up handles, or rotating hand positions help.
• Lower back. Spine researcher Stuart McGill of the University of Waterloo has linked repeated loaded spinal flexion, as in sit ups, to disc bulging over time. The Canadian Armed Forces dropped the sit up from fitness testing after consulting experts including McGill.
• Mornings. McGill also notes that repeated bending is riskier soon after you get up, because your discs are fully hydrated.

How to keep it safe:

1. Keep every mini set well short of failure. Stop the moment form slips.
2. Raise your daily total by no more than about 10% per week.
3. Rotate push up variations and hand positions.
4. Replace some sit ups with dead bugs, planks, and hollow holds.
5. Save sit ups for later in the day.
6. Warm up before your first set. Try this calisthenics warm up.
7. Take at least one easy day a week. Wondering about daily training? Read can you do calisthenics every day.

If you have a heart condition, joint problems, or haven't trained in a long time, check with a doctor first. Pain that lasts more than a few days means you should cut volume and see a physical therapist.

The Herschel Walker Workout Plan for You

These three plans keep his approach (bodyweight only, short sets spread through the day, sprints a few times a week) at volumes your body can recover from. New to training? Read how to start calisthenics first.

Pick your level by your best set of strict push ups:

• Beginner: fewer than 10
• Intermediate: 10 to 30
• Advanced: more than 30

Not sure which variation to use? Find your level on the calisthenics progression chart, then download Superhuman Strength to log each set.

Beginner Herschel Walker Workout Program

Daily target: about 30 to 60 push ups, 40 to 60 core reps, and 40 to 50 squats.

Intermediate Herschel Walker Fitness Routine

Daily target: 100 to 150 push ups, 100 to 150 core reps, 30 to 50 pulls, and about 100 squats.

Advanced Herschel Walker Bodyweight Workout

Daily target: 300 to 500 push ups, 75 to 100 pulls, about 300 core reps (no more than a third of them sit ups), and 200 to 300 leg reps. Cut volume by 40% every fourth week.

For more on training this way, read high rep calisthenics and core calisthenics exercises.

4 Week Progression for the Intermediate Plan

On the last day of week 4, rest in the morning and test your max push ups and pull ups. Base your next block on the new numbers.

How to Spread Your Herschel Walker Daily Workout Through the Day

Walker's real trick wasn't one huge session. It was lots of small ones, fitted around TV breaks, study, and practice. Here's how to copy that:

1. Set a daily target. Use the totals in your plan above.
2. Size your mini sets. Keep each set at about 40% to 60% of your max, so it never feels like a grind.
3. Anchor sets to habits. Do a set when you wake up, after each meal, on every coffee break, or every hour on a work-from-home day.
4. Count as you go. Track your daily push ups so you know exactly how close you are to the target.
5. Finish before bed. If you're short, do the rest in 2 or 3 easy sets in the evening, the way Walker did during commercials.

A sample intermediate day:

Want a dedicated pushing session for your rest weeks? Try this calisthenics push workout.

Herschel Walker Leg Workout and Sprints

Walker's legs were built mostly by running. STACK reports he ran a 9.9 second 100 yard dash as a high school junior. At 53, he told NFL.com he could still run a 4.35 40 yard dash. Treat that as his own claim, not a verified time.

The ESPN documentary SEC Storied: Herschel describes him pulling a heavy tire as a teenager. Later summaries also list squats, lunges, and pistol squats.

A simple Herschel Walker leg workout, twice a week:

Warm up with 5 minutes of easy jogging and drills before any sprint. Most sprint injuries happen to cold hamstrings.

More on Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker's Diet

Walker has long said he eats one meal a day. Sports Illustrated reported it in 2002, and he credited it again in a 2018 Fox Business interview. It worked for him, but it isn't something to copy alongside a high volume plan. The full breakdown is in his one meal a day diet.

Herschel Walker's MMA Comeback

He signed with Strikeforce at 47, trained at American Kickboxing Academy, and won both fights by TKO. Read the full story in his ultimate fighting career.

Herschel Walker's Basic Training Book

Herschel Walker's Basic Training, written with strength historian Terry Todd and published in 1985, lays out his progressive bodyweight approach with step by step photos. It's out of print, and used copies sell well above cover price. We summarize it rather than reproduce it in our Basic Training book guide.

Try the Herschel Walker Workout Challenge

Curious what a month of high frequency training feels like? Run the 4 week progression above, then retest your max push ups and pull ups.

Final Word

Walker started with no gym and no weights. He had a floor, a hill, a chin up bar, a track coach's simple advice, and the habit of training nearly every day.

You don't need his numbers to get his results at your level. Pick a plan, spread your sets through the day, and add a little each week. Download Superhuman Strength, the free calisthenics app, and start today.

Sources

1. Art of Manliness. The Herschel Walker Workout.
2. NFL.com. Football Fit: A look at Herschel Walker's workout routine.
3. SI.com (January 27, 2010). Q&A with Herschel Walker.
4. SI.com (April 24, 2014). Former running back Herschel Walker says he can still play in NFL.
5. Sports Illustrated Vault (July 15, 2002).
6. WTOP (March 2013). Herschel Walker's advice to RG3: Don't rush it.
7. Fox Business (April 19, 2018). Why NFL great Herschel Walker still does 2,000 sit-ups a day.
8. NESN (2010). Herschel Walker May Be in Better Shape Now at 48 Than During His Playing Days.
9. Bleacher Report (2010). Herschel Walker Still an Amazing Athlete at Age 50.
10. Bleacher Report (January 27, 2011). Herschel Walker: Why He'll Win Saturday Night at Strikeforce.
11. STACK. Football Throwback with Herschel Walker.
12. SEC Storied: Herschel (ESPN documentary listing).
13. EBSCO Research Starters. Herschel Walker.
14. Academy of Achievement. Herschel Walker.
15. Heisman.com. Herschel Walker.
16. Wikipedia. Herschel Walker.
17. Olympedia. Herschel Walker.
18. Yahoo Sports (January 2010). Walker a winner in mixed martial arts debut.
19. Las Vegas Sun (January 28, 2011). Herschel Walker fights in second MMA bout this weekend.
20. AbeBooks. Herschel Walker's Basic Training (1985) listing.
21. FitnessVolt. Herschel Walker Workout and Diet Program.
22. Schoenfeld BJ, et al. (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
23. Kikuchi N, Nakazato K (2017). Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness.
24. Kotarsky CJ, et al. (2018). Summary via NASE.
25. University of Waterloo. He's got our backs (Stuart McGill).
26. Everything Zoomer. McGill on sit ups and the Canadian Armed Forces.
27. Stuart McGill. Spine flexion exercise: Myths, Truths and Issues.
28. ScienceInsights. Is It OK to Do Push-Ups Every Day?
29. BOXROX. The Science of Greasing the Groove.