One of my daily habits is what Pavel 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 48 pushups in one set, and 96 squats (legs feed the wolf—Indian wrestlers always double the number for squats).

Let’s say you’re my age, and you need to work up to 48 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^TM principles and the ideal of Health & Strength?

I used to 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 48 reps.

• You test your max and get 20 clean pushups.

• 20 ÷ 2 = 10

• Do 5 sets of 10 (total: 50 reps—your target of 48, plus some spare change).

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

Let’s say you now hit 34 good reps. Proceed in the same manner:

• 34 ÷ 2 = 17

• Do 3 sets of 17 (51 reps total—your target of 48, plus some spare change).

A 2-day on, 1-day off schedule is recommended. The simplest way to avoid possible overuse troubles is to vary the grip slightly—a bit wider or a bit narrower.

It worked well. However, in the Strong Endurance^TM express online course, I learned an even better method—so-called Split Sets.

You can apply the Split Sets method to Simple & Sinister swings (e.g., if you jump to a heavier kettlebell but your grip can’t yet handle 10 clean reps), to snatches, or high-rep exercises like pushups—for your “morning recharge,” or any pushup test.

Check out the video and listen to Pavel explain it.