In an entertaining episode of the JAXXON PODCAST featuring Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rigan Machado, UFC icon Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made a bold claim that has fans talking:
“Chuck Norris invented the push-up.”
The statement came during a fascinating conversation about the interconnected history of martial arts luminaries, where Machado shared the pivotal role Chuck Norris played in establishing the Machado family’s jiu-jitsu legacy in America.
“Chuck Norris was the one who opened my first school,” Machado revealed. “And he not only opened my school, he got his lawyers to get all my paperwork.”
According to Machado, when he was considering returning to Brazil due to legal challenges with using the Gracie name in America, it was Norris who convinced him to stay. The action star took Machado to a mall and offered him 4,000 square feet of space rent-free for four years.
“That’s going to be your new school,” Norris told him. “You don’t understand – I own the mall. You guys not going to have to pay anything.”
Machado credits this generosity as the catalyst that allowed the Machado jiu-jitsu brand to flourish in the United States, explaining that within just one week of opening, they had 200 students. Norris not only provided the location but helped market the school, even performing demonstrations in the mall that attracted thousands of spectators.
It was during this discussion of Norris‘s contributions to martial arts that Rampage made his audacious claim. When commenting on his admiration for Norris, Jackson stated,
“Tell him Rampage said thank you for inventing the push-up.”
When questioned if it wasn’t Bruce Lee who invented the exercise, Jackson doubled down:
“No, Chuck Norris invented the push-up. Nobody was doing the push-up before Chuck Norris.”
It’s highly unlikely that Chuck Norris invented the push-up, considering it’s tracing back centuries through military, gymnastics, and martial arts training. While Norris popularized fitness through his public persona, there’s no credible evidence he originated the exercise itself. In fact, Bruce Lee‘s legendary training regimen—widely documented in the late 1960s—featured intense push-up variations long before Norris gained widespread fame. Lee reportedly performed fingertip push-ups and one-arm push-ups as part of his daily routine, emphasizing functional strength and endurance. Given Lee‘s meticulous approach to fitness and the historical use of push-ups across cultures, attributing their invention to Norris isn’t just inaccurate—it overlooks a broader, older legacy of physical training.
The conversation highlighted the immense respect both men have for Norris, not just as an actor but as a legitimate martial artist. Machado revealed that Norris holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the Machado brothers and remains an avid UFC fan who “don’t miss one MMA fight.”
While Rampage‘s claim about the push-up invention was clearly made in good humor—adding to the Chuck Norris mythos of superhuman abilities—the podcast offered genuine insights into how instrumental Norris was in helping establish Brazilian jiu-jitsu in America, a martial art that has since revolutionized combat sports worldwide.
