Number of push-ups experts say you should be able to do based on age – how many can YOU handle?
Extensive blood tests or multiple body scans may not be needed to determine how healthy you are.
It turns out that a classic workout move could reveal the truth.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic said push-ups are a good measure of muscle strength and endurance.
The exercise works most major muscle groups throughout the body, including legs, abs, shoulders, back and arms.
The move involves starting face down on the floor, with your toes tucked, elbows bent, and hands about shoulder height.
Keeping your body straight and parallel to the floor, push yourself up until your arms are straight and you are on your hands and toes.
Then lower yourself back down to complete one full push-up and continue until you need to stop and rest.
Beginners can perform a modified version on the knees and hands.
Based on age and gender, the Mayo Clinic gave a target number for push-ups, starting with 25-year-old men and women. Men should aim for 28 push-ups at a time and women should aim for 20 push-ups to ‘demonstrate a good level of fitness’.
As age increases, the target decreases.
In the age category of 35 years, the number drops by one for women, while men should be able to perform 21 push-ups, according to the online guide.
According to experts at Mayo Clinic, the number of push-ups you can do is a good indicator of your fitness
Fast forward 10 years to 45, the Mayo Clinic says women should be able to do 14 push-ups, while the number for men is 16.
For 55-year-olds, the number decreases to 10 push-ups for women and 12 for men.
For the oldest age listed by the Mayo Clinic, both 65-year-old men and women should be able to do 10 push-ups at a time.
Although the guide is touted as an indicator of good fitness levels, fitness experts say it should be taken with a grain of salt.
New York-based personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko told DailyMail.com that she disagrees with the Mayo Clinic’s suggestions.
She explained, “I respect different experiments and research, but in this case I rely more on my personal experience in training individuals.
‘Most of my clients lead a moderate lifestyle and exercise two to three times a week.
“Given that, I think realistic standards for women could be about three to five reps lower and for men with an athletic background could be about five to 10 reps higher compared to the Mayo Clinic recommendations.”
Ms. Alexeyenko also emphasizes that the physical strength and fitness of both men and women are influenced by numerous factors, “making it difficult to establish strict correlations between age and push-up.”
She adds, “Training history, past injuries or surgeries, current lifestyle, diet, stress levels, posture, joint mobility, sleep quality and recovery all play a role in determining how many push-ups someone can do.”
Caroline Beckwith, also based in Manhattan as a fitness director, agrees with these sentiments.
She told this website: ‘I teach classes here and train a lot of older men and women, and what I see in person and what I read online don’t really match up.
There is now evidence that just 20 minutes of physical activity a day reduces the risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease
‘I teach a class with usually about twenty participants between the ages of 40 and 65. In each class we do push-ups for 40 seconds.
‘There is perhaps one person out of everyone who can do them from a plank position. Everyone else is on their knees.
‘Push-ups are actually a full-body exercise, requiring core strength as well as upper body and glutes. I think the most important thing – so far – to building strength is setting realistic goals and working towards them consistently.”
A 2019 studyinvolving only men, found that adults who could complete push-ups were 96 percent less likely to develop heart disease.
And regular exercise has been linked to a host of benefits, including a 29 percent lower risk of colon cancer; a 31 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality; a 35 percent lower risk of dementia; a 38 percent lower risk of death from heart disease; and a 42 percent lower risk of diabetes.
And while exercise is beneficial at any age, the CDC notes that “additional benefits for older adults include a reduced risk of falls, more years of independent living, and better brain health.”
The CDC’s official exercise guidelines recommend that people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or about 20 minutes per day, including two days of special strengthening workouts.
Moderate activities include cycling, dancing, walking, jogging, brisk walking and swimming and strengthening exercises include weight lifting, push-ups, pull-ups and squats.
