How Many Push-ups Should You Be Able to Do at Your Age?

netherlands - Find out the recommended number of push-ups according to your age and gender for a good fitness level.

A push-up is a classic exercise that says a lot about your muscle strength and endurance. It helps improve your legs, abs, and arms. You need to keep your body straight with your hands in line with your shoulders, pushing all the way up until your arms are straight while standing on your hands and toes.

The university medical center provides recommendations by age group from 25 to 65 years old.

Starting with the youngest, a 25-year-old man should be able to do about 28 push-ups in a row, while women of that age should aim for 20 to achieve a good fitness level.

Fast forward ten years, at the age of 35, he only needs to do 21 push-ups, a decrease of seven, whereas women still need to hit 19.

As the years go by, the numbers decrease. At 45, he should do 16 and she should do 14 push-ups.

Add another ten years, at 55, it's 12 for men and 10 for women. It's not until reaching pre-retirement age, 65, that there is gender equality, with men and women needing to do ten push-ups to fall into the fit category.

Fitness experts warn not to focus solely on the numbers. Less trained individuals may do a few less push-ups, but very fit people might easily do five to ten fewer. Researchers emphasize that training alone is not enough. Healthy eating is equally important, if not more so, to reduce the risk of diseases.

Worldwide, the norm is to engage in 150 minutes of 'moderate-intensity' exercise weekly. Alternatively, half that amount of time but with higher intensity and increased heart rate. The best practice is twenty minutes a day with two days of strength training like push-ups. Or you can rest a few days in between and then workout for half an hour for five days, earning two days of 'rest'.