Experts at the Mayo Clinic are determining once and for all how many push-ups the average man and woman should be able to do by age bracket — and the answer may surprise you.
The push-up pros said the classic exercise is a good measurement of muscular strength and endurance as one ages.
The standard true push-up engages most major muscle groups in the body, including legs, abs, and arms.
The key is to keep your body straight with your hands lined up with your shoulders, pushing up all the way until your arms are straight again while staying on your hands and toes.
The Mayo Clinic provided a target number of push-ups based on age and sex, starting at 25 years old and going up to 65 years old.
Per the experts, a 25-year-old male should be able to do around 28 push-ups in one go, while women should aim for 20 to “show a good fitness level.”
The expectation slides downhill from there as the years tick up.
At 35, women should maintain 19 push-ups — just one drop from a 25-year-old woman’s expectation — while men should be able to reach 21 — seven less than men a decade younger.
The count takes a steep drop at 45 years old, with women expected to hit 14 and men 16 push-ups.
The 55-age bracket puts the expectation for women at 10 and men at 12.
Finally, the 65-year-old range, and the finish line for the study, has men and women both expected to do 10 push-ups at a time.
Fitness experts, however, warn that the study should not be taken exactly as the numbers are stated.
“I respect various experiments and studies, but in this case, I lean more on my personal experience training individuals. Most of my clients lead a moderate lifestyle and work out two to three times a week,” New York-based personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko told the Daily Mail.
“Given that, I believe realistic norms might be lower for women by about three to five repetitions and higher for men with a sports background by about five to 10 repetitions compared to the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations.”
Regular exercise isn’t the only deciding factor for a person’s fitness. A healthy diet is crucial and combined, the two can help reduce risks of deadly conditions like heart disease and certain types of cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official exercise guidelines recommend people get around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or roughly 20 minutes a day, including two days solely focused on strength-building workouts like push-ups.
