🏋️
💪 Fitness
Can I do enough push-ups for my age?
Compare your max push-ups to fitness benchmarks by age and sex.
reps
Full push-ups, no rest, good form
How many push-ups should I be able to do?
Push-ups are one of the best indicators of upper body fitness and overall health. A 2019 Harvard study found that men who could do 40+ push-ups had a 96% lower risk of cardiovascular events than those who could do fewer than 10.
Push-up norms by age — Men (ACSM/NSCA)
- 20–29: Average 25, Good: 30+, Excellent: 45+
- 30–39: Average 20, Good: 25+, Excellent: 35+
- 40–49: Average 16, Good: 20+, Excellent: 30+
- 50–59: Average 12, Good: 15+, Excellent: 25+
- 60+: Average 8, Good: 12+, Excellent: 20+
Push-up norms by age — Women (ACSM/NSCA)
- 20–29: Average 18, Good: 22+, Excellent: 35+
- 30–39: Average 14, Good: 18+, Excellent: 28+
- 40–49: Average 10, Good: 14+, Excellent: 22+
- 50–59: Average 8, Good: 10+, Excellent: 18+
- 60+: Average 5, Good: 8+, Excellent: 14+
How to improve
Start with incline push-ups or knee push-ups. A "grease the groove" approach — doing 50% of your max multiple times daily — can add 10+ reps in just 4 weeks.