How Many Pushups Should You Be Able to Do? Push Up Goals

How Many Push Ups Should the Average Person Be Able to Do?

Push ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises for building upper body strength. They work multiple muscle groups in the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Most fitness experts recommend being able to do a minimum of 10-15 good form push ups in a row.

What Determines Push Up Ability?

There are many factors that influence how many push ups someone can do, including:

• Age and gender - men tend to have greater upper body strength than women. Push up capacity peaks in the late teens/early 20s then gradually declines with age.
• General fitness level - people who exercise regularly tend to have greater muscular endurance for push ups.
• Upper body strength - those with well-developed pecs, shoulders, and triceps can crank out more reps.
• Body weight - heavier individuals often struggle more with bodyweight exercises compared to lighter people.
• Technique - good form with a straight, rigid body allows more push ups versus sloppy or loose technique.

Push Up Goals by Age and Gender

As a very general guideline for reasonably fit individuals, the average number of push ups people should be able to do are:

• Women
  • 20s - 10-20 reps
  • 30s - 5-15 reps
  • 40s - 5-10 reps
• Men
  • 20s - 15-30 reps
  • 30s - 10-25 reps
  • 40s - 5-20 reps

How to Progress with Push Ups as a Beginner

If you're new to strength training, don't be discouraged if you can barely squeak out 5-10 push ups with good form. Everyone has to start somewhere. Here are some simple tips to progressively build push up strength:

Start with Wall Push Ups

Stand facing a wall with your arms shoulder width apart, leaning your body in towards the wall at an angle. Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the wall, keeping your body straight, then push back. This allows you to practice the push up motion while supporting some of your weight with your legs.

Move to Incline Push Ups

Elevate your hands on a bench, step, or box so your body is resting on an incline angle. This decreases the percentage of your bodyweight you have to lift. Work your way down to lower incline levels over time.

Do Knee Push Ups

From the plank position, bend your knees and cross your ankles behind you so you are supported by your hands and knees. Bend elbows and lower yourself towards the ground, keeping your back straight. Knee push ups let you work up gradually to full push ups.

Try Eccentric Push Ups

Lower yourself slowly to the ground over a count of 5 seconds in a controlled manner, then from the bottom position, put your knees down and push back up into the starting plank position. This allows you to build strength lowering yourself down, which is often the hardest part of a push up for beginners.

Use Push Up Bars or Handles

Bars that elevate your hands let you decrease leverage and do push ups at an easier angle. Push up handles also change hand positioning to be more ergonomic. Both can enable higher reps even if regular floor push ups are still difficult.

Tips for Proper Push Up Form and Technique

To maximize the benefits of push ups and avoid injury, be sure to follow good form with these technique tips:

Keep Your Back Straight

In the starting plank position and during the entire movement, brace your core and keep your whole body straight from ankles to head without sagging in the middle or bending at the waist.

Don't Flare Elbows

Avoid letting elbows flare outwards when lowering and raising your body. Keep elbows pointing backwards at around 45 degrees from your sides throughout the push up.

Touch Chest to Ground

Descend until your chest lightly taps the ground beneath you then immediately press back upwards. Avoid overextending the bottom position.

Full Range of Motion

Start each rep from a straight rigid plank instead of shallow reps that don't activate muscles through a full contraction. Control both the lowering and lifting phases.

Keep Head Neutral

Your head should remain aligned with your back/neck throughout the push up. Don't drop or lift your head.

Use Push Up Progressions

There are many exercise variations to gradually strengthen your push up ability. Here are some of the most common.

Inclined Push Ups

Elevate hands on a box, bench, or step to decrease resistance and allow higher volume initially. Over time, work on lowering incline height.

Diamond Push Ups

Place hands directly under your chest in a diamond position. This targets triceps more. Do lower reps since it's harder on joints.

Decline Push Ups

Elevate your feet higher than your hands on a box or platform to increase resistance and build stronger descending strength.

Band Assisted Push Ups

Loop stretch bands or assist bands under your arms/around your back to help reduce a percentage of your bodyweight as you lift and lower yourself.

Weighted Push Ups

Once you build a baseline level of strength, you can place a weight plate on your upper back or wear a vest to add resistance and push past plateaus.

Use Push Up Variations for Muscular Imbalances

If you have difficulty with regular push ups due to very weak triceps, shoulders or chest, consider including some of these targeted tweaks.

Narrow Stance Push Ups

Moving hands closer together increases triceps and shoulder activation to strengthen weak points that normally give out before your chest fatigues when standard push ups get challenging.

Staggered Push Ups

Place one hand several inches farther out than the other hand. Do one rep then switch hand positions and repeat. Challenges supporting shoulder girdle muscles to identify and address muscle imbalances.

Single-Arm Push Ups

Extend one arm straight out to your side and perform push ups on one arm at a time. Maximally activates core and shoulder stabilization requirements. Very difficult, so do low reps.

Use Push Up Alternatives for Variety

Once you have a solid foundation of push up strength, incorporate similar presses and flies for balanced pec, shoulder, and triceps development.

Bench Press

Use free weights, resistance bands, or machine chest presses to let you safely overload strength levels beyond bodyweight alone.

Dumbbell Chest Press

Laying flat or with adjustable benches, push upward with dumbbells to mix up angles of resistance compared to regular push ups.

Dumbbell Chest Fly

With palms facing inwards, move arms in an arc out and back in to open up your chest line and stretch the pectorals through a fuller range of motion.

Listen to Your Body to Avoid Push Up Injuries

While enormously beneficial, increasing your push up ability too rapidly can strain joints including shoulders, wrists, and elbows. Be sure to:

• Warm up properly before starting push ups
• Use joint-protective equipment like push up bars/handles
• Start slow and gradually increase volume and resistance week-to-week
• Always maintain perfect form - quality over quantity!

By following an intelligent, measured push ups training regime, you can build impressive upper body strength with this simple yet hard-hitting exercise.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.