If you’re looking for a quick way to test your strength and fitness without stepping foot in a gym or splashing out on a personal trainer, here’s a challenge that requires nothing more than your bodyweight and a little willpower: the push-up test.
According to health experts, how many push-ups you can do in a single go is a simple but powerful indicator of your overall muscular endurance and cardiovascular health. In fact, the Mayo Clinic describes the humble push-up as a reliable way to “measure muscular strength and endurance.”
So how do you stack up?
You don’t need fancy equipment or a stopwatch. Just clear a bit of floor space, plant your hands and toes, and see how many quality push-ups you can crank out in one go.
The rules are simple: they’ve got to be consecutive, controlled, and with proper form. That means keeping your back straight, core tight, and lowering your chest until it’s just above the floor before pushing back up again.
Beginners can start from their knees, but to count toward these benchmarks, you’ve got to keep good form all the way through — no sagging hips or half reps allowed.
What’s a “good” number of push-ups?
Fitness experts Freddie Chatt and Adam Clarke broke down the benchmarks for women in Women’s Health, revealing what’s considered an impressive set across different age groups:
- 15–19 years old: 18–24 push-ups
- 20–29 years old: 15–20 push-ups
- 30–39 years old: 13–19 push-ups
- 40–49 years old: 11–14 push-ups
- 50–59 years old: 7–10 push-ups
- 60–69 years old: 5–11 push-ups
- 70–79 years old: 3–8 push-ups (including kneeling push-ups)
- 80+ years old: 2–5 push-ups (including kneeling push-ups)
For women, these targets represent solid muscular fitness for their age group — but the key, experts say, is consistency rather than perfection.
Meanwhile, according to the Mayo Clinic’s analysis, men’s targets look a little different:
- Age 25: 28 push-ups
- Age 35: 21 push-ups
- Age 45: 16 push-ups
- Age 55: 12 push-ups
- Age 65: 10 push-ups
So, a fit and healthy 25-year-old woman should be aiming for about 20 proper push-ups, while a man of the same age should be able to hit around 28.
These push-up counts aren’t just arbitrary — they’re tied to overall strength, endurance, and even long-term heart health. Researchers have previously linked higher push-up performance with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, making this old-school exercise one of the most practical self-assessments out there.
“If your push-up count is below the target number, use the target as a goal to work toward,” the Mayo Clinic advises. “Counts above the targets mean better fitness.”
In other words, this isn’t about comparing yourself to anyone else — it’s about tracking your own progress. Even if you can only manage a handful today, improvement over time means your body’s getting stronger and your stamina’s increasing.
Fitness specialists say these kinds of simple metrics can help build the kind of motivation that lasts. Small, measurable goals — like adding one or two extra push-ups each week — can create a positive feedback loop that makes you want to keep going.
And if you’re wondering whether push-ups are still worth your time, the science is pretty clear: few exercises activate as many muscles in one movement. You’re hitting your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core all at once, improving both upper-body power and stability.
READ MORE: Man Shows Off Instant Transformation After Doing 500 Push-Ups In An Hour
Whether you’re a seasoned gym-goer or someone just trying to move more, knowing your push-up number gives you a quick snapshot of where your fitness stands — and how far you can go from here.
Stick with it long enough and, as the Mayo Clinic points out, you might just find yourself doing the push-ups of someone half your age.
Featured image credit: SportManual
