Push Ups.

 Push ups. We have all done them. Have we done them right? Some have and some have not. This is an important exercise for fitness and body stability. Whether you have done them before or not is not the point. The point is they are are marker of health. The more you do the better your health. 

The more repetitions you can do the better your physical and cardiovascular health is. You will find that, at higher repetitions, your heart is beating faster and you are breathing harder. 

This is a weight bearing exercise. As such it will strengthen your bones as well as the supporting muscles and tendons. Bone density is a marker tracked as you get older. This lowers your risk for breaking bones later in life. 

How may should you be able to do? Strength declines with age unless you fight it tooth and nail. How many push ups you can do will naturally vary by age. 

• Men (Standard Push-ups)
• 20–29: 15–24 (Avg) / 35–45+ (Exc)
• 30–39: 12–24 (Avg) / 30–40+ (Exc)
• 40–49: 10–20 (Avg) / 25–35+ (Exc)
• 50–59: 8–15 (Avg) / 20–30+ (Exc)
• 60+: 6–12 (Avg) / 20–29+ (Exc)
• Women (Modified/Knee Push-ups)
• 20–29: 10–20 (Avg) / 25+ (Exc)
• 30–39: 10–19 (Avg) / 22+ (Exc)
• 40–49: 8–15 (Avg) / 20+ (Exc)
• 50–59: 5–12 (Avg) / 15+ (Exc)
• 60+: 3–10 (Avg) / 12+ (Exc

I am at the age where I should only have to do a few; however, I am working on getting one arm push ups. Do not let me out do you. 

10% to 15% can perform 50 or more push ups while 25% cannot perform even one push up. This is important as a measure of health and strength. It is a large reason behind the military doing so many. Being able to do 40+ consecutively significantly lowers cardiac risks. This exercise gives you a strong chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also engages your core for stability and your thighs for support. 

How do you get better at doing push ups? You do more. Break it down into sets and start with 50 reps total per day. For instance you will do 5 sets of 10 repetitions daily for two weeks. At this point you may move to two sets of 25. Then, you keep at it to get your 50 each day.

Maybe you like to bulldoze through things. I get that. You want to do 50 straight away. Do as may full body push ups that you can. When you hit positive failure, that point at which you cannot do another push up, bend your legs. Do the rest of your 50 from your knees. This is a powerful volume building technique. As you do this daily you will find yourself doing higher and higher repetitions at the full plank position. 

However you do it, get there. Push ups are important to your body and its function. First, talk to your doctor about what your health and fitness goals are. Make sure that you are physically capable of handling what you are thinking.

Push ups. Do it now, move!