How many pushups can you do? And how does it stack up with others of your age?
It was a question raised by “Fox & Friends.” This invited viewers to send their videos on their own.
In the Thursday morning segment, “Fox & Friends” hosted Lawrence Jones, and Brian Kilmeade competed for their own on-air push-up challenges, both successfully targeted age goals.
The risk of dementia can be reduced by doing this for five minutes a day.
“Although every body is different, the number of push-ups you can do is often a good indicator of someone's muscle strength and endurance,” Regi Spaghetto, founder and owner of R Personal Fitness in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
In the Thursday morning segment, “Fox & Friends” hosted Lawrence Jones, and Brian Kilmeade competed for their own on-air push-up challenges, both successfully targeted age goals. (Fox News)
Based on Mayo Clinic data, below is a breakdown of the number of pushups that men and women can complete based on their age:
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People in their 30s should be able to do at least 19 (female) and 21 (male).
People in their 40s should be able to do at least 14 (female) and 16 (male).
People in their 50s should be able to do at least 10 (female) and 12 (male).
People in their 60s (both genders) should be able to do at least 10 push-ups.
Benefits of push-ups
Weight-bearing exercises like push-ups can help increase bone density. This is especially important as people get older.
“This is a huge benefit of high resistance exercises,” he told Fox News Digital.
Weight-bearing exercises like push-ups can help increase bone density. This is especially important as people get older, fitness experts point out. (istock)
“The strength of the upper body and core are two things that translate into everyday life, and the ability to push regularly off the floor is something many consider for granted.”
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Pushups primarily move the pectoral muscles (chest), with the triceps being secondary to movement, and the core (abdomen) supplying strength that holds the body straight, according to Padgett.
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Previous Harvard University studies showed that men's ability to do push-ups at age 50 reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular disease by 96% compared to men below 10, Pagett noted.
For those who want to work on doing push-ups, one option is to start by doing them on your lap. (istock)
“The study also found that all pushups performed after 10 cases reduced the likelihood of cardiovascular disease,” he added.
Start doing push-ups
For those who want to work to do push-ups, Padgett recommends starting by doing them on his lap.
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Another option is to do “negative pushups.” There, the person begins at the tall plank position and slowly lowers his body to the floor.
With a tilted push-up, the person can use a high surface to advance to the floor.
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“You could start by incorporating a chest press with dumbbells or adding chest fly or triceps extensions to your gym routine,” suggested Paget.
