The Humble Push-Up
I got over my gym class trauma ages ago and learned to love the humble yet power packed exercise known simply as the push-up. I’m convinced it’s one of the best things you can do for your body and the simplest and easiest way to build up strength using your own body’s weight. I do them daily and on days I lift, they are performed post-workout. I’ll make a bold statement and say that if you hit the gym on a regular basis and are unable to accomplish 50 or more before you max out, you need to reevaluate your workout. Here’s a calculator to tell you how many push-ups you should be doing if you are in good shape, trust me when I say the national average is very generous.
According to the NYTimes article An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-Up; “The push-up is the ultimate barometer of fitness. It tests the whole body, engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs. It requires the body to be taut like a plank with toes and palms on the floor. The act of lifting and lowering one’s entire weight is taxing even for the very fit.”
9 comments9 Comments so far
I too have embraced the pushup in the past few months.
i use push-up handle grips, easier on the wrist and allows for a deeper return.
and lately been trying to master use of the half exercise ball for push-ups, the rounded side towards the floor, the base used for gripping… it’s rather difficult but promises results.
jocko, i got a humbling score of 39, average by the test’s standards. what was your score?
Feeling so very inefficient now. Must change this immediately.
I think we should give a loud “huzzah!” for all those body weight resistance exercises.
The push up, the sit up and the triceps dip need no special equipment, can be done in the privacy of your own home and therefore cost nothing.
And in rotation work very well.
Is there a similar glute exercise out there?
My rear end bumpers went west decades ago.
Haven’t been doing them for very long. I max out at 40 on a good day, and I really have to work to get there. But according to the calculator, for a man of 53, that ain’t bad.
I did 3 and fell flat on my belly. just kidding.. I did 180.
my workout has chest and back on the same day and after each bench or chest exercise i do a set of 30 pushups. all diferent types per exercise. I HEART pushups.
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I got a 93. I was surprised. I didn’t think I was doing that well.