How many Pushups can you do? Scratch that. How many pushups can you do with perfect form? That means your Body stays in a straight line, your chest touches the floor, your elbows are tucked to your sides, and your arms are fully extended at the top of each rep.
“When done right, the move works almost every muscle from head to toe and is a true test of upper-body endurance,” says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., owner of Men's Health StreamFIT and author of Your Body Is Your Barbell. “If you do it wrong, you’re using less energy and performing less work.”
Go ahead and test yourself. Drop and give us as many pushups as possible in one minute. The second your form breaks, stop. Keep the clock running the entire time. How’d you do? Below is the list of how many reps the average guy can do by age group. Don’t worry if you fall short: You can follow Gaddour’s performance plan to push past your limits and way past average.
THE AVERAGE GUY’S PUSHUPS
Age Total (reps)
20-29 40+
30-39 35-40
40-49 30-35
50-59 20-30
Go Beyond Average
Increase your pushup count by focusing on strength, speed, and stamina. “You probably won’t ever be able to sustain a furious pace of one rep per second, but if you focus on these three aspects of your pushup, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your number will rise,” says Gaddour. After upping your pushup fitness, retest yourself after a month.
For strength: Perform advanced pushup variations for fewer reps. Try doing a feet-elevated pushup or an explosive pushup in sets of 5 to 10 reps each. "The stronger you get with these more-challenging versions, the easier the normal pushup will feel," says Gaddour.
Explosive Pushup: Assume a pushup position. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Then push up with enough force for your hands to come off the floor. Land and repeat.
“When done right, the move works almost every muscle from head to toe and is a true test of upper-body endurance,” says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., owner of Men's Health StreamFIT and author of Your Body Is Your Barbell. “If you do it wrong, you’re using less energy and performing less work.”
Go ahead and test yourself. Drop and give us as many pushups as possible in one minute. The second your form breaks, stop. Keep the clock running the entire time. How’d you do? Below is the list of how many reps the average guy can do by age group. Don’t worry if you fall short: You can follow Gaddour’s performance plan to push past your limits and way past average.
THE AVERAGE GUY’S PUSHUPS
Age Total (reps)
20-29 40+
30-39 35-40
40-49 30-35
50-59 20-30
Go Beyond Average
Increase your pushup count by focusing on strength, speed, and stamina. “You probably won’t ever be able to sustain a furious pace of one rep per second, but if you focus on these three aspects of your pushup, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your number will rise,” says Gaddour. After upping your pushup fitness, retest yourself after a month.
For strength: Perform advanced pushup variations for fewer reps. Try doing a feet-elevated pushup or an explosive pushup in sets of 5 to 10 reps each. "The stronger you get with these more-challenging versions, the easier the normal pushup will feel," says Gaddour.
Explosive Pushup: Assume a pushup position. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Then push up with enough force for your hands to come off the floor. Land and repeat.
