THE ANSWER WILL ultimately vary based on goals and experience. That said, “big picture, everybody should at some point, be able to get to 20 to 25 consecutive pushups,” says Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.
In general, being able to perform 10 to 20 push-ups is often seen as a benchmark for average fitness. If you're looking to improve, you might consider gradually increasing your reps or incorporating variations to challenge different muscle groups.
For most fitness enthusiasts, being able to perform 10-15 pull-ups is often regarded as a strong benchmark. Athletes and advanced trainers might aim for 20 or more. Keep in mind that form and technique are also important; quality matters as much as quantity.
I came to realize after all these years training bodyweight that one's ability to do 20 pull-ups in a row stands for impressive upper body strength and endurance. At first sight, there is nothing unusual in doing 20 perfect pull-ups except that only a handful of people can.
Per the experts, a 25-year-old male should be able to do around 28 push-ups in one go, while women should aim for 20 to “show a good fitness level.” The expectation slides downhill from there as the years tick up.
Hang off the bar completely straight in a dead hang. Next tighten your abs and get into the hollow position. Un-shrug your shoulders. Pull your elbows down until your chest touches the bar. Lower back down, under control and in the hollow position.
Yes it is possible but it is a lot harder than you might think. I 'sort of accomplished this' with 238 while attending the Naval Academy. We allowed someone to rest in the up position with butt in the air, so technically it was not continuous.
Once you turn 22 and up to age 26, it's 31 push-ups for a man and 11 for a woman. To qualify for the Infantry in the Army, however, you need a little more push-up power. A man aged 17 to 21 must complete 42 and a woman 19; ages 22 to 26 must do 40 and 17, respectively.
If you can do 30 or more push-ups in one set, you have an excellent level of relative upper body strength. What is this? However, once you pass this threshold, there is only so much strength you can build beyond this amount. In other words, doing more than 30 push-ups in one set won't necessarily make you any stronger.
After finishing 888 reps in the first hour, Richey starts to follow Porter's lead, and reduces his pushup sets down, until he is doing just 2 or 3 reps at a time. "The threes were a better option than the fives," he says, having completed his 1,000th rep in 1 hour 9 minutes, to Porter's 1 hour 6.
However, if you can do more than 20 pushups without difficulty, you are considered fit. If you find that you can only do a few push ups before tapping out, start with easier variations and build up over time. Pushups are a great way to improve your overall fitness and strength.
The Harvard Health study showed that young occupationally active men (mean age 40 years), who were able to do at least 40 push-ups had 96 per cent lower incidence of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) as compared to those who could do less than 10 push-ups, over a 10-years follow up period.
If you can do fewer than 25 push-ups in a row, shoot for 50 to 75 push-ups. If your max is between 25 and 50 push-ups, shoot for 75 to 150 push-ups. If your max is over 50 (with good form!), shoot for 150 to 250 push-ups.
Keeping all those factors in mind, Samuel says you should be able to work up to three sets of 20 to 25 pushups a day, if you really want to. Sure, you might hear from guys who double or even triple that number—but their reps aren't going to be as effective as yours in the long run.
Doing push ups every day is good for building upper body muscles and even strengthening your core, back, and lower extremities. You can start with 10 push ups a day and then work up to doing 50 or 100 push ups everyday. Breaking them up into smaller sets throughout the day can make it easier to start as well.
Possibility of Increased Muscle Mass:
While push-ups primarily focus on muscular endurance and strength, they can also stimulate muscle growth and potentially increase muscle mass. Performing push-ups at a high volume, such as 200 repetitions daily, provides a significant stimulus for muscle adaptation and growth.
Men are built with more muscle mass in their upper body compared to women. So it's not surprising that men are able to do more pull-ups than women. According to various sources, on average: A man can do at least 8 pull-ups.
The most consecutive pull ups is 1,224 and was achieved by Kenta Adachi (Japan) in Shunan, Yamaguchi, Japan, on 10 November 2024. Kenta has outdone himself, breaking his previous record of 651.
The Bottom Line. Even though the experts point out that roughly 10-30 reps is average for most people, and that 30-50 reps is in the “excellent” range – let's get something straight. The amount of push ups that you can do has very little to do with your age or gender.
On average, it would take about 300-350 push-ups to burn 100 calories, depending on your weight and intensity. Breaking this down into sets throughout the day can make it easier to reach that goal.