Sam Wood breaks down how many push-ups you should do by age

Aged in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s? Fitness expert Sam Wood explains how many push-ups you should aim to do based on your age. See how you compare.

How many push-ups should you be able to do by age bracket?

It’s a great question, but there’s no simple answer.

These days, you can find an Aussie in

their 70s comfortably knocking out push-ups, and someone in their 30s just starting to rebuild their routine.

Fitness isn’t defined by age — it’s about where you’re at and building from there.

As a rule of thumb however, these are a guide of push ups recommended to test out and see if

you’re fitting in this range, or even better, succeeding it!

● 20s: 15-30

● 30s: 12-25

● 40s: 10-20

● 50s: 8-15

● 60s: 6-12

● 70s: 5-10 (knee push-ups)

● 80s: 3-7 (knee push-ups)

● 90s: 2-5 (knee push-ups)

It can be a little shocking if you haven’t done push-ups for a long time or haven’t done any form of resistance training, and it’s often the case that we aren’t just getting weaker but also getting heavier and as a body weight exercise that’s 1+1 = 3.

If you’re not there yet, don’t give up.

Here are some simple and effective ways to start small and progress.

Ultimately, your goal may be to achieve these numbers on your toes, however don’t be disheartened if you’re not here yet, the fact you’re starting is already a win.

My biggest advice also is don’t go too hard at the start, the worst thing you can do is attempt a full body push up and risk locking up your shoulders and posture.

Here are some simple push up progressions to allow you to increase the difficulty of your push ups as you see the reps go up.

For those just starting out: Start at your kitchen bench or something around waist height and place your hands directly under your shoulders.

83-Year-Old Maureen Jepson is still able to do push ups. Picture: Jonathan Ng

For those building up: Head to your coffee table or something around your hip height and do the same technique. You’ll feel this a lot more on your joints.

For those looking to get lower: Now start without any assistance and try a full push-up with your body weight.

If you are struggling with that, let’s try this: Start on your knees, and progress down with your chest just about to touch the ground.

What I love to see is people build strength and confidence with how they do their push-ups. It’s not just about the reps going up, it’s the form improving and choosing a more challenging option as you continue to build strength.

Now more than ever there is more talk around understanding the importance of maintaining

strength and muscle especially as we age.

The benefits of doing this is really a case of if you don’t use it, you lose it.

There is so much evidence these days between the correlation of maintaining strength and muscle and longevity.

Sam Wood explains how many push ups to aim for by age bracket. Picture: Tony Gough

Body weight exercises like push-ups really are a great test.

When people ask me how to get good at push-ups, the answer is simple. Push-ups.

Maybe not every day but building your reps up and doing them three days a week and you’ll see big improvements in no time.

You can find Sam’s workouts and challenges at 28bysamwood.com.

I’m 83 and I can 10 push-ups

At 83-years-old, Maureen Jepson has proved age is just a number when it comes to fitness.

Ms Jepson, who can complete 10 assisted push-ups and around five to six unassisted, said the secret behind her strength lies in consistent practice.

Completing two fitness sessions a week at Seniors Fitness in Bondi, Ms Jepson said regular exercise helped her increase both confidence and strength.

“When I first started (exercise sessions), I always needed to hold onto something to get back up again, but now I don’t need to,” she said.

To fulfil her love of travel, Ms Jepson said her son booked her exercise sessions to aid their travels to Kenya in 2019.

After the first few months, Ms Jepson said her strength grew, alongside her ability to move freely.

While travelling, Ms Jepson had the opportunity to complete activities she never thought were possible, thanks to her exercising.

“I even ended up going for a horse ride,” she said.

Noting that increasing fitness has helped her move better in her day-to-day life, she recommended others continue to move as they age.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to stay healthy as they age, to try and do any sort of exercise,” she said.