Performing pushups with proper form reveals a lot about your strength, mobility, and balance.
One of the best things you can learn as you age is that your body is strong and healthy. After all, that translates to having the ability to do the things you love—on your own. The best way to determine how strong you are is by testing your abilities with what’s considered standard—and even above average—for your age.
We reached out to an expert who shares just how many pushups you should be able to do after 55 to be classified as “elite upper-body strength.” Why pushups? This exercise provides a functional, full-body workout that has you lifting a solid amount of your body weight. Each pushup engages your shoulders, chest, triceps, and core—all at the same time.
What Makes Pushups a Solid Test of Strength?
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According to Maria Vazquez, a NASM-CPT and the Head of Training at MYWOWFIT, pushups recruit your own body weight as resistance, so they are a true test of relative strength. Vazquez helps women in their 40s, 50s, and older achieve lasting strength through simple and effective workout modalities.
The pushup is also a great way to gauge balance, mobility, and shoulder stability, considering these factors decrease as you age. Essentially, if you’re able to move through the full range of motion while doing pushups with proper form, then your coordination, connective tissue, and muscles are in solid shape, Vazquez notes.
What’s Considered an “Elite” Number of Pushups for Someone in Their 50s?
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The ideal pushup benchmark for upper-body strength varies depending on gender. According to Vazquez, for men in their 50s, performing 35 pushups in one set is “elite.” For women, completing 25 or more is considered “elite.” Athletes under 50 may double those numbers, but the major difference lies in how forgiving their joints are.
With age, it’s common to lose the muscle fibers needed for strength and power. Bodyweight exercises like pushups help preserve these muscles while boosting blood flow to muscle cells. If you’re still capable of performing solid pushups well into your 50s—and beyond—you’re conquering muscle loss, known as sarcopenia. Read on to learn how to perform classic pushups, along with a few variations.
Classic Pushups
- Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Activate your core.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
- Press back up, straightening your arms.
Modified Pushups
- Begin on all fours on a mat, placing your hands just outside shoulder-width.
- Rest your knees on the ground so your body is straight from head to knees.
- Activate your core and keep your back flat.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the ground.
- Press back up.
Chair Pushups
- Find a stable chair and place your hands on it, shoulder-width apart.
- Begin by walking your legs back so you’re at a straight incline from your head to your heels.
- Keep your legs together and rise onto the balls of your feet. Engage your core and keep your gaze forward.
- Bend your elbows to lower your body until your chest lines up with your elbows.
- Return back to straight arms.
Chair Pushups
- Start standing tall, arms-length away from a wall.
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface.
- Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall.
- Press back up to the starting position, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa
