Jack LaLanne (Photo courtesy of Befit Enterprises)Fitness guru Jack LaLanne knows push-ups. During his 30-plus years on television, he regularly demonstrated the proper push-up technique and wowed us with feats of strength like finger-tip push-ups and one-armed push-ups.
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Mr. LaLanne, 93, still does push-ups during his daily 90-minute workout. “I hate it,” he said of working out. “But I like the results. Exercise is something you’ve got to do the rest of your life.”
I was fortunate to speak with Mr. LaLanne for my Well column in this week’s Science Times, which explores why the push-up remains an enduring symbol of fitness. The article also explains why your ability to do a push-up is linked to how well you age. Here’s a calculator to tell you how many push-ups you should be doing if you are in good shape.
Read the full column here, and be sure to check out our new Well video segment, “Drop and Give Me Twenty!,” above.
How’s your push-up performance? Post your comments here.
Healthy living doesn't happen at the doctor's office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It's about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. Join columnist Tara Parker-Pope as she sifts through medical research and expert opinions for practical advice to help readers take control of their health and live well every day. You can reach Ms. Parker-Pope at 
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From the calculator it appears that the “standard” pushup for women, from which the calculation is made, is with knees on the floor. Is that correct? What accounts for the different techniques for men and women?
— SusanneFrom TPP — Many women are capable of doing regular push-ups. However, women are often advised to do push-ups from the knees if they can’t do the regular form (plank body, weight on the toes). For men and women, whether they can do a regular push-up depends on their upper body strength relative to their body weight. Women start off at a disadvantage because they have more body fat, less muscle and less strength per unit of body weight compared to men. Doing the pushup from the knees takes some of the weight off. Your body will get more out of doing 10 good “girl” push-ups rather than struggling with just a few regular push-ups. You get most of your muscle benefit on the way down, so being able to get your chin and chest close to the ground is important.
I’m a 50-year old woman who goes to the gym 5 times a week and strength trains 3 of those days. I could probably drop and give you… oh, 3 or 4… but my arms would really ache tomorrow…
— CynthiaIs that actually a picture of Jack LaLanne at 93?
— SGFrom TPP — The photo was taken in 1992 and Mr. LaLanne is 78 in the picture. He’s amazing. There’s a great YouTube video of his fingertip push-ups. Check it out here..
I normally do push ups on my knuckles and touch my chest to the floor.
— SteveAre there any advantages/disadvantages to this type of push up?
Am I over-stressing some muscles or joints?
Awesome post. I do push ups daily, too. I like them on an incline. For women that don’t want to work out, it is great one exercise movement that will help their strength.
— ejThanks again.
Doing fewer of them slowly with proper breathing is probably more beneficial and less stressful than doing many of them.
Just try lowering and then raising yourself in plank position as slowly as you can. Each one of those is worth 10 regular ones.
— jackThere are plenty of metrics for physical fitness. Why give the push-up so much due? Although I’ve mastered other physical feats, I’ve always struggled with push-ups- in fact even during a brief youthful period in ROTC where I really had to drop and give them 20! (I was like Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin - I think they were thrilled when I dropped out, and no, I never mastered push-ups!)
— Lynn from Organicmania.comThe push-up calculator and animation suggest that women should do pushups resting on their knees rather than toes. The article suggests they should rest on their toes. Which is correct, or does it depend on the individual’s level of fitness?
From TPP — It just depends on her fitness. There is no reason women shouldn’t do push-ups from their toes — it’s simply that many don’t have the upper body strength. These days, i bet plenty of men don’t either.
— anneWhy are women’s pushups done from the knees? We can do “regular” ones!!!
— ElenaAccording to that calculator, the average 3 year old can do 66 pushups.
— RonThe push-up calculator is claiming that the “population average” for 27 year old males is 37 push-ups! That can’t be right.
— AlexWith the help of Victoria’s Secret, my push up performance has been very successful.
— Col. Jimmie Sue FoxI just closed my office door to try some push ups in my silk shirt, slacks and heels (well, okay, I took my shoes off). I thought I would try regular ones, but I could only do about 3. When I tried the suggested women’s push ups, I could at least do 20 (average for my 39 years). I always thought I was in pretty good shape because I run 3-4 times a week and do some weights, but I am definitely adding push ups to my routine starting today!
— LisaWhile I admire Jack LaLanne and think its probably a good idea for people to be able to do push-up for the reasons listed in the article, the average American would be better served doing aerobic exercise lasting 30 minutes or more. Push-ups don’t tell anything about the health of your heart and lungs.
The problem with promoting push-ups as a yardstick for health is that you can improve how many push-ups you do with about 10 minutes commitment 3 days per week, but that won’t improve any of your risks to the major diseases you are likely to develop later in life.
— NikMan, I’m not looking forward to the day when I reach 160 and can only do one push up…
— Alex S.TPP–here’s are a couple of questions for you and your readers…. The bent knee push-ups, sometimes known as “women’s” push-ups or cheater push-ups are said to lift more weight. What percentage of the body weight does this lift? For that matter, how much does a push-up lift? If I am a 250-lb man, how much weight am I actually lifting?
From TPP — The women’s pushups actually lift less weight, not more. The biomechanists I spoke with said the push-up lifts almost your body weight. But hopefully a reader here has a more precise answer for you.
— Purdue SteveWait a minute- I thought that you had to be looking forward at all times for it to be a “proper” push-up.
Try it. Doing them while your head is looking down is /much/ easier then when you are looking straight ahead.
— KilgoreTrout XLI Love pushups, they seem to be the only thing I really have to do besides crunches. i believe that if you take out a few seconds to get down and do a few pushups. I only do between 100 and 200 hundred pushups every other night. i dont know what to do to get my chest a little bigger. from the front to the back. my pecks are what i’m tryin to improve. if you have an suggestion i would like for you to send me some ideals please. i would love to have a great body for the summer.
— John HolmesYes, and the average male fetus can do 71 push-ups, 25 more than the average female fetus. The “population mean” for a 200-year old male is 1; maybe that’s pushing up daisies. This “calculator” is not ready for prime time, to say the least. Anyway, the median for age and sex would be more meaningful than the mean.
— RalphI just tried to do a push up…barely have the energy to get the fingers to the keyboard for this com m e n t a r
— KimWhat about yoga push-ups, also called chaturanga? Starting from a plank position you lower and raise yourself with your arms and elbows parallel to your body. I have greatly increased my upper body strength through these and other yoga poses. Probably chaturanga/yoga push-ups work slightly different muscles in the chest and arms.
— LilyGood grief, I’m fit but can’t do the average of 22 for my age (49). Who did they test to arrive at this average? How about the Times’s picking ten random 49 year olds and really seeing what the average would be? We’d all feel fitter if that dang average could be brought down to, say, 5-7 reps.
— Robert Taverage age 26, and 83 pushups. I doubt it. Big time. Not with our butterball population.
— bobAre you not supposed to rest one day between sets of pushups or other strengthening exercises such as squats? Does Jack do these every day?
— CarlThat “fitness” instructor needs to get a new job. All the women in his class are showing horrific form that will lead to neck and back pain. The old army movie is showing correct form: whether on the feet or knees, the back should be straight and the head facing “forward” as if you were standing with your back to a wall. The dropped head and swayed back position shown in the video is all too common, and very bad for the back and neck. Also, they’re pinching their backs, which is bad. Your scapulae should be fairly inert, and your movement should be almost entirely in the shoulder and elbow joints (with the wrists “following along” of course).
Better to do one correct pushup than 20 bad ones.
— Drew S.