The pushup is more than a military exercise for group training and punishment; it’s an objective measure of physical fitness and cardiovascular health. A 10-year study of male firefighters with an average age of 39 found that those able to perform 40 or more pushups had a 96% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those who could do fewer than 10. Interestingly, pushup ability was more strongly linked to reduced CVD risk than aerobic capacity, as assessed by treadmill testing, also in the study.
The True Power of the Pushup
For many, the military introduced us to pushups, or someone in the military did. I remember when my granddad (World War II Army veteran) dropped to the floor and cranked out 20 pushups at the age of 80 then hopped back up to his feet. I was in my teens at the time, but I understood at a young age how valuable pushups were. Not only is it the perfect flex on the living room floor amongst friends and family, but it is the gateway to longevity and health in our later years. My grandfather remained active and independent until his last breath, nearly 10 years later. Keep up this skill after serving.
The Perfect Exercise
The pushup is a no-cost, highly effective way to build the chest, shoulders, arms and entire core system. This simple exercise measures and develops upper body strength and muscle stamina, improves bone density, and provides the functional ability to lift yourself from the floor.
Easily Modified
A regular pushup involves about 65% of your bodyweight supported by your upper body and nearly your entire weight supported by your core. If you cannot do a regular pushup, try a knee pushup, which reduces the effort by less than 50% of your body weight. You can also do wall or couch pushups by leaning on either to create a more diagonal angle, further reducing the weight on the arms and core. On the flip side, you can add a weight vest to make pushups more difficult if you are capable.
Set the Standard
Using this Strength Level score sheet, set a standard for yourself, and build up to above-average or elite levels. It is fine to do pushups daily, if you are only doing a lower amount of repetitions (10-20), but if you are doing over 100 repetitions in a workout, you will be best served to do pushups every other day, as your recovery is important to building higher levels of pushups (or any exercise).
Body Weight Maintenance
Being able to do more pushups is directly associated with lower body weight. When you weigh more, exercises such as pushups, and especially pullups and dips, become more difficult. Regularly practicing these exercises along with cardio and a sustainable diet (portion control) work together to make the pushup goal not just a living-room flex but also a health and wellness standard to keep you active and independent as you age.
Steps to Improving Pushups
Here’s how to get better:
Consistent and Progressive Practice
To improve your pushups, practice regularly and progress logically. Read about progressive overload to build a plan to do pushups every other day for both growth and recovery.
Lose Weight if Needed
If you have extra weight to lose, your pushups will improve when you lose excess fat and gain some muscle. Pair your pushup training with portion control to create a daily calorie deficit. Don’t skimp on the protein; it helps to maintain or build muscle. Adding more walking to your day will help you burn extra calories.
Workout Ideas
Circuit Training: Mix upper body, lower body and cardio with circuit training, switching between pushups (and other calisthenics or dumbbells) and some form of cardio for fast 3-minute sets like this:
Repeat 5 times:
- Walk, jog or bike, 3 minutes
- Pushups max (do as many as you can)
- Squats, 10-20
- Plank pose. 30 seconds
Pushup Pyramid: You can also do a pyramid version of pushups and short cardio mixed together. This may start out as a workout, but one day with practice, this 55-pushup circuit will be your warmup. Pushup Pyramid 1-10 warmup:
- 1 pushup; jog or walk 25 meters
- 2 pushups; jog or walk 25 meters
- 3 pushups; jog or walk 25 meters
Keep going up the pyramid until you reach 10 reps or fail on earlier sets. This workout is also an excellent and immediate assessment of your progress.
Proper Form and Injury Prevention
Avoiding injury ensures you can maintain consistency and avoid time off from practicing pushups. Here are three important perfect pushup tips:
Form Basics: When in the up pushup position, keep a straight line from head to heels, engage the core, and do not let your hips sag. This is where practicing the plank pose will help.
Hand Placement/Elbow Position: Place your hands on the floor just outside shoulder width in the up position. Lower yourself, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle from your torso (not flared out at 90 degrees or pushed close to your torso at zero degrees. With your left hand pointing to 11 o’clock and your right hand pointing to 1 o'clock, you will find the 45-degree angle easier and more natural to do.
While pushups alone won’t save your life, they will always be a solid marker of fitness, health and wellness, and they can help you prevent frailty from age-related muscle loss and poor posture. The ability to perform pushups requires strength in the arms and core, endurance to complete above-average repetitions and, most importantly, consistent practice of these healthy activities. Together, these benefits from pushups and maintaining the ability to do them will add both years to your life and life to your years. Check out the dozens of articles on pushups and other workouts to improve them at the Military.com Fitness Section.
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