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Push-Up Test at Home

Push Up | Sit Up | Squat | Step | Vertical Jump | Sit & Reach

You can easily test your upper body strength yourself at home using this simple test. The push-up exercise is a common fitness exercise. How many push-ups can you do?



Technique

Use the standard "military style" push-up technique. The starting position is facing down with your weight distributed on the hands and feet, arms straight. The body is rigid and straight, and the hands are placed approximately shoulder width apart. Lower your body until your chest nears the floor at the bottom of the movement, and then return up to the starting position. This is one repetition.

Women have the additional option of using the "bent knee" technique. To do this, kneel on the floor, hands on either side of the chest and keep your back straight. Lower the chest down towards the floor, always to the same level each time, either till your elbows are at right angles or your chest touches the ground.

Do as many push-ups as possible until exhaustion. Count the total number of push-ups performed. Use the charts below to find out how you rate.

push-up exerciseHow did you go?

Compare your results to the table below. Remember, these scores are based on doing the tests as described, and may not be accurate if the test is modified at all. Don't worry too much about how you rate - just try and improve your own score, and keep doing them the same way each time.

Table: push-up test norms for MEN

Age 17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Excellent > 56 > 47 > 41 > 34 > 31 > 30
Good 47-56 39-47 34-41 28-34 25-31 24-30
Above average 35-46 30-39 25-33 21-28 18-24 17-23
Average 19-34 17-29 13-24 11-20 9-17 6-16
Below average 11-18 10-16 8-12 6-10 5-8 3-5
Poor 4-10 4-9 2-7 1-5 1-4 1-2
Very Poor < 4 < 4 < 2 0 0 0

Table: push-up test norms for WOMEN

Age 17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Excellent > 30 > 32 > 28 > 20 > 16 > 12
Good 22-30 24-32 21-28 15-20 13-16 10-12
Above Average 11-21 14-23 13-20 10-14 9-12 6-9
Average 7-10 9-13 7-12 5-9 4-8 3-5
Below average 4-6 5-8 3-6 2-4 2-3 2
Poor 1-3 1-4 1-2 1 1 1
Very Poor 0 0 0 0 0 0

Table: push-up test norms for WOMEN (modified - performed from the knees)

Age 17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Excellent > 35 > 36 > 37 > 31 > 25 > 23
Good 27-35 30-36 30-37 25-31 21-25 19-23
Above Average 21-27 23-29 22-30 18-24 15-20 13-18
Average 11-20 12-22 10-21 8-17 7-14 5-12
Below average 6-10 7-11 5-9 4-7 3-6 2-4
Poor 2-5 2-6 1-4 1-3 1-2 1
Very Poor 0-1 0-1 0 0 0 0

* Source: the orginal source for this data is unknown. The norm tables for women has been modified from the original to account for the different techniques.




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