The Ultimate Push-Up Standards: How Many Push-Ups Can The Average Man Do By Age In 2024?

The question of "how many push-ups can the average man do" is one of the most common fitness benchmarks, and the answer is more nuanced than a single number. As of late 2024, fitness data indicates that the true average is heavily dependent on age, general fitness level, and the consistency of your training. For a man in his 20s, the average hovers around 28 repetitions, but this figure drops steadily with each decade, making push-ups a crucial and easily trackable measure of overall muscular endurance and upper body strength.

Understanding the current standards is the first step to setting realistic and effective fitness goals. Whether you are aiming for a military fitness test, seeking to improve your general health, or simply curious about where you stack up, this in-depth guide provides the latest age-based benchmarks and proven training methods to help you surpass the average and build serious functional strength.

2024 Push-Up Standards: Averages for Men by Age

The push-up is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that tests the strength of your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core stability. Fitness organizations and various studies provide clear age-based benchmarks for men, which are essential for gauging your current level. The "average" is often defined as the 50th percentile—meaning half of the men in that age group can perform this number or more.

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• Age 20–29: The average number of push-ups for men in this age bracket is approximately 28 repetitions. A "good" or solid benchmark is often considered to be between 35 and 45 reps.
• Age 30–39: The average begins to decline, settling around 21–24 repetitions. Maintaining this level is a strong indicator of consistent physical activity.
• Age 40–49: The average drops to around 16–19 repetitions. At this stage, focus shifts to maintaining strength and preventing age-related muscle loss.
• Age 50–59: The average typically falls to 12–15 repetitions. Being able to perform a dozen full push-ups is still considered a good achievement for this age group.
• Age 60–65+: The average is around 10 repetitions. Consistency in bodyweight exercises like the push-up is vital for mobility and strength maintenance into senior years.

For a more advanced perspective, a man who consistently trains and is classified as an "Intermediate" lifter on strength scales can typically perform around 41 push-ups. "Advanced" levels often start at 68 reps or more.

What is a Realistic Daily Push-Up Goal?

If your goal is to build muscle, increase muscular endurance, or see visible results, simply hitting the average once a day is not enough. Experts recommend aiming for a total daily volume of 50 to 100 push-ups, broken down into multiple sets throughout the day. A solid starting target is to work up to three sets of 20 to 25 repetitions daily.

The Critical Role of Proper Push-Up Form and Technique

A push-up only counts if it’s performed with proper technique. A poorly executed push-up not only fails to effectively target the intended muscles (chest, triceps, shoulders) but also increases the risk of shoulder and wrist injury. To ensure your repetitions count toward your strength and endurance goals, master the following technique.

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Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Push-Up

1. Starting Position (The Plank): Begin in a high plank position. Your hands should be placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, approximately at chest level. Your fingers should point forward.
2. Body Alignment: Your body must form a straight line from your head to your heels. Engage your core and glutes to prevent your hips from sagging or rising (a common mistake). Your feet should be hip-width apart.
3. The Descent: Lower your chest toward the floor in a controlled manner. Keep your elbows tucked in at about a 45-degree angle to your body, not flared out to the sides. The movement should be slow and controlled, aiming for your chest to be one to two inches from the ground.
4. The Ascent: Explode back up to the starting position by pushing through your hands. Maintain the straight-line plank position throughout the entire movement. Do not let your hips lead the movement.

For beginners struggling to maintain proper form, start with an elevated push-up (hands on a bench or wall) or a knee push-up. This allows you to build the foundational strength in your chest, triceps, and core before progressing to a full floor push-up.

Training Methods to Massively Increase Your Push-Up Reps

If you are currently hitting the average and want to move into the "Good" or "Advanced" categories, you need a structured training plan focused on progressive overload and muscular endurance. Simply doing the same number of reps every day will lead to a plateau.

1. Implement the "Grease the Groove" (GTG) Method

This is a highly effective technique for increasing repetition maximums (max reps). The principle is to practice the movement frequently, but never to failure.

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• Execution: Throughout the day, perform multiple sets of push-ups every hour or two.
• Rep Count: In each set, only do about 40–50% of your maximum reps. For example, if your max is 30, do sets of 12–15 reps.
• Goal: The high frequency of sub-maximal effort trains your nervous system to be more efficient at the movement, leading to rapid gains in your max number.

2. Master Push-Up Variations for Progressive Overload

To continue building strength and overcome plateaus, you must increase the difficulty of the exercise. This is progressive overload.

• Diamond Push-Ups: This variation places your hands close together to form a diamond shape. It dramatically increases the load on the triceps, making it an excellent exercise for arm strength.
• Weighted Push-Ups: Once you can perform 30+ standard push-ups, add a weight plate or a weighted vest to your back. This forces your chest and shoulders to work harder against the added resistance, building raw power.
• Archer Push-Ups: An advanced unilateral (one-side) variation that shifts most of your body weight onto one arm, preparing you for one-arm push-ups and building insane stability.
• Decline Push-Ups: Elevate your feet on a bench or box. This shifts more of your body weight onto your hands, increasing the load and targeting the upper chest muscles.

3. Accessory Strength Training

Your push-up performance is often limited by weaker accessory muscles. Integrating compound and isolation exercises into your routine will provide the necessary foundational strength.

• Chest Press: Using dumbbells or a barbell is a classic way to overload the chest and build the raw pressing strength that translates directly to push-ups.
• Skull Crushers (Triceps Extension): Since the triceps are responsible for the final extension of the push-up, strengthening them with isolation exercises like skull crushers is critical for boosting your max reps.
• Plank Up-Downs: This exercise is excellent for improving core stability and shoulder endurance, both of which are foundational to maintaining perfect push-up form.

The Powerful Benefits of Surpassing the Average

Being able to perform a high number of push-ups is not just a vanity metric; it is linked to significant long-term health benefits. The push-up is a compound movement that engages nearly every major muscle group in the upper body and core.

A 2019 study published in the *JAMA Network Open* found a strong correlation between push-up capacity and cardiovascular health. Men who were able to complete more than 40 push-ups had a significantly lower risk of experiencing cardiovascular events (like heart attack or heart failure) over a 10-year follow-up period compared to men who could do fewer than 10.

The core benefits include:

• Increased Upper Body Strength: Push-ups primarily target the pectoralis major (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps, building functional strength for daily activities.
• Enhanced Core Stability: Performing a push-up requires maintaining a rigid plank position, which engages the rectus abdominis and obliques, contributing to a stronger, more stable core.
• Improved Muscular Endurance: The ability to perform high repetitions builds endurance, which is the capacity of your muscles to exert force repeatedly over time. This is a key indicator of overall physical fitness.
• Better Bone Health: As a weight-bearing exercise, push-ups can help improve bone density, especially in the arms and shoulders, which is crucial for men as they age.

Whether your personal goal is 15 or 75, treating the push-up as a regular part of your fitness routine is a simple, no-equipment-needed way to track and improve your health. By focusing on proper form, progressive variations, and consistent training, you can easily exceed the average push-up standards for men in your age group and unlock significant health advantages.