How many pushups should I do a day

How many pushups should I do a day

How many pushups should I do a day? Push-ups are considered to be the best form of exercise without any expensive equipment. Or tools as it not only tones your muscles but also helps increase the overall strength of the body.

These are of both basic and advanced levels and should be done only depending on your physical abilities. Many people do push-ups as warm-up exercises while others include them in their overall workout routine.

So the biggest question that people who are on their fitness journey would have is how many push-ups are essential in a day.

In this article, we will be discussing all the aspects regarding push-ups, the number of push-ups that should be done in a day and their benefits, etc.

Push-Ups are a form of workout that works your legs, core, triceps, chest, and shoulders. Push-Ups bolster the triceps, chest, shoulders, and abs. One of the most effective exercises for the upper body.

The best thing about push-ups is that if you do them, then all the muscles of your body get exercised simultaneously, due to which you get many health benefits.

The best advantage of doing it is that you can do push-ups easily at home and keep your body fit without any problem.

By the way, before proceeding, let us give you a disclaimer that every person’s physical abilities are different. And hence one’s push-ups should be judged accordingly. Reports published by the New York Times have found that at the level of fitness.

A 40-year-old woman should do 16 push-ups, while a man of the same age should do 27 by taking averages from different countries.

By the age of 60, this figure reaches 17 in men and 6 in women. Although the scale of push-ups for soldiers is slightly different.

The difference in the count of pushups for men and women-

If you wonder why women’s push-ups are less than men’s, then a scientific reason is given for this. Women have 20 percent less muscle mass than men.

With age also the muscles become weak. Between 20 and 70 years of age, a person loses 30 percent of his strength.

The Guinness World Record :

The most push-ups (men’s category) in one hour is currently held by Carlton Williams of the UK, which he made in Australia in 2017. Carlton did 2682 push-ups in one hour.

By the way, Jack LaLanne of America – also known as the Godfather of fitness – set a world record in 1956 at the age of 42 by doing 1033 push-ups in 23 minutes.

Lalain died in 2011 at the age of 96. He used to do pushups in workouts. His muscles were so strong that he could balance his legs and both hands on three chairs.

Although the website of the Guinness Book of World Records does not have any description of records related to women’s push-ups.

Push ups

Why is it not easy to do push-ups?

Experts say that push-ups are the criterion of fitness, but lifting your full weight and then taking it down is a tiring task for the good.

This is an exercise in which the muscles of the arms, chest, abdomen, hips, and legs are used. In push-ups, you use your body weight.

So if you have to show any kind of physical strength, then the best way is to show it by doing push-ups.

By the way, if the ground push-up is difficult for you, then start from the platform of your kitchen, in which you exercise by bending at a 45-degree angle. Slowly do this with the help of stairs and then come to the real ground.

How many pushups should you be doing?

Well, the answer to this question depends on your goal and your fitness journey. Everyone’s long-term vision in terms of their fitness goal varies. And hence the number of push-ups required in a day also changes from person to person.

If you are preparing yourself for selection in athletics or army or any other fitness profession. Then definitely you must prepare yourself to do a gigantic amount of push-ups in a day.

And as suggested by your fitness trainer. For the PT test, it is important to carry out a lot of push-ups in a short time and it is all about volume and speed.

For the general push-ups that people do the main goal is to make your upper body stronger.

Let’s discuss further the three different push-up techniques and how many you must do in a day of each type.

Loaded push-ups :

Loaded push-ups are generally done with some amount of added weights and the three variations are band pushups, plate push-ups, and chain push-ups.

Band push-ups-

The band push-ups are done with the help of an elastic training band that is stretched across the upper back and the end loops of this band are hooked under the thumbs on the ground for adding resistance.

Chain push-ups-

In the case of chain push-ups the heavy chains are laid across your upper back and it makes it a bit difficult to do this push-up.

Plate push-up –

Plate push-ups cannot be done alone as it requires a partner to place a weight on your upper back before you start the push-up.

These variations that we discussed above are great for overloading your push-up. Many fitness enthusiasts add more push-up reps during their training to improve their relative strength in this process.

If you have been trying various high-volume push-ups for improving your endurance and strength. But if you don’t see many gains on the strength part. Then it’s high time that you try loaded push-ups and cut down on your total number of reps.

This is because these loaded push-ups are a solid option for people who want to build upper body strength and are ready to deal with shoulder pain.

So how much should you do? Well, not more than 50 in a training session, totally depends on the weights used during the training. And if you are doing heavy sets of five or six steps.

Then it is advised to stay in the 25 to 35 range. In the case of lighter sets of 10 reps, you can hit 50 total reps. According to Dr. Lawrence A. Golding– push-ups should be done according to one’s age, gender, and the number of reps.

How to do push-ups?

  1. Balance your body with the help of your arms facing toward the floor.
  2. Balance your legs and toes in a way that creates a straight body posture.
  3. Try to not bend your body much.
  4. To start, try to lower your body carefully to the ground, and come back to the original position.
  5. Make sure you inhale while going down and exhale while coming back up.

Different types of push-ups

Knee push-ups-

Knee pushups are known to be a slightly modified get similar version of normal standard push-ups for those who are unable to balance their body in case of a regular question after doing it a few times.

It enhances the balance of the body and makes you strong enough to do normal pushups.  

Incline Push-Ups-

Another simple version of regular pushups is inclined push-ups. To practice the inclined pushup, you can take the help of a chair or anything which is of similar height would be as a stand.

Or something for practicing the inclined push-up. Just do it with the help of your hands above the bench in a poster of an inclined body.

Triangle or Diamond Push-Ups –

These are named diamond pushups for a reason as form a triangle which is a similar shape to a diamond in this posture there is no distance between your two arms and the entire emphasis is basically on the triceps.

Spiderman push-ups –

Spider-Man push-ups are called sideKick push-ups also in which the main focus is on the legs. The difference is that when you go down you just have to bend slightly towards your elbow and continue the process with both your knees.

Continue this with both knees together. The toes should be very close to the standard position to perform Spiderman pushups effectively. This exercise strengthens the upper body and core as well as increases hip flexion.

Pike push-ups –

This is mainly for the shoulders. Begin with the dog yoga pose, maintaining an inverted V shape of your body throughout the exercise. Bend your elbows and lower your head to the ground, holding it hip-high and balancing on your toes. 

Handstand pushup –

This type of push-up is known as a handstand push-up because you need to know the art of a handstand to complete the steps of this push-up. You can try doing it with the help of a wall.

This type is slightly challenging and whisky for people who do not have a very strong upper body which is why it is not advised for beginners.

Archer Push Up –

In the archer pushup, you just have to keep your arms a bit wider as compared to the normal push-up and transfer the majority of your body weight incline towards one of your hands.

Wall pushups –

Wallpapers are the easiest to do as they are the easiest variant of standard push-ups and can be carried out by any beginner or even females who do not have very excellent core strength.

Triceps pushup –

This category of push-ups is specific to the triceps. There’s only a slight difference between the two.

In this type, your hands should be as close to the body as possible. Try to narrow the width between your arms.

Other variations of the push-up include- the inclined push-up, decline push-up, plyo push-up, the rolling push-up, push-up with the hip abductor, etc.

Tips for beginners who are doing push-ups-

Here are some tips to keep in mind when doing push-ups:

  • Try not to bend in the middle, this is because it can cause severe back pain
  • Make sure to have a straight body posture.
  • Just slightly bend throughout the exercise but avoid locking your elbows.
  • Remember to control your breathing properly.
  • Don’t forget that following proper instruction of complete repetitions is extremely important.
  • It is better to do fewer push-ups rather than doing them 100 times incorrectly.
  • Use a mirror to check your overall posture. To watch yourself, don’t twist your neck, as doing so can affect your form.
  • Try doing incline push-ups in front of a mirror so you can see your muscles and make sure they’re engaged. Warm up before starting. To loosen up, do some easy arm stretches and movements first.
  • Always follow up with a warm-up routine that will help you in preventing any sort of injuries while doing the workout.
  • There’s no harm in using a lightly cushioned surface (such as a thin carpet or yoga mat) to make yourself more comfortable on your wrist when you’re just starting.

  • Another advantage of push-ups is that they can be done anywhere. Just find a large, non-obstructive place for you to lie down. The floor surface should be solid and not sloping anywhere. Usually, it should be a surface material that’s comfortable for you—not prickly.

  • With good form and proper control, normal push-ups are a little more difficult, especially for those who are just starting to learn them.
  • If you find yourself moving a little while doing these, do a slow and proper push-up, you’re doing a push-up that’s difficult for you (or maybe you’ve warmed up well enough). Haven’t done it!).
  • Start by going down a little at first and go down slowly. Very quickly, it will be easy for you to go down.
  • Use a chair to elevate your legs.
  • Begin by elevating your torso using the table, and then slowly, slightly lower than normal.

Push ups

Top 10 Push-Up Benefits-

  • Strengthen several muscles of your body.
  • Strengthen joints and bones
  • Improve heart health
  • Helps in improving your body posture
  • Increases functional power of the body
  • Helps in preventing any shorts of back injuries.
  • Free from any expensive equipment.
  • Strengthen core area
  • Easy and can be done anywhere
  • No tools required

Warning –

When your lower back gets tired, stop doing push-ups. Don’t slack off in the middle, as this could result in injury.

In the process, if you start experiencing sudden, severe pain in any of your body parts, stop doing push-ups right away!

If you have shoulder or chest pain, you may have done too many push-ups over your limits.  Before you do push-ups, you should start with light exercises.

If the pain is elsewhere, you may be doing something wrong. If you still experience the pain you must consult a healthcare professional regarding the same.

To make push-ups difficult, keeping your hands too close together can make coming back difficult.

If you hold them too close, you may find it difficult to balance your torso as you lift, and this can put tremendous (and unwanted) stress on your bones, arms, and shoulders.

This can lead to pain in the bones after exercise or, in the long run, problems with the joints of the shoulders. This danger zone can be different for each person and according to the body type.

If you want to keep your hands together even further, to make push-ups more difficult, Try using the other methods above.

Another good variation of push-ups is to clap when your arms are directly opposite each other.

The bottom line-

Yet again there is no specific number of pushups that a person should do because it depends on your health goals, body requirements, gender, etc.

In case of cardiovascular complications, you can test your risk by the number of push-ups you can do, and your capacity, as push-ups are strongly associated with your cardiovascular health.

If your ultimate goal is increasing your stamina then you can increase the number of sets you do with fewer reps.

However before you increase the number of reps you do, you must go ahead and consult your professional trainer and physician so that you don’t end up hurting your body muscles.

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