Defy Age with Fitness: Achieve Superior Health at 65 by Mastering This Pushup Benchmark

Pushups have long been celebrated as a comprehensive measure of overall strength and physical fitness. They are not just about testing arm strength; they demand coordination and endurance across the entire body, making them a superior indicator of true fitness levels.

Understanding your strength relative to your age is crucial, particularly as you advance in years. As we grow older, muscle strength tends to decline naturally. Maintaining your strength is vital for your overall health, life quality, independence, and even longevity. Everyday activities such as lifting groceries, rising from a chair, or reaching for items on a shelf all require a good level of strength.

By assessing your ability to perform pushups, we can gauge your fitness level. We consulted with experts to bring you a simple test: if you can perform a certain number of pushups without stopping at the age of 65, you are likely more fit than most 45-year-olds.

What Makes Pushups a Telltale Sign of Strength and Fitness

“Pushups are a multi-faceted exercise that evaluates upper-body strength, core stability, shoulder health, and muscular endurance simultaneously,” notes Karen Ann Canham, CEO and founder of Karen Ann Wellness. “For those aged 65 and above, the ability to control your body weight through space indicates preserved muscle mass and joint integrity. Pushups mirror the functional strength required for everyday tasks such as getting up from the floor or preventing a fall. They are difficult to fake and straightforward to evaluate, making them a dependable measure of real-world fitness.”

“They test upper-body strength, core stability, shoulder health, and muscular endurance all at once,” explains Karen Ann Canham, CEO and founder of Karen Ann Wellness. “For adults 65+, being able to control body weight through space shows preserved muscle mass and joint integrity. Pushups also reflect functional strength needed for daily tasks like getting up from the floor or catching a fall. They’re hard to fake and easy to assess. That makes them a reliable marker of real-world fitness.”

If You Can Do This Many Pushups Without Stopping at 65, You’re Fitter Than Most 45-Year-Olds

Being able to complete 15 to 20 consecutive pushups with proper form is an excellent indicator of “above-average fitness” for adults aged 65. For women, performing 10 to 15 pushups is also a solid benchmark to aim for.

“These numbers suggest good upper-body strength, core control, and endurance relative to age-related muscle decline,” Canham says. “The key is quality, not speed or partial reps. Even modified pushups count if form is strict and consistent. It’s a meaningful goal because it reflects usable strength, not gym-specific ability.”

How To Get Started

Canham suggests kicking things off with incline pushups on a counter, wall, or workout bench to safely build up your strength.

“Focus on keeping the body in a straight line from head to heels and engaging the core before each rep. Lower slowly and press up with control rather than rushing,” she recommends.

Wall Pushups

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1. Stand tall, arms-length away from a wall.
2. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface.
3. Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall.
4. Press back up to the starting position, keeping the movement slow and controlled.

Traditional Pushups

1. Assume a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
4. Press back up, straightening your arms.

Diamond Pushups

1. Assume a high plank, placing your hands close together so your index fingers and thumbs form a “diamond” beneath your chest.
2. Keep your elbows close to the sides of your body as you lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Press yourself back up to the start position.

Decline Pushups

1. Assume a pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart and feet elevated on a workout bench or sturdy surface.
2. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the ground.
3. Press through both palms to rise back up.