Enhancing chest strength becomes increasingly important as you get older.
Developing robust chest muscles is crucial, particularly as you age. This strength plays a vital role in daily tasks such as picking up items from the ground, pushing open heavy doors, and steering loaded shopping carts through your favorite stores. A strong chest also supports activities like swinging a golf club or tennis racket and engaging in sports such as swimming.
If you’re over 50 and curious about whether your chest strength surpasses that of 90% of your contemporaries, consider evaluating yourself with wall pushups.
For individuals in the 50+ demographic—especially those who have recently resumed a fitness routine or are facing challenges due to wrist, lower back, or shoulder issues—wall pushups offer a valuable method for initial strength assessment and provide a gentle workout option.
What Makes Wall Pushups Beneficial for Older Adults
For those in the 50+ age group—especially those who have recently picked back up a fitness regimen or are experiencing any limitations due to their wrists, low back, or shoulders—wall pushups can be utilized for initial assessment purposes and as a low-impact workout.
“The muscles most commonly involved in the performance of this movement include the pectoralis major, triceps, anterior deltoids, and the scapular stabilizer group, all of which are necessary for common upper extremity activities such as opening large objects (e.g. heavy doors), using counter tops to stabilize yourself when standing or walking, and assisting yourself out of a seated position,” explains Dr. Mariam Zakhary, DO, the Clinical Advisor of Ikon Recovery Center in New Jersey, who is double board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as Sports Medicine.
How To Do Wall Pushups
Wall pushups serve as a gentle, joint-friendly way to build strength in your core, chest, shoulders, and arms. This allows those 50+ to work on pressing strength in a safe manner with controlled intensity.
Here’s exactly how to do the exercise with proper form.
- Start standing tall, arms-length away from a wall.
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface.
- Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall.
- Press back up to the starting position, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
How Many Wall Pushups Signal Solid Chest Strength
Individuals who are 50 and up typically require around 20 to 30 reps of controlled wall pushups to be considered “above average,” Dr. Zakhary explains. Performing 30 to 50 reps with control would be categorized as “advanced.”
“It is critical to understand that these classifications are highly dependent upon baseline fitness levels and body weight. Wall pushups also tend to result in significantly less resistance compared to either incline or standard pushups. As a result, wall pushups provide a much lower resistance level than other types of push-up exercises,” Dr. Zakhary says.
Built for Function, Not Force
Keep in mind that wall pushups may not be as effective for testing overall strength and firing up the core as other pushup variations.
“Therefore, wall pushups are most often used as a progressive training method as opposed to a maximal effort assessment,” Dr. Zakhary tells us. “Due to age-related declines in muscle mass, tendon flexibility, and motor unit recruitment, the ability to generate force through pushing-type movements will decline even in otherwise healthy and active individuals. Thus, graded variations (i.e., wall push-ups) of basic movement assessments are clinically relevant tools for assessing an individual’s level of physical function and determining whether interventions are needed.”