Pushups make an excellent addition to any fitness regimen, enhancing strength and endurance across the core, chest, triceps, and shoulders. This exercise relies solely on body weight for resistance, allowing you to assess your physical fitness by the number of repetitions you can perform with proper form. We consulted Eric North, known as The Happiness Warrior—a wellness speaker, coach, and advocate who is transforming the concept of aging with purpose, strength, and emotional vitality. He shared insights into the ideal number of pushups you should aim for after the age of 45 to evaluate whether your upper-body strength is exceptional.

“For those over 45, pushups serve as an excellent measure of upper-body strength because they simultaneously challenge muscular strength, endurance, and core stability using just the body’s weight,” North explains.

Why Pushups Are a Reliable Benchmark for Upper-Body Fitness

This makes pushups an effective and accessible method to assess functional strength and gauge your body’s capacity to maintain muscle mass and stability as you age.

As you reach 45, it’s natural for upper-body strength to wane, primarily due to sarcopenia—a condition characterized by the loss of lean muscle—and the deceleration of biological processes.

After you hit 45, upper-body strength naturally declines due to sarcopenia, the natural loss of lean muscle, and slower biological processes.

“Pushup performance reflects these changes because the exercise requires a combination of muscle mass, strength, endurance, and neuromuscular coordination, all of which are affected by the natural aging process,” North explains.

The Muscles Responsible for Pushup Performance

The main muscles activated during pushups include the triceps brachii (back of the upper arm, anterior deltoids (front of the shoulders), and pectoralis major and minor (chest).

“These muscles are vital for midlife strength and health because they build upper-body and core strength, contribute to a healthy heart, and help maintain good posture, which can lower the risk of heart attack or stroke and support daily activities,” North tells us.

If You Can Do This Many Pushups After 45, Your Upper Body Strength Is Top-Tier

So, how many pushups signals “top-tier” upper-body strength?6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

According to North, males 45+ should be able to perform 35 to 45 consecutive pushups with solid form, while females should be able to do 15 to 20.

“Elite strength can be defined by performing 50+ pushups, while 25 to 30 pushups is considered advanced for men and 10 to 15 for women,” North adds. “Use proper form or the number of repetitions doesn’t count.”

Why Form Matters

Form matters above all else, as it directly affects whether the exercise will target the intended muscle groups—chest, triceps, and shoulders—and whether you’re doing it safely. Poor form, such as flaring elbows or a sagging chest, can transfer your body weight to other joints or muscle groups.

“Practicing good form ensures that we are building true upper-body strength, while bad form can reduce muscle engagement, limit the effectiveness of the exercise, and increase the risk of injury,” North tells us.

In addition, make sure you move through the full range of motion to boost strength gains.

“Lower the chest to the ground and fully extend the elbows at the top of the movement,” North instructs. “Only doing half reps corrupts the full range of motion and limits the work our muscles do and is not an accurate measure of strength.”