Can you do a push up?

[GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf]

I am 26 and I cannot and never have been able to do a push up. DH says most women my age could do at least one, I think that’s BS. Btw other than my lanky arms I am quiet strong, I can leg press a lot and squat a decent amount, I am a healthy weight as well. I can pick up my kids so really I think I can do all I need to do.

So, can you do a push up? Either the one where you’re on your knees or the normal one. If you’re older then I guess my question is could you do one when you were at your peak physical fitness?

I'm so here for this!! You can do it!
Go for 10!
You can start by doing standing push ups- push yourself away from a wall or tree, then move to knee push ups, then a full push up.

I could do one at 50 and pretty unfit for £100! At 26 I’d have been able to do probably 15-20 without much effort. But I’ve always had pretty good upper body strength. Can’t run though - even if I was being chased by a zombie, I’d have to just give up and accept my fate!

Im 52 and can manage about 3 full proper ones.

the ones on my knees I can do loads

I’m 43 and can do 10-15 proper ones.

Same here. Tbf, I never found them easy but could do around ten at 26yo. Earn your £100 Christmas bonus, OP!

This is actually a great way to learn to do pushups!

ETA….. assuming it is done with proper form

I’m late 40’s with a sturdy short build lol and can do 10 on my toes for 3 sets. I couldn’t at the start of the year, it’s just been with lots of practice.

Yep mid/50s can do up to 20 full ones. Your better off doing a full one on a high up surface then lowering the surface than doing on knees ones. So try doing a full body one feet on floor leaning onto dinning table or kitchen side then lowering to end of bed then a step then floor. Took me 6 weeks of dumbbells x 2 a week only 20 min workout made noticeable increases in strenght .

Yes I can. I do 40 a day. I'm 59.

I couldn't do one until I was 40! It was lockdown and I was doing more sit ups etc and then one day i could just do it. I think it was building my core strength that enabled it to happen :-). Now 47 and can do 10/12 decent ones in a row

I’m in my 40’s and can do a handful, I go to the gym 5 times a week but I am a size 14 so not a typical gym bunny

I'm 49. I do 4 Bootcamps per week. I can do a set of 20 push ups. Some Bootcamps require you to do many sets during the hour.
Look at some you tube videos on technique, it really helps.

It might be your form, watch some YouTube videos on correct form and practice doing them in reverse on your knees. If that's too hard practice doing them standing up with your arms on a wall. Make sure your arms are parallel to your body and your elbows are in line with your boys not sticking out like bird wings.

Absolutely! I can do them with a 25kg plate on my back too. But then I can also bench press my bodyweight. Couldn’t do them 4 years ago though, I took up lifting later in life and train a lot. No reason you can’t train to do one (or many) if you put your mind to it. But I think your husband is wrong that most women can. I see plenty of women starting out in the gym and they’ll be starting on an incline.

I can and I’m proud of it! I do body pump at least once a week and AI tells me that a typical class will have 20-50 push ups. I do adapted push ups (knees down) due to wrist problems.

I have been conducting a bit of research and out the women I know who I’ve asked only the ones who go to the gym can. MIL can do many but she was a police officer so she’s always been quite fit.

Tbh after seeing DH trying to do the stretches I do so he can do the splits I’m pretty confident. He has a habit of biting off more than he can chew. Said reformer Pilates looks easy last year so I jumped at the opportunity to take him and it was the funniest thing I’ve seen.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but this tiktok is interesting on the subject of standard pushups being designed for men

www.tiktok.com/@g_doherty2255/video/7611304662183972109

It's not only to do with age though, it is to do with your body shape. It is significantly harder to do push ups when you're tall, with long arms and back, than it is if you are shorter.

I’m 54 and do 10 not very good push ups every morning. I started 10 years ago when I found I was starting to develop a tummy. This was not acceptable to me, so I started the push ups. It totally works.

High Five! I'm 56 & can also plank like a MF. I like a good weighted wall sit too

I’m in my 60s and can do ~10 full ones followed by ~15 on my knees.

Pull ups are a different thing. In my late 20s I built up to being able to do a couple of full pull ups, but these days I can’t even hang comfortably.

Hahahahahahahahaha...NO!
I could once, a long, long time ago...!

Nope.
Never could. I have hopeless upper body strength, I’m a weak swimmer too, just how I’m built.

I have very strong legs though.

I can do 25, but I started at only being able to do 9! I do go to the gym and strength train though which definitely helps!

you’ll definitely be able to do one by Christmas, I believe in you OP!

My biggest problem is my weak wrists 😫 (perimeno related I think- I also have issues with my grip these days). I have really good muscular strength in my shoulders, arms and chest but my wrists start hurting quite quickly. When I teach my classes, I tend to do the adapted ones- partly because most of my participants are female and are doing adapted push-ups, so I’m demonstrating good form for what they’re doing. And partly because I do multiple classes a week and need to not knacker myself out. And partly because it’s not my work-out, it’s theirs so it’s not about showing off what I can do.

Anyway, I just had a go and did 20 before my wrists started hurting. My actual muscles weren’t fatigued at that point but I couldn’t have continued thanks to my wrists.