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?

🤣🤣

Your family Christmas sounds brilliant OP.

I'm totally here on Boxing Day to hear about your triumph.

If I could do 15 at 60 I'd be popping them out in Asda

I’m short (well, above average for a woman in Scotland actually at 5’5) but I’m a bit lanky on the top and I’m pear shaped, so I don’t think I’m built for the push up but I am sure I can at least do one

I can do 25 full decent ones, then could do more if I dropped to my knees. That’s after two and a half years of weight training and practice though. You need upper body strength. It’s much easier for men as they naturally have more upper body strength.
I’d be very surprised if any woman who didn’t weight train could do a full, “proper” press up.

I could not do any push ups through my 20s 30s and half my 40s. At 51 I can do 10-12 and across a circuits class manage 40 to 50 in sets (not back to back but split across the session). Someone upthread said the most important thing so Ill repeat it - its as much about your core as your arms/shoulders. Its basically lowering your body as a plank so the more engaged and straight your body is, the easier it is on your arms. You will 100% be able to do a push up by xmas in fact id suggest you aim for 5. Dont bother doing it from your knees - better to push away from a wall to start with, to get used to the sensation of engaging your arms. Then at an incline. Then from the floor. Visualise your solid core. Also do lots of planks. My ability to push up came after I could do a plank with ease.

Oh yeah and also weight train your upper body! It's actually super easy to significantly increase shoulder and arm strength through lifting as a woman IMO.

I’m nearly 40 and I could probably do 10ish. I’ve got a fairly physical job but it’s more cardio and I don’t do any kind of training or exercise outside of that that would specifically benefit my arm strength. I’m about 10-20pounds overweight as well. So yeah, I think it’s unusual you can’t do one, but not sure it’s specifically a bad thing?

I’m 45 and can do about 5 but that’s quite recent. I couldn’t do any before I started weight training a year or two ago.

No way could I have done any at 26. I don’t think I did any actual exercise between school and my 40s though.

Guessing you’re a swim teacher? I’m a maths tutor so I wouldn’t say my job is physical at all 😭. I know on the whole I’m pretty fit so I think it’s just a case of working on my upper body and core and locking in because there’s no way I’m handing over £100 on Christmas Day in front of my whole family… my brothers would absolutely never let me live it down

I know you were kidding, but I got my first pull up at age of 47 and I indeed go around looking for random bars so I can do a few. Casually. 😁

I'm a PT, Pilates instructor and physio. If you are talking about full push up on toes, simply the majority of men can and the majority of women cannot. A kneeling push up is quite different and more achievable for females.

Not proper ones. I can do lay down push ups. Endless push ups on my knees or on raised surfaces, and real push ups (only about 10 of them) if I wear a booty band over my upper arms. But even at my fittest I could never do a single real push up unaided. I have never been able to do a pull up either. Not one. Despite spending an entire summer practising all the exercises that lead up to them.

I am 50 and can do full push ups. Its quite new though, but I have been doing Body Pump (twice a week), athletic pilates and reformer (both once a week) for the past year, have been eating lots of protein, building muscle and practising lots.

No I’ve never been able to do a single one, not even on my knees and I remember being completely humiliated and sobbing being made to try and do them in PE at school. I’ve tried over the years with all sorts of strength based exercise and I can’t do anything, pull ups, planks etc are all impossible for me.

It's definitely harder for women, not an excuse but true. Even unfit men can do push ups, it's mechanical structure.

Good push-up tutorial…

Funnily enough, I’m not a swim teacher anymore and haven’t been for years. Totally different job now and the only swimming I do is playing with my kids at the pool occasionally.

But you can definitely do it and will win that bet! Good luck!

yes I can do about ten standard press ups

I've got better through my 40s. I can do about 8-10 depending on energy levels.

I can also lift myself out at the swimming pool, particularly as mine is an annoying 150cm deep (annoying at 157cm tall as I can't breathe through the top of my head) and it has a raised edge so I have to lift from above my head height.

I found the only time I was quite good at push ups was when I did body pump regularly. I’ve gone off pump so maybe time to revisit it

I can only do the ones on my knees. I’ve never been able to do a proper one and if I’m honest never cared enough to try. In your case though I’d be planning what I was going to spend my winnings on!

I love this 😆 You're going to absolutely rinse him 💪

I just tried. I can do half of one - admittedly the half that gravity is helping with!

I'm currently training for a specific event and already wondering what the next challenge is for me, maybe this is it? 🤔

36 years old and in my second trimester of my second pregnancy. I have lost a lot of muscle due to pregnancy fatigue and my son getting older and faster at eating breakfast- I used to squeeze in a half an hour home workout while he watched from his highchair.

I can do 3 normal push ups with decent form, and then start to get sloppy. I have some long term problems with my wrists that don't help!

If you want to work up to doing a full push up, start with incline ones. Do some against your kitchen worktop while waiting for stuff to boil, or against your banister on the landing. Make sure you use full range of movement. You should be able to feel your shoulder blades engaging.

Oh I love this channel! She's great, especially with advice for older women.