Aside from getting stronger, it is also good for your overall health. Research shows that when you get good at push-ups, the health benefits are greater than, say, making a maximum effort on a treadmill. Push-ups are a simple, inexpensive way to work on your health.
Research shows that, on average, adult men should be able to bench press 27 times and for women it is 16 times. Piece of cake right?
But how heavy is a push-up really and in what ways can you increase its weight or make it lighter if needed? We'll go over some variations with you. We'll start with the easiest variation and end with the heaviest.
- Push ups with your hands on a 60 cm rise = 41% of body weight
- Push ups on your knees = 49% of body weight
- Push ups with your hands on a 30 cm elevation = 55% of body weight
- Push ups(regular) = 64% of body weight
- Push ups with feet on 30 cm elevation = 70% of body weight
- Push ups with feet on a 60 cm elevation = 74% of body weight
As you can see, a normal push up corresponds to about 65% of your body weight. You can make it lighter by raising your hands and heavier by raising your feet. See what suits you start with a variation where you can do at least 8 reps. If you can do 15 or more try the next variation. Good luck!
Below are two videos with variations on how you might perform a push-up.
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