Test your pushup count after 50 and use these 5 moves to build elite upper-body strength.<\/p>\n
Pushups don\u2019t lie. After 50, you can tell a lot about someone\u2019s strength, joint health, and overall fitness by how many they can perform. And unlike machine exercises that guide your movements, pushups require raw strength that research<\/a> shows puts your chest, triceps, shoulders, and core to the test. That means if you can crank out a high number of pushups with good form, your upper body is elite for your age group.<\/p>\n We spoke with James Brady, a certified personal trainer at OriGym<\/a>, who tells us, \u201cFor people over 50, being able to perform 30 or more pushups<\/a> for men and 20 or more for women puts you in the elite range. These numbers show exceptional upper body and core strength for your age group.\u201d<\/p>\n Brady explains that hitting those reps not only exemplifies real strength<\/a>, but also reflects muscle endurance, coordination, and excellent joint stability. He adds, \u201cHitting those reps means you\u2019ve maintained muscle mass, coordination, and cardiovascular health well beyond the average, showing that your body is aging exceptionally well.\u201d<\/p>\n Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/a> found that better muscular strength is linked to lower all-cause mortality risk. Additionally, pushups specifically have been shown to be a benchmark for healthy aging. According to a 2019 study<\/a>, men who could complete 40 or more pushups had a 96 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events, compared to those who could do fewer than 10. While this particular study focused on men, the takeaway applies to all gender identifications, which is that upper-body endurance is an excellent indicator of metabolic and heart health.<\/p>\n But pushups are only part of the picture. To reach (or surpass) the elite rep range Brady suggests, you need balanced strength across your entire upper body and core. The following five exercises work together to help you build the pressing power, shoulder stability, posterior-chain strength, and core power that make high pushup numbers possible after 50.<\/p>\n