The average woman can do around 10-20 pushups, but this varies significantly by age, with younger women often doing more (12-22 reps for ages 20-29) and numbers decreasing with age (e.g., 5-10 for ages 50-59), though fitness levels vary, and many women may start with modified pushups or fewer reps, with targets often lower than men due to upper body strength differences.
According to research, being able to do at least 10–14 pushups is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and better upper body endurance. It's a simple movement with serious benefits. This isn't just about fitness—it's about longevity, confidence, and holding yourself up—literally and figuratively.
❓ How much weight do you lift in a push-up? On average, a regular push-up lifts about 64% of your bodyweight. This means if you weigh 80kg, each push-up is roughly equal to pressing 51kg.
Push-ups can be a challenge for people of all sizes, however, the heavier you are the stronger you need to be to move your body weight (which may explain why they are so hard). In general, you lift 50-60% of your body weight in a push-up (with greater strength needed to go the full range of motion).
Push-up age-based guidelines
According to Freddie Chatt and Adam Clark, a woman of average fitness should be able to complete the following number of push-ups: 15 to 19 years old – 18 to 24 push-ups. 20 to 29 years old – 15 to 20 push-ups.
"Human evolution led to five basic movements, which encompass nearly all of our everyday motions." Meaning your workout needs just five exercises, one from each of these categories: push (pressing away from you), pull (tugging toward you), hip-hinge (bending from the middle), squat (flexing at the knee), and plank ( ...
Exercise
Engaging in exercises that target the pectoral muscles may help improve the appearance of the breasts. Here are some ways to lift saggy breasts through exercise: Push-ups: Strengthens the chest muscles underneath and provides a lifting effect.
How Do Push-Ups Change a Woman's Body? Adding this exercise to your routine can help with increased muscle tone and weight loss. The reason push-ups are beneficial for females who are looking to lose weight comes from the fact that this workout is a full-body exercise that helps with calorie burning.
Pushups are tough for most women.
We naturally have less muscle mass available in our upper body. But that doesn't mean you can't learn to knock them out like crazy.
Skeletal muscle is a highly heritable quantitative trait, with heritability estimates ranging 30–85% for muscle strength and 50–80% for lean mass.
People who identify as girls or women typically are encouraged to do modified push-ups, often called “girl” push-ups, starting from their knees, instead of the full-body version that is standard for anyone who identifies as a boy or man.
Active-duty SEAL training regimens vary significantly based on mission requirements and periodization, often prioritizing strength training and tactical skills over daily high-volume calisthenics, with BUD/S training candidates completing 200–1,000 pushups depending on the phase and specific training day requirements.
Benefits of Modified Push-Ups
Push-ups help tone up your entire body and reveal steady and tight arms. Strong, tight arms can be as simple as practising modified push-ups many times. Chest and back exercises are not easy for someone. Modified push-ups tackle both of these problems when done correctly.
Push-ups are one of the best chest exercises out there (especially when it comes to bodyweight training); but if you're in the gym and looking for some more exercise to hit your pecs, try these best chest exercises that should be in every chest workout.