Assess Your Muscular Strength
Pushups don't have to be punishing, and they're an excellent indicator of your muscular strength.
Nobody loves a pushup, right? They're practically a hallmark of every basic-training Army scene—usually performed by a bunch of soldiers laboring under a brutal drill sergeant and in a torrential downpour. Pushups don't have to be quite so punishing, though, and they're an excellent indicator of your muscular strength.
Men and women will perform this test differently: Men will assume the full-body pushup position, with hands shoulder-width apart, back straight, toes on the ground. Women, meanwhile, will perform a "knees pushup"—identical to the men's in the upper body, but abbreviated below so that their knees are on the ground.
Once the basic set-up is mastered, simply perform as many pushups as possible in two minutes, keeping the back straight and lowering the body until the chin touches the ground. Don’t let the stomach touch, though. On the way up, be sure to completely straighten the arms—bending them so that only half a pushup is performed is not allowed.
Once the two minutes are up, you’ll want to record your score and see how you’ve done. It’s a bit complex, as age and gender affect the evaluation.
For Women: Pushups
| Rating | Age 20 - 29 | Age 30 - 39 | Age 40 - 49 | Age 50 + |
| Excellent | > 43 | > 40 | > 36 | > 32 |
| Good | 39 - 43 | 35 - 40 | 32 - 36 | 28 - 32 |
| Fair | 21 - 38 | 17 - 34 | 12- 31 | 10 - 27 |
| Poor | < 21 | < 17 | < 12 | < 10 |
For Men: Pushups
| Rating | Age 20 - 29 | Age 30 - 39 | Age 40 - 49 | Age 50 + |
| Excellent | > 80 | > 73 | > 66 | > 58 |
| Good | 71 - 80 | 64 - 73 | 56 - 66 | 49 - 58 |
| Fair | 47 - 70 | 41 - 63 | 34 - 55 | 30 - 48 |
| Poor | < 47 | <41 | < 34 | < 30 |
Source:U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Diane Vadino has written about fashion, travel and film for magazines like Nylon, Spin and ID. Her debut novel, Smart Girls Like Me, was published in September.
Come on Folks!! I'm 62, female, 5' 3", 118 lbs, & I had extensive reconsturctive lower back surgery, (bone graft, titatium rods) 18 mos ago. I started 2 mos ago w/full push-ups. I could barely do 2, but everyday before work, I did them. Gradually increasing, keeping proper form, now I am up to 30, plan to work up to 50. Yes, it was painful for the first 2 weeks, but now I'm feeling stronger, and my "chicken-wings" (arms) are beginning to take a little shape.
If great bodies came in a bottle, then everyone would have one!
This article is the most absurd and nonsense article
that i have read since Ponzi said he would double
my loot in a month.
I'm 78 in perfect physical condition can work out
with the younger steroid generation and I cant
do 58 push ups in 2 minutes. Needless to mention
neither can the article writer.
Sheesh I bet she also subscribes to the groupie idea of
no pain no gain. "Sigh" and they pay someone to write this dribble
Now when i was a young one i walked to school up hill for 10 miles
and back the other way also up hill for 10 miles in freezing
snow without shoes eh.
Ramblinchit
Muscular strength is not measured based on total number of repitiions. This test of pushups in two minutes is one of muscular endurance. Also, another issue is with the females test. On their knees? I trained my sisters to do them standard, on their feet. They can do ~25-30, but on their knees they could probaly land way past excellent.(of course I wouldnt let them try)
It is not mentioned in the article, but a one minute pushup test is rather common in fitness circles and in these tests, you dont have to do all the pushups in a row.
Another aside is the style of pushup, elbows close to the sides, or out away from the body?
Im not going to measure my two minute, but last time I did a one minute, I landed ~70. Also, I believe these standards are at or below military standards, but I think they do max rep(in a row).
I would have to agree, 58 pushups is quite extreme!
IN THE LATE 60'S WE DID THE 4 COUNT PUSH UP SO EACH PUSHUP WAS WAS 2 IF THEY WENT ABOVE TEN THE DRILL SGTS. HAD TO JOIN IN . I NEVER CAN REMEMBER GOING ABOVE 10 4 COUNTS SO 20 WAS ARMY STANDARDS
seriusly, this lady is clearly overestimating the physical abilities of the average american. we aren't all in the army! 
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