Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Just read this on Get Fit Source and LOVED it! Push-ups rule!

This NYT article by the well known health and fitness writer, Tara Parker-Pope, dissects the standard push-up.  Here are some highlights from the article. 
  1. The push-up is a good barometer of overall fitness engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs.
  2.  The obesity epidemic has made push-ups more difficult to perform for the average American—pushing up all that extra weight is not easy.
  3. The aerobics revolution has shifted emphasis away from maintaining upper body strength, which is not a good thing.
  4. Lots of people can’t do push-ups, including for the reasons listed above.  Kids are failing push-up tests at an alarming frequency rate.
  5. Being able to do push-ups is particularly important as we age as push-ups can provide the strength and muscle memory to reach out and break a fall, and it’s well known that falls can be debilitating for seniors.
  6. People lose strength as they age but regular exercise enlarges muscle fibers and can mitigate the decline.
  7.  A 40 year old man should be able to do 27 push-ups.  At age 60, the number is 17.
While the article focuses on the time honored push-up, it is really another wake up call regarding the importance of exercise in life and particularly as we age.  Let’s face, how many 60 year old men can hit the deck and crack out 17 push-ups?  Staying in shape confers huge health and lifestyle benefits as we age.  Push-ups are a good barometer of your overall fitness and should be part of any training program. 

2 comments:

onegingerman said...

16 oz curl reps is a daily regimen,
but also try to finish 20 push ups
most mornings...

Cuzn said...

Great article and good reason to have push ups in daily routine. Curious to learn what would be appropriate number of push ups for a 40 and 60 yr old woman.