Push-up standards by age

How many push-ups is good for your age? These are the fitness norms used by ACSM: how many push-ups in a row, without resting, put you in each level.

Men · standard push-ups

Age	Excellent	Very good	Good	Fair	Needs improvement
20–29	36+	29–35	22–28	17–21	≤16
30–39	30+	22–29	17–21	12–16	≤11
40–49	25+	17–24	13–16	10–12	≤9
50–59	21+	13–20	10–12	7–9	≤6
60–69	18+	11–17	8–10	5–7	≤4

Push-ups in a row with good form.

Women · knee push-ups

Age	Excellent	Very good	Good	Fair	Needs improvement
20–29	30+	21–29	15–20	10–14	≤9
30–39	27+	20–26	13–19	8–12	≤7
40–49	24+	15–23	11–14	5–10	≤4
50–59	21+	11–20	7–10	2–6	≤1
60–69	17+	12–16	5–11	2–4	≤1

Push-ups in a row with good form.

How to take the test

Warm up for a few minutes.
Men start in a standard push-up position, on their toes. Women start with their knees on the floor.
Lower your chest close to the floor, then push back up until your arms are straight.
Keep your body in a straight line and do not rest between reps.
Stop when you can no longer keep good form, and count only full reps.

Why do women test on their knees?

The ACSM norms were built with men on their toes and women on their knees. If you are a woman doing standard push-ups, the level you get from this table is conservative: the same number of reps would rate higher on the knee table.

Younger than 20 or older than 69?

The norms cover ages 20 to 69. Outside that range the test uses the closest age group, so treat your level as an approximation.

Levels from ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (10th ed.).

Take the test →