It’s a grueling exercise that many try to avoid.
But scientists now say that the number of push-ups you can do may indicate your risk of developing heart problems.
In a study, researchers from Harvard tracked 1,100 middle-aged men over a 10-year period.
At the start, participants were asked to perform as many push-ups as possible, stopping either when they reached exhaustion or 80 push-ups.
Over the following decade, they were asked to report any cardiovascular events, such as a coronary artery disease diagnosis or heart failure.
The results were revealing.
Overall, for those who could do 11 or more push-ups, they had a 64 percent lower risk of a cardiovascular event compared to those who could do 10 push-ups or fewer.
People able to do 21 push-ups or more were found to have a 75 percent lower risk of suffering a cardiovascular event over the next decade compared to those who could do fewer than 10.
And those who could do 40 or more push-ups had a 96 percent lower risk of any heart problems.
Former US President Barack Obama is pictured above performing a push-up on the South Lawn of the White House in April 2012
Push-ups are traditionally a measure of upper body strength, but the researchers said they also reflected the ability of the cardiovascular system to sustain effort – making them a potential indicator of overall heart health.
People who can perform more push-ups also tend to have lower BMIs, better blood pressure and be more active, which also lowers their risk of heart disease.
Writing in the 2019 paper, the researchers said: ‘Push-up capacity, a simple, no-cost measure, may provide a surrogate estimate of functional status among middle-aged men.’
Push-ups are one of the most well-known exercises in the US, often used in school sports lessons, and require no specialist equipment.
According to a 2021 survey, however, more than half of Americans are not able to do 10 push-ups in a row, while a third cannot do five consecutively.
Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the US, and is linked to 19.8 million fatalities every year.
Researchers say the best way to slash your risk is to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. The World Health Organization tells people to complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, such as cycling or a brisk walk.
Prince William is shown above attempting a push-up in Ascot, England, in May 2016
In the study, researchers looked at 1,100 men, meaning it was not clear how the results would apply to women.
The study was also observational, meaning that it could not prove whether push-ups were directly reducing the risk of heart problems.
Participants were 40 years old at the start of the study on average, and were all firefighters – a physically demanding job that requires high fitness levels.
For the push-up test, they were asked to perform the exercise at a speed of about 1.5 push-ups every second.
They continued until they reached 80 push-ups, missed three or more push-ups or stopped because of exhaustion or other symptoms such as light-headedness.
They did standard push-ups, where the hands are positioned flat on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width, their legs are extended fully straight behind them with toes on the floor.
Participants brought their chest down to the floor and then back up for each push-up.
Overall, most participants could do 21 to 40 push-ups before stopping. A total of 155 participants could do more than 40, while 200 could do fewer than 20 and 75 could do fewer than 10.
Thirty-seven cardiovascular-related events were recorded over the 10-year follow-up period.
Actor John Krasinski is shown above doing 25 press ups. He posted the video on X in 2018, saying that he had been challenged to do the exercises by Chris Pratt
Analysis showed that, overall, those who were able to do more push-ups had a lower risk of suffering from heart problems.
In the paper, researchers also compared push-ups to running on a treadmill and found that push-ups were a better indicator of whether someone would experience a cardiovascular event.
Scientists said this may be because fitness tests can over- or underestimate true fitness, which is not the case with push-ups.
Dr Edward Phillips, a physical medicine professor at Harvard who was not involved in the research, said previously: ‘How many you can do at one time offers a real-time measurement of your strength and muscular endurance and is an easy tool to help you improve.
‘You can do them anywhere and at any time. All you need is your body weight and a few minutes.’
