The Health Benefits of Doing Push-Ups

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Sometimes it is a struggle to find the motivation to exercise. The idea of having a workout routine and sticking to it can be overwhelming. But it turns out that even just doing push-ups can benefit you tremendously.

This classic exercise engages most major muscle groups throughout the entire body, including legs, shoulders, back, arms and abs.

Doing push-ups improve upper body and core strength, support cardiovascular health, and can even improve your posture.

The key to doing an effective push-up is to keep your body straight with your hands lined up with your shoulders, pushing up all the way until your arms are straight again while staying on your hands and toes.

The Mayo Clinic provided a target number of push-ups that a person should do based on their age and sex, starting at 25 years old and going up to 65 years old. If your push-up count is below the target number, it is suggested that you use the target as a goal to work toward.

Fitness experts, however, warn that the study should not be taken exactly as the numbers are stated.

“I respect various experiments and studies, but in this case, I lean more on my personal experience training individuals. Most of my clients lead a moderate lifestyle and work out two to three times a week,” New York-based personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko told the Daily Mail.

“Given that, I believe realistic norms might be lower for women by about three to five repetitions and higher for men with a sports background by about five to 10 repetitions compared to the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations.”

While regular exercise is important for achieving a high level of fitness, it is important to note that it is also crucial to follow a healthy diet. Regular exercise combined with a healthy diet can help reduce risks of heart disease and certain types of cancer.