Push-up norms by age and sex
The most widely used norms come from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP). They rate the number of clean push-ups in a row — with no time limit — on five levels, by age and sex [1]. Note that men do the test with standard push-ups and women with knee push-ups, so the two tables can't be compared directly.
Norms for men (standard push-ups)
| Age | Excellent | Very good | Good | Fair | Needs improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | ≥ 39 | 29–38 | 23–28 | 18–22 | ≤ 17 |
| 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 |
Norms for women (knee push-ups)
| Age | Excellent | Very good | Good | Fair | Needs improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | ≥ 33 | 25–32 | 18–24 | 12–17 | ≤ 11 |
| 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 |
If you're a woman doing standard push-ups instead of knee push-ups, your result deserves a stricter reading than the table — every clean rep counts for more. There is no official conversion between the two versions.
How to do the test right
- Warm up. Do a few easy practice reps, then rest briefly.
- Starting position. Hands about shoulder-width apart directly under your shoulders, fingers forward, trunk rigid — shoulders and hips in one line [1].
- Set the depth. A rep counts when your chest touches a fist, a rolled towel or a foam block without resting on the floor, and your arms fully extend at the top [1].
- No time limit. Do as many clean reps in a row as you can.
- Stop. The test ends when you can't complete a rep or two reps in a row are no longer clean [1].
What your result means
The levels describe your upper-body muscular endurance compared with people your age. “Good” or better is a solid base. “Needs improvement” doesn't mean “unhealthy” — it means focused training pays off especially fast; beginners often improve noticeably in the first weeks.
Why it's worth it: in a study of 1,104 active firefighters, men who could do more than ten push-ups had fewer cardiovascular events over the following ten years or so than men who managed ten or fewer [2]. The study shows an association, not proof — but it's a useful benchmark.
Common mistakes when testing yourself
- Not going deep enough: half reps make the result meaningless
- Sagging or piked hips — your trunk is no longer rigid
- Resting on the floor or at the top to recover
- Hands too far forward: they belong under your shoulders
- Going all-out with cold muscles
How often should you test?
Every four to six weeks is enough. Testing more often tells you little, because muscular endurance doesn't jump from week to week — and a max test is hard work. Test under the same conditions each time: same time of day, rested, after the same warm-up. That way your numbers are truly comparable.
Moving up a level
The gaps between levels are smaller than you might think: for men aged 30 to 39, only five reps separate “fair” (12–16) from “good” (17–21) [1]. With regular training, many people move up a level within a few weeks.
| From | To | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Needs improvement | Fair | about 3–6 weeks |
| Fair | Good | about 4–8 weeks |
| Good | Very good | about 6–10 weeks |
| Very good | Excellent | about 2–4 months |
Putting norms in perspective
Norms tell you where you stand compared with many others your age — nothing more. Body weight, arm length and training history have a big effect on your result: the heavier you are, the more weight you lift with every push-up. That's why comparing yourself with yourself is more meaningful than comparing with others. Write down every test with the date, and you'll see whether your training works. And don't lose heart if you start out at “needs improvement”: that's exactly where progress is biggest and quickest to notice.
FAQ
How many push-ups should a 30-year-old man be able to do?
According to the CSEP norms, 17–21 push-ups in a row is “good” for men aged 30–39 and 30 or more is “excellent” [1].
How many push-ups are good for women?
In the CSEP test, women do knee push-ups. For ages 20–29, 15–20 is “good” and 30 or more “excellent” [1]. Standard push-ups are considerably harder.
Do slow push-ups count differently?
The CSEP test has no set cadence and no time limit, but the reps follow each other without rest. What matters is that every rep is clean and complete [1].
Are there norms for people over 70?
The CSEP tables shown here go up to age 69 [1]. For older adults, comparing with your own earlier results is more meaningful.
Sources
- American Council on Exercise / Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology: Push-up Assessment Protocol (norms table from the CSEP-PATH Resource Manual, 2nd ed., 2019)
- JAMA Network Open: Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men (Yang et al., 2019)