How many push ups can the average Australian do?

I hate push ups, they are far too difficult.  I do them anyway, and (if you are not doing them every day) so should you.  

I wish they were easier because they are such a great strength building exercise.  They are free to do, they take next to no time, and they work almost your entire body.  I do push ups even though I dislike doing them.  I felt I wasn't doing enough of them, and I began to wonder how many would be considered average.

I have been looking on the internet to try and find the average number of push ups that the average person can do.  This is a strangely difficult question to answer because there are many definitions of what constitutes an 'average' person.  

I have found multiple graphs and tables, and none of them seem to agree with each other.  Most of these results are based on very fit people who obsessively go to the gym, whereas I am curious about what the average able bodied person aged 19-39 can do.  

The other week I was talking to a personal trainer.  Over the course of his career he has seen fit people as well as hundreds of people who are trying to get fit.  He hasn't worked with morbidly obese people, or people with various disabilities that make doing exercise rather difficult without modifications.  I figured his customer base is probably the type of people I was curious about, people with a general level of health and strength but are not elite athletes.

I asked how many push ups and other body weigh exercises that an average person can do.  I specifically asked what the average adult male can do, because that means more to me because I am an adult male.  

I didn't ask about the averages for females, I just didn't think of it at the time because I was curious about myself.  Sorry.  

The fitness trainer clarified the type of push ups I was asking about, he spoke a bit about how obese people tend not to be able to do any push ups or any other body weight exercises, how overfat people tend not to be able to do more than one or two of any exercise, how people can train up to being able to do quite a lot of push ups, and we discussed that I was merely after the average number that the average guy could do.  

As this is the observation of a personal trainer, he is basing these numbers on people who go to the gym as well as people who are paying for a personal trainer, so the numbers are probably a little higher than average.  These numbers are for people are either fit or are on there way to being fit.  

So how many chin ups and pull ups can the Average Australian do?

According to the personal trainer, based on his experience with clients over the years, the average man who is neither ultra-fit nor obese and has no major injury or disability can do about ten push ups.  He also said if you include overweight people in these stats, then the average would likely be about one push up.  

I was surprised by that, I would have thought the average Australian man could do a lot more push ups than ten.  

I started doing 2 minutes of training per day a few years ago, I was able to do about 25 push ups at the time which sounded like nothing but is apparently more than the average guy.  It didn't take me long before I worked up to being able to do about 75 push ups.  It was difficult building up to this number, it took a lot of effort but it didn't take too long because I was doing push ups every day.  

How many chin ups and pull ups can the Average Australian do?

While I was there I also asked about how many chin ups and pull ups the average man can do.  I was told that most people can do less of these than push ups, and obese people and overweight people often struggle to do a single one unassisted.  

That makes sense, I can do a lot more push ups than chin ups.  Most people can do more chin ups than pull ups as they are utilising their biceps more with pull ups.  I agree with that too, I certainly find pull ups to be more difficult than chin ups.

According to the personal trainer, the average man who regularly goes to the gym and/or is paying for a personal trainer, can usually do about 5 chin ups, or about 3 pull ups.  He also said if you include overweight people, then the average would be zero unassisted chin ups or pull ups.

I find chin ups and pull ups really difficult, so these low numbers seem reasonable to me.  That being said, even on a bad day I can do considerably more than both of those numbers, and so can my kids.  I can also do significantly more than those numbers wearing a weighted dip belt, so claiming hat I am lifting less weight is no longer an excuse they can make.

How many average Australians can do other body weight exercises?

I then asked about some of the more impressive body weight exercises such as human flag, planche, etc.  

According to the fitness trainer these are usually considered too difficult for the average person to bother training towards doing them.  They can't do these exercises, nor are they usually willing to work towards them.  Hmmm, that seems odd, but makes sense when I look around at all the overfat people in Australia.

It appears even though I am scrawny I am apparently a lot stronger than the average male.  I can do considerably more push ups, more chin ups, and more pull ups than people bigger than me.  On top of this I can do human flag, elbow lever, bent arm planche, and am working towards some more impressive body weight exercises such as back lever and front lever.  This all started with 2 minutes per day of exercise as part of my prochnost' training.  

You should do some push ups and other body weight exercise.  You should do this every day.  It is free and it will make you stronger.  If you are skinny you should train for strength, not size.  Start with a personal challenge where you complete 100 push ups a day for 30 consecutive days and go from there.  If one hundred is too many, set a smaller challenge.  If you can only do ten push ups, try to do five sets of them throughout the day to reach fifty each day, and build from there.  It is surprising how quickly you make progress when you can be bothered to do this every day.

It is impressive when a skinny person can do substantially more body weight exercises than a larger person.  Admittedly they are lifting less weight, but they are also using considerably less muscle.  When you use a weighted dip belt, then you are using less muscle to lift the same weight, which is even more impressive.  

Do prochnost' training.  Be more!  

Push up fundraise challenge at work

Recently someone at work was doing a great thing. He was doing push ups to raise money for mental health. 

 

He joined some online challenge where he did a minimum number of push ups and people donated money, this sounded like a great thing. I have no idea which charity the money goes to, or if that place is doing anything useful with the money, or how much of the money is used compared to how much is spent on administration. I didn’t really look into it because after clicking on his link I got a bit annoyed.

Before I go on, I want to be clear, these sorts of money raising things can be great and some of the charities are excellent. I don’t want to discourage people from looking into if the money will be well spent, and then participating and/or donating. Look into the charity, and if they use the money well then go for it.

This is a fit and strong guy, he isn’t the usual overfat slob that tends to inhabit a corporate office. After looking at the link I was surprised at how few push ups were expected to be completed, as well as how few push ups he was completing each day.  

The website said the following:

Participants will take on 3,139 push-ups across 24 days in June, putting the spotlight on the tragic number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2020.

These numbers are too low and there are too many days in there to complete the challenge. Why would anyone donate money when someone is barely reaching mediocrity?

Again, let me be clear that I am not discouraging people from doing these challenges or donating money to people who are completing these challenges. The death rate from suicide is far too high, the number of people silently suffering from mental health issues is extraordinary, and the more we can do to help the better. I am not trying to minimise the effects of mental illness. I am purely commenting on how unimpressive this challenge is, and how I feel it should be more to achieve greater outcomes.

If you plan to complete 3,139 push-ups across 24 days, that is less than 131 per day. That is not many push ups across an entire day. It is only five sets of 26 or 27 push ups, which isn’t too difficult for most people to do each day. I don’t understand why doing such impressively low numbers would entice any one to donate any money. If this was conducted over ten days, or even fourteen days, then at least it would be vaguely impressive and require some effort. Twenty four days is far too long as it means so few push ups per day, I think it detracts from the challenge as it is too easy for most people to complete.

The link also had some graphs where this person logged the numbers of push ups he completed each day. To my surprise he even had rest days every week. To my even greater surprise, instead of smashing out the push ups, exceeding the minimums like mad, and then going on to do some more, he barely completed 3,139 on the final day. Other than the days were he did no push ups, he was only doing 100 to 223 push ups on any given day. In my mind that’s weak.

The numbers he completed each day

If you are new to push ups that is not weak, if you are doing personal challenges that is not weak, but if you are a strong and fit person who is publicising your push up prowess to encourage people to donate - then I think that this low number is pathetic. 

 

He should have been doing hugely more push ups! More each day, more each set, and more in total over the challenge. Why barely meet the minimums when he could have vastly exceeded them? He should have tried harder and done something impressive.

I am a skinny person who is not particularly fit or strong. I recently completed a personal challenge where I did a minimum of 1,000 push ups per day for 62 consecutive days. That means I was completing more than their 24 day minimum every three days, and I did this for two whole months without a break. Being skinny means I did this without bulking up, so you would never guess by looking at me that I was even capable of this let alone actually having achieved this.

Now that I have finished doing 1,000 push ups per day challenge I am currently doing a minimum of 250 per day, every day, no rest days. I am doing these in one grueling set, I find this very difficult, but I do it every day without fail. If I were not as strong I would do two or three sets to reach this number. 

I think I was largely irritated that a skinny unimpressive nothing guy like me was absolutely crushing his challenge, yet no one other than me was benefitting from it. Being skinny also means that I won’t bulk up, and if I entered this challenge no one would actually believe that I am completing the numbers that I am completing each day. So there is no point in me entering these challenges as no one would end up paying because they would assume I was lying.

If you are strong or ripped and you consider entering one of these challenges then I say go for it. Don’t just do the minimums though, absolutely crush the minimum.  

The same money will be donated, and you will get more benefit from it and maybe someone else doing the challenge will see your numbers and put in a little more effort themselves. Aim for a day minimum of 250, do more than your minimums, and complete over 6,000 push ups across the duration of the challenge. 

It is only 24 days, don’t bother with rest days. Try harder! Be more!

One Leg push up challenge

Push ups are an excellent body weight exercise that use a wide range of muscles throughout the whole body to some extent.  There are plenty of push up variations around to stress some muscles more or less than others.  Some variations I like and others I don’t like.  This post is about a push up variation that I like but I rarely see it being used: the one leg push ups. 

In any push up, the wider your arms or legs are the more stable your base of support and the less inclined your body is to tip or rotate.  Most people who do regular push ups do not think about maintaining stability as it is not usually an issue.  As such, these muscles that assist in core strength and back stability are often neglected unless you work on them in some other way.  

Lifting one leg decreases your stability and makes your body want to slightly rotate or tilt one way or another.  One leg push ups mostly work the upper body, but your core also gets strengthened as you need to work slightly harder to keep everything stable. 

One leg push ups 

Doing one leg push ups works stabiliser muscles, this builds core strength and provides a functional benefit that is useful in a range of other situations.  They also make regular push ups slightly easier.  It also works lower body muscles, the higher you lift your foot the more those muscles are worked.

The first few times you do one leg push ups you have to really think about remaining stable.  It doesn't take too long before your stabiliser muscles just do their job and you no  longer have to think about it at all.

To do a one leg push up, get in the regular push up (often called high plank) position.  Feet together, hands not overly far apart, back straight.  

Push up/high plank position 

From here lift one leg and try to keep it straight.  Everything else should remain where it was, only your leg should have moved.  Try to have your leg as high as you can make it go as you will get more benefit from this. 

Lift one leg, do some push ups 

Push ups with one leg in the air 

Do some push ups with your straight leg in the air, try not to tilt or roll in any direction, maintain control.  Try not to let your pelvis rotate, try to keep it in the same position it would be for regular push ups.  Only your wrists, elbows, and shoulders should be moving.  All other joints should be held as they are.

After you have finished that side you should be in the high plank position with one leg in the air.  Lower that leg with control and put your foot on the ground, nothing else should move.  

Now lift your other leg into the air, keep it straight.  Get your foot as high as you can.  Nothing else should move yet, just your leg.  

Now you do the same number of one leg push ups on that side.  You need to do the same number on both sides to ensure that you are working muscles on both sides evenly.  If you find you have a weaker side, always do that side first.

Other leg in the air 

Doing pushups with the other leg in the air - my elbows should be in more and my leg needs to be straighter

The one leg push up is only slightly more difficult than regular push ups.  As it is not overly more difficult but it does have added benefits it should be included in your normal routine.  My son has started a one leg push up challenge with me.  I don’t really remember agreeing to this, but somehow he has a lot of power in this challenge. 

One leg push up challenge: 

At various times throughout the day while I am at home my son will come and tell me it is time for push ups.  We then both do five (only five) one leg push ups on each side.  It’s only ten push ups in total.  Meaning it isn’t difficult to maintain control and maintain our form.  It also means the time needed for rest after each set is very short. 

Even though it is only ten push ups in total per set, the fact that my son pops in dozens of times throughout the day means we are doing a lot of one leg push ups over the course of a day.  The number we do in a day fluctuates.  If I am at work there are very few opportunities for us to do push ups so we don't get to do many.  If I work from home or on weekends we do a lot more sets.  

Maintaining good form, low numbers per set, and fluctuating numbers of sets in a day, has meant that we have both gained strength quickly and our form is rock solid.

You should do a similar challenge and see how quickly you improve.  One day do as many one leg push ups you can, go to failure.  Write that number somewhere.  Every day after this, no excuses, do sets of 5 per leg (10 in total) over the day.  If five is too many you can do three per side or even two per side.  Don’t go to failure again, only do 5 per leg, don’t go above this number no matter how simple it feels, but do many of these sets over the day.  Don’t have a ‘rest day’, but do have a day where you do less sets.  Maintain control, if your push ups start to get sloppy - stop.

Once per week, and only once per week, do as many one leg push ups as you can.  Go to failure, and write down that number.  Do this for one month (or at least four weeks).  You will find that you quickly increase the number of one leg push ups that you can do.  

If you have been doing push ups for some time and have plateaued in the number you can do, try this.  Do sets of no more than five, and do lots of sets through the day, and you will see an increase in the maximum that you can do.  You have nothing to lose, and you will increase strength beyond your previous personal best. 

This is the essence of prochnost training.  Be strong - byt' sil'nym (быть сильным).

1,000 push ups a day challenge

Not long after I began doing 30 day exercise challenges a friend told me about someone he knew who completed 1,000 push ups a day for an entire month.  What a monster!  I desperately wanted to do this myself, but was too weak so I set myself a goal to give this a go.  

I knew I wasn't ready then so planned to try some day.  At that time I was struggling to do 25 push ups in a set and 100 across an entire day, so completing one thousand push ups in a day seemed unimaginable to me at the time.  

Once I got a lot stronger I decided to see if I could complete 1,000 push ups in one day.  At the time I could do 50 to 75 in one set.  I decided to try on a day when I would have time, and I wrote on the blackboard the numbers I did in each set so I could add them up over the day.

I started doing push ups before breakfast, and started strong.  By lunch time I was pretty wrecked, and still had a lot to do to reach my goal that day.  While my sets started out as 75 this declined until the sets at the end were only 25, and towards the end I was struggling to even do that many in one go.

While I started before breakfast, I didn’t reach one thousand until after dinner that day.  I was in tremendous pain, and shaking so badly I struggled to bring a cup to my mouth so I could have a drink.  

The next day I could hardly see out of my left eye, I was trembling for days, and in big pain for a week or two afterwards.  I clearly wasn’t ready.

About a year later (of doing back to back 30 day two minute exercise challenges) I was much stronger and decided to give this another go.  I could not sleep one night, so I tried to do one thousand push ups.  Including rest time it took me just under an hour to complete one thousand push ups that night.  

I was hurting for days afterwards but I pulled up better and recovered much faster than the first time.  I am not sure if I was ready at that stage either.

Skinny fat before 1,000 push ups per day

About a year of back to back exercise challenges later,  about two years from the start, I was a lot stronger and I decided to commit to a personal challenge of an entire week of one thousand push ups per day.  

I decided on a start and end date that would give me a reasonably quiet week to do these, then for no particular reason I started a few days early.

Before starting the challenge I felt highly optimistic.  This was going to be great!  I was finally ready.  I could hardly wait to see the transformation that my body would go through.  I have seen the before and after photos of people who have done this and they are incredible, some even look like an entirely different person (there is a reason for this) and others look pretty impressive.

When I started my 1,000 push ups per day challenge I was in constant pain, the pain seemed to intensify over the first week of the challenge.  I started to dread doing push ups and began to think of excuses to end the challenge early.  This negative self-talk reached a point where I almost talked myself out of attempting the final day.  That's right, I had completed six days and almost talked myself out of even attempting day seven.  Motivation is key to doing anything like this.

I started to feel really tired and exhausted all day every day.  Being really tired, with a renewed hatred of push ups, experiencing endless/increasing pain, not really wanting to do this anymore, realising that no one other than me would know or even care if I gave up, and then fearing that I had already completed so many consecutive days and did not want to start again at zero, made the week more difficult than I had anticipated.  

No matter what happened I had to reach my minimum of one thousand push ups per day.  I struggled through the week and completed over 1,000 push ups each and every day.  Some days I completed significantly more.  

I am now one of the few people who have achieved one week of 1,000 push ups per day, and one of the even smaller number who have done such a thing for the first time when they were aged in their 40’s. 

You can see my 'before' photo above and my 'after' photo below.  They look much the same.  

Other than lighting, wearing different pants (same belt), and my arms being at a slightly different angle, the difference is only really noticeable if you look closely and convince yourself that you can find a difference.  I am skinny, doing 1,000 push ups every day did not make me bulk up, I did not get ripped, but it did help me get a lot stronger.  

It's frustrating how difficult it is for skinny fat people to bulk up.  I knew other people's before and after photos had mostly been photoshopped, but I had expected a lot more noticeable improvement than this.  I am stronger now, so it was well worth doing.

Here is the shocking twist: Successfully completing this challenge left me feeling really lame and pathetic. 

After 1,000 push ups per day for 50 consecutive days - looks much the same

This challenge, like all my previous exercise challenges, was pointless.  Most people are not as skinny as I am, if they put in half the effort I put in they would be able to complete this challenge.  I look much the same as before, and no one would ever believe that I achieved this.  I may as well claim I paddled a canoe to the moon or something!  See what I was saying about negative self-talk?  Negative self-talk didn’t end even when I had completed the challenge.

The morning after my week of one thousand was over I was really irritated that I still had to meet my regular push up minimums, I felt like I had earned a break.  It was incredible just how hard done by I felt, especially considering that no one made me do any part of this.  

I was doing this week on top of my usual thirty day exercise challenge.  I begrudgingly did my push up minimums that day, then went on to complete over 1,000 push ups that day.  For no particular reason I continued to complete 1,000+ push ups each day after that.  I toyed with the idea of reaching 2 weeks, or 3 weeks, or even 30 days, but none of this really seemed possible as it was so difficult just getting through one week. 

I kept going, and reached 30 days of one thousand push ups per day.  Then I did another day because some months have 31 days and I wanted to be able to say that I had completed an entire month of one thousand push ups per day.  

I am now one of the small number of people in their 40’s who have completed an entire month of 1,000 push ups per day.

Then for some reason I didn't want to stop, so I continued until I reached fifty consecutive days of one thousand push ups per day.  Very few people in their 40's can honestly say that they have achieved this.  I did a few more days on top of this and reached two months, 62 continuous days.  After two months I stopped, enough was enough.

Push ups are great for skinny fat people

One of the frustrating things about being skinny fat is that I have achieved something that few people can do, and am still not ripped.  I kept doing one thousand push ups per day, and eventually stopped after 62 days.  I figured this seemed like a natural stopping point as it was two grueling months.

No one would ever think by looking at me that I have done 1,000 push ups per day for 62 consecutive days, but I have, and you should do this too.  Or at least you should set a personal challenge to do one week of one thousand push ups per day.  Don't tell anyone you are doing this, just set the challenge and do it.

If I can do one thousand push ups per day then so can you.  I am skinny and weak, and I did sixty two consecutive days of one thousand push ups per day in my 40’s.  

I was involved in an accident years ago after which I was told by a doctor that I would never walk again.  I walk.  I was later told by a leading specialist that my body would degrade so badly that I would have to retire by age 50 due to pain.  I am putting in the effort to get strong now.  Prochnost' training is helping me be stronger and push back this date so I can lead a less painful and more enjoyable life for as long as possible.  

I put in a little training time each day, but make sure that it is every day (no lies, no excuses), and look what I have achieved.  Most people in this country will never do 1,000 push ups in a day, they will never do a week of one thousand push ups very day, and they will not do 62 consecutive days of one thousand push ups per day.  I certainly don't have hours to spend at the gym, and I doubt you do either.  If I can do this, then you should give it a try too.  Just aim for a week, and see where it takes you.

I may not look like I could ever do something like this, but  doing it increases my strength dramatically, so it has been worth the effort.  

A month after stopping 1,000 push ups per day

After ending my 1,000 push ups per day I then did about 250 per day.  After doing this for a month, the photo above shows that I still look pretty much the same.  Perhaps I have slimmed down a little, but that may just be the lighting.

This has made other things in everyday life easier and less painful.  Strangely enough I still struggle to walk upstairs, and if rain is coming or the weather is about to change I am in a world of hurt.  I am now a lot stronger and in less pain most of the time, so it really is worth it.

You should join me and do a personal challenge of one week of completing 1,000 push ups per day.  

Just start with one week and see how you go.  That seems difficult yet achievable.  If you get through that, perhaps aim for one month.  You will never know that you can do this until you give it a go.

If you do try to do one thousand push ups per day let me know how you go in the comments.  If you succeed, or even if you fail, perhaps your story will inspire someone.  If you are skinny fat then all the more reason to do something like this!  

Prochnost training - Try harder. (стараться), be more (более)!

Non-rotating push up handles review

Push ups are without doubt a great body weight exercise, they are also highly under-rated. Push ups build strength in a lot of muscle groups, can be done almost anywhere, at almost any time, you don’t need to get changed and drive to the gym, you don’t need any equipment, you can do as few as you need to, you can do variations to focus on certain muscles or to increase their intensity, the list goes on and on.

I am amazed at how this relatively simple exercise is so often overlooked by people trying to get stronger. A few year ago I started doing a one hundred push ups per day for thirty day challenge, and it changed my life. After the first 30 day challenge I have been doing back to back 30 day exercise challenges and haven’t missed a day in over 2 years. You can read more about it here.

About a year or so into my challenges I wanted to get push up handles. I had seen rotating push up handles, and while they look great I can’t justify the expense. I had also seen non-rotating push up handles, and push up stations, which ranged in price from about $6 to about $160. I bought the cheapest ones I could find.  

After using push up handles for about a year, as well as doing push ups without the handles during this time, I thought I would tell of my experiences, as well as my thoughts about buying them.

To be clear, I have never used the fancy rotating push up handles so cannot comment on them. They look pretty amazing, but I don’t know how long they last before breaking, or if they offer any benefit over non-rotating push up handles. If you want a blog post on those you can give me some to use for a year, or you can write a guest blog post.

Push up handles

While push ups are free, the handles did cost money. I spent about $8 for a pair. They are metal and have squishy things on the handles which make them nicer to hold. After using these for over a year they look much the same as the day I bought them, so I expect them to last a long time.

Advantages of non-rotating push up handles

Push up handles allow for a greater range of motion and I can get deeper if I want to. I can get lower and work right to the end of my muscles. They can also be good for stretches.

My left wrist can be a little temperamental, this is the result of an old injury and is mostly an issue in cold weather or if rain is coming. The push up handles keep my wrists at the proper angle, and seems to reduce/eliminate pain. To be clear, wrist pain is usually caused by improper technique. If you are having wrist pain from push ups you need to do something about it or you risk injuring yourself.

They protect my hands if I am doing push ups outside on gravel or concrete. This sounds silly, but sometimes if the weather is nice the kids and I do many push ups and variations outside. I was originally stopping from scratching my hands, now I can do more sets.

Probably the most impressive advantage I have noticed, is that I can do other exercises with them that I am unable to do without them. I can do elbow lever, and bent arm planche using push up handles, but I am unable to do these exercises without them. I am training to do various other things, using the handles is the first step, once I am stronger I plan to be able to do these exercises without the handles.

Disadvantages of non-rotating push up handles

The biggest disadvantage is I may not always have the push up handles with me. I can always do push ups without them, so this isn’t a huge issue.

While mine were cheap, they did cost money. While they are small and simple to store, they are one more thing that I now own.

Other than that I can’t think of any disadvantageous to the push up handles.

Other types of push up handles

There are various different places that make non-rotating push up bars, from what I can tell they all do the same thing. Some cost vastly more than others, some look prettier, I think that mostly has to do with their brand rather than being able to add anything. If I had tools and was a little handy I would make my own from scraps.

As mentioned I have no views on the rotating push up handles because I am yet to use them. They may be great, they may be utterly dreadful, I don’t know.

I have seen “push up stations” which are push up bars with a colourful mat. The mat shows you different spots to place your handles for different exercises and to focus on different muscles. I think this is a bad idea. I use those different configurations but I don’t need an expensive mat to show me what to do. Perhaps your arms are longer or shorter than the person that these mats were designed for, in that case this mat will enforce you holding your bars at the incorrect spacing for your body and putting yourself at risk of injury. I would avoid these stations as they appear to be an expensive gimmick over function.

Cheap push up handles

My verdict

Do I like push up handles: Yes

Do I need push up handles: No

Which brand is best: It doesn't matter because they all do much the same thing

Are they worth the money: Yes for the cheaper ones. No, not even remotely worth the money for the more expensive types

100 push ups 30 day challenge

Join me for a 30 day challenge where you will complete one hundred push ups per day.  It's easier than you think!  It is also free and requires no equipment.  It only takes thirty days, so give it a go and see the results for yourself.

I saw something on YouTube about a 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  In this challenge an unfit slob of a man did 100 push ups per day, every day, for 30 consecutive days.  He couldn't do 100 in one go, so he did smaller sets that added up to one hundred each day.  Thirty days of push ups doesn't sound all that difficult.

Prior to the challenge he weighed himself, measured his biceps and his chest, and took some photos without a shirt.  After the completion of 30 days he weighed himself, measured his biceps and his chest, and had some comparison photos without wearing a shirt.  

The results were incredible: he lost weight, his biceps and chest were noticeably larger, he looked more toned and less fat, he stood more proud, he had a nicer haircut, he no longer wore glasses, and most remarkably he also looked a lot more tanned. 

I had a few initial thoughts at the time:

Firstly I knew his results were nonsense.  I knew then as I know now that thirty days can not do that to anyone.  

Secondly I thought I should do this challenge.  At that stage I was doing zero push ups in an average month, so doing any would be an improvement and would likely benefit me.  My back and neck were giving me constant pain, perhaps getting stronger might even decrease my pain if I kept at it for 30 days.

I gave it a go immediately and struggled to get to the floor, let alone do any push ups.  After doing a few push ups I could hardly get up off the floor.  This was not good.  

At that stage I decided to do this challenge properly I had to set some rules.  I knew I couldn't do one hundred push ups in one set, so I needed to do several sets of smaller numbers to be able to reach my goal.

I had to write down the minimum number of push ups per day, secondly I had to write the minimum number I would do in each set.  This would ensure that I committed to this goal and did not cheat.  It was only thirty days, so I had to do it properly or not at all.  No rest days, no excuses, just thirty days of reaching my minimums.

I figured I could do more in a set or more in a day if I wanted to, but I had to reach my minimums.  If I didn't reach my set minimum before collapse then they would not count towards my daily minimum.  I decided that I had to reach my minimums no excuses, no rest days, for thirty days.  I decided to do 100 push ups for thirty consecutive days.

Push ups are good for skinny people

The first few days were really painful, I felt achy and fevery, much like I was catching the flu.  My joints hurt, my glands were enlarged, my eyes watered, my throat hurt, and my muscles ached.  Everything hurt.  I wasn't sick though.  This was because I was ultra-unfit.  It was only thirty days, so I pushed on and did my minimums each day.

There were a few days where I had a headache or a migraine, this was not due to the exercise, but was due to pre-existing injuries.  I really wanted to give up at this stage, but I had set rules and had to meet my minimums, so I continued.  Setting rules that you have to follow really help with pushing through when you really don't want to.

I pushed through, mostly doing more than my minimums by 1 or 2.  I started to severely hate doing push ups, and also started to panic each day that I might forget to do them.  Some days I was exhausted from mowing the lawn or whatever, but I still had to meet my minimums so I kept doing them.  Setting minimums and committing to doing them really helps.  I desperately wanted to give up a bunch of times.

I hoped that push ups would get easier as the challenge progressed, but they never did.  The fever subsided after a few days, as did many of the other aches, but push ups were always incredibly difficult.  I found the first 3 or so in every set got easier, but I was in just as poor a state at the end of each set.  

I eventually made it to 30 days successfully.

I was skinny fat.  That means I looked skinny, but carried a lot of fat around my organs.  This is the most dangerous type of fat.  I have injuries that made everything hurt, hurting means I do not want to move or do exercise, and being sedentary made things worse.  

After the 30 days I dropped a belt notch but did not lose weight.  In other words I lost fat and put on muscle, which is a great health outcome.  I found sitting at my desk at work far easier.  As this went well I decided to keep going and do more 30 day challenges.  No rest days, no excuses.

The next thirty day challenge I was stronger so I increased my minimums.  Again I strived to do more than my minimums, but I could never do less.  I was in less pain but push ups seemed just as difficult to do.  The first few of each set were easier, but each set was just as hard as always.  Again I tried to go beyond my minimums, both set minimums and day minimums.  

I struggled through, and eventually reached 30 days a second time.

Push up handles, I didn't get these until a year or so into my challenges

What started as a single 30 day challenge kept going.  I have now completed well over 2 years of continuous challenges.  I don't have days off between challenges so I can easily add up the number of days I have done them.  I am not too far away from day 900 and I dread the thought of starting from day zero again, which helps with motivation on days where I really can't be bothered.

My challenges have changed each block of 30 days.  Sometimes I would have other exercise added in, some challenges did not have push ups at all, but there are always set minimums and day minimums.  

I have now also added in a 'tweak'.  This is where I may decide on my minimums and find I was overly ambitious, or if I am injured, then I can change the exercises for that 30 day challenge.  While I am yet to use a tweak, I am glad it is there.  There is no point pushing through a broken wrist or something as it would have made things worse.

I started these challenges struggling to do any push ups, I can now do over 250 in one set.  I was curious to find out what the average person can do, so I tried to look up the average number of push ups a man my age can do.  The numbers on the internet vary a bit so I have included some of the comparison tables below.

Average Push-Ups for Adult Men

15-19 years old	23-28 push-ups
20-29 years old	22-28 push-ups
30-39 years old	17-21 push-ups
40-49 years old	13-16 push-ups
50-59 years old	10-12 push-ups
60+ years old	to 8-10 push-ups

All Ages	Reps
Beginner	< 1
Novice	16
Intermediate	40
Advanced	68
Elite	100

Age	17-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-65
Excellent	> 56	> 47	> 41	> 34	> 31	> 30
Good	47-56	39-47	34-41	28-34	25-31	24-30
Above average	35-46	30-39	25-33	21-28	18-24	17-23
Average	19-34	17-29	13-24	11-20	9-17	6-16
Below average	11-18	10-16	8-12	6-10	5-8	3-5
Poor	4-10	4-9	2-7	1-5	1-4	1-2
Very Poor	< 4	< 4	< 2	0	0	0

Regardless of which table you choose, I am now well and truly above average.  

While I initially struggled to get to the floor, let alone do any push ups, I can now do over 250 in one set.  This is all from Prochnost' training.  It doesn't matter where you start as your aim is to get stronger.  

I was hideously unfit, and I am now able to complete vastly more push ups than most men my age.  I started out skinny fat and very weak, I am still skinny but I am stronger now.  I never got ripped, but my intention was to gain strength, not to look prettier.  I also don't put in a whole lot of time each day.

My 12 year old does push ups

If you are skinny fat like I was, you should be doing push ups.  If you are not skinny you should be doing push ups.  A thirty day challenge helps to ensure that you get the benefits from all of your hard work, skipping a day here and there leads to poor results and/or giving up.  Commit to thirty days, then achieve this no matter what happens.

If you are really unfit like I was you should do the 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  Complete ten sets of ten push ups each day for thirty days.  If you can do an extra one or two each day, then do that as it will help you.  Perhaps this is too daunting, in which case you should do less push ups a day for 30 days.  Just make sure you set your minimums as they will help you succeed.

If you are stronger then you should complete the 100 push ups 30 day challenge.  Complete two sets of fifty push ups each day if you can do that many.  If you can do an extra 25 or so each set then do that because it will help you in the long run.  If this sounds too easy then decide on a larger number, perhaps you can do 1,000 push ups per day for 30 days.  

Try to remember: if you have extra time and energy one day and do 300 push ups you don't get a break the next day, you still have to complete your minimums.  Doing extra is good, it helps you in the long run.  Your future self will thank you for doing extras.

Do push ups.  Push ups are good for you, push ups make you stronger.