How Many Push-Up’s Should Men Do?

A recent study from the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that men who could do 40 consecutive push-ups in one event reduced their risk of heart disease by an impressive 96%.

But how many men can do 40 consecutive push-ups? The truth is, not many. Many of us don’t remember how frightened we were when jumping into that swimming pool the first time. But with time and proper training, the fear disappeared quickly, and we became safe swimmers. This is analogous to this push-up study.  Health can be earned with hard work, whereas sickness can be achieved for free. Men, if you drop and give me 7 push-ups today, good for you! In 4 months, I’d like to see you get to 20 or 25 consecutive push-ups, but that can only be done by training.  No man can strain out 7 push-ups today and easily give me 40 tomorrow. You must commit to working at it. So, it goes heart disease: it takes work to prevent it, but we’re dying of it in record numbers today, so it is worth it to work on preventing it.

Many men believe that visiting their doctor and getting an annual exam, taking a flu shot and refilling their prescriptive medications is defined as “preventive medicine.” This study showed that men who were proactive in their own health, greatly reduced the risk of heart disease, and I’m sure their risk of their diseases also declined also.

I like push-ups because they are free! Today, I did 110 of them. But there was a time when I couldn’t do 15 consecutive push-ups. It took me reading the scientific literature on the benefits of exercise before I finally committed many years ago. My dad had cardiovascular problems, so I must be even more proactive in preventing them. Once again, all I can do is report what current science is stating…you must decide to change for yourself.