Harvard study finds middle‑aged men who can perform 40 or more push‑ups slash their risk of cardiovascular events by nearly 96% compared to those who struggle with fewer than 10.
TheDigger Intelligence Unit
It’s the simplest workout you can do without equipment — and now scientists say it may be the most revealing. In a decade‑long study of 1,100 firefighters, Harvard researchers discovered that push‑up capacity is a powerful predictor of heart health.
According to them, men who were able to complete at least 40 push‑ups at a steady pace were dramatically less likely to suffer heart problems over the next ten years, while those who managed fewer than 10 faced the highest risk.
Scientists now say that the number of push-ups you can do may indicate your risk of developing heart problems. At the start, participants were asked to perform as many push-ups as possible, stopping either when they reached exhaustion or after 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, those who could do 11 or more push-ups had a 64 per cent lower risk of a cardiovascular event than those who could do 10 or fewer.
People able to do 21 push-ups or more were found to have a 75 per cent 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 per cent lower risk of any heart problems.
Push-ups are traditionally a measure of upper-body strength, but the researchers said they also reflect the cardiovascular system’s ability 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 Organisation recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, such as cycling or a brisk walk.
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 directly reduced 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, with the hands flat on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width, the legs fully extended behind them, and the 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.
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.’