How Many Push-Ups Can You Do?

By Craig Ballantyne

The push-up is the all-American exercise. Too bad most Americans would have a hard time cranking out a single repetition, let alone the number they should be able to do for their age.

It's time to start re-gaining your upper-body strength. And in a challenge I put together for Men's Health Magazine last summer, I set the bar very high. Here, for example, are the numbers I gave for men under the age of 45 to determine their level of fitness:

• Able to do less than 20 push-ups = out of shape

• Able to do 20-34 push-ups = average

• Able to do 35-49 push-ups = fit

• Able to do more than 50 push-ups = "Men's Health" fit

(For a woman, cut the number of repetitions by 60 percent. So, to get an "average" fitness score, a woman under the age of 45 would need to be able to do at least 12 push-ups.)

If you are a beginner, start with kneeling push-ups to build strength. Do one set of 5-10 reps today, and add one set every other day until you are able to do three sets of 10 kneeling push-ups.

Once you are able to do that, you'll be ready for the next level: lowering yourself to the ground for a 3-count, then relaxing onto your knees and getting back up to the start position. Work your way up to 8 repetitions... and then you'll be ready to do full push-ups.

If you're already doing full push-ups, here's how to improve your fitness score: Start by doing half the number of repetitions you can do, rest 30 seconds, repeat that same number of push-ups, rest 30 seconds again, and then repeat the push-ups. Do this two or three times per week, decreasing the rest period by 10 seconds each week. Retest your max after three weeks.

It's Fun to Know: The Portraits on Coins

You may not have noticed, but the portraits of presidents and other dignitaries on paper money are usually full-face views, while the portraits on coins are almost always in profile. Turns out it is difficult to design a recognizable frontal portrait on the thin surface of a coin. It is also difficult to replicate such a delicate design on the high-speed machines that mint coins.

(Source: The Straight Dope)

Word to the Wise: Disport

To "disport" (dis-PORT) - from the French for "to divert" - is to amuse oneself in a light or lively manner.

Example (as used by Eliot Gregory in Worldly Ways and Byways): "Few of the 'carriage ladies and gentlemen' who disport themselves in Newport during the summer months... realize that their daintily shod feet have been treading historic ground, or care to cast a thought back to the past."
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2352, 05-10-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.