Study finds being OUTDOORS helps you live longer
Push-ups have long been used as a symbol of optimal fitness. Dr Edward Phillips of Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital said push-ups are the “classic bread-and-bitter exercise”.
He added: “How many you can do at one time offers a measurement of your strength and is an easy tool to help you improve. You can do them anywhere and at any time, and only need a few minutes.”
And according to a study published in JAMA Network Open, pushup capacity is inversely associated with future cardiovascular (CVD) disease incidents.
This means the more push-ups you can do, the less likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers working on the study found CVD risk was 96 percent lower in men who were able to do 40 or more pushups during a physical test compared to men who could do 10 or fewer.
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The study followed 1,104 male firefighters over a 10-year period between 2000 and 2010.
The men underwent baseline and periodic physical examinations that included timed push-ups and cardiorespiratory endurance (such as a treadmill test).
Dr Stefanos N. Kales, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and one of the study’s authors, told Healthline, “Those completing the least pushups at baseline went on to have the highest rates of new CVD diagnoses; while those competing the most pushups at baseline enjoyed the lowest subsequent rates of CVD.”
Harvard Health Publishing describes a push-up as a true all-around exercise that engages the body from top to bottom.
“It works several muscle groups at once: in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips, and legs,” it explains.
“It also can be easily modified to fit your current ability and adjusted as your strength and performance improve.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science found chest muscle activity was greater when push-ups were performed with the hands placed halfway inward from their normal position.
When the hands are placed outward it works your triceps more.
According to Dr Phillips, an average 65-year-old man should be able to do six to 16 push-ups.
But he added: “Don’t focus on a certain number, but rather on what you can do right now and work from there.”
The NHS advises adults do some type of physical activity every day, and that any type of activity is good for you – the more you do the better.
It states adults should do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week.
You should also do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.
Reducing time spent sitting or lying down and breaking up long periods of not moving with some activity is also important.
Moderate aerobic activity includes brisk walking, riding a bike and hiking, while jogging or running, swimming fast and walking up the stairs counts as vigorous activity.
Lifting heavy weights, sprinting up hills and running up stairs counts as vigorous activity.
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