An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-Up – New York Times
Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push-ups and a man the same age should be able to do 27. By the age of 60, those numbers drop to 17 for men and 6 for women. Those numbers are just slightly less than what is required of Army soldiers who are subjected to regular push-up tests.
I did 27 push-ups after reading this article last night (it wasn’t easy), but I don’t know personally of any woman that can do 16 push-ups – no matter what they’re age. Upper body strength helped me out recently on a run in Palm Springs. I tripped over a curb. and I stopped my fall with my hands and my right knee, If I hadn’t been fast or strong enough, I would have bashed my face.