Last week I was introduced to one 55-year-old guy. On knowing that I am a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, he asked me: “Should Seniors do pushups?” I simply gave him an affirmative answer. As I was rushing to the gym, I humbly excused myself and told him that I would explain him in detail later.
When I hit my bed that night, I thought of writing a post on “How To Do Push-ups After 50”. So here we go!
Should You Do Pushups In your 50s or Above 50?
Growing old doesn’t mean that you cannot do weight-bearing exercises such as pushups. There are countless research studies out there, which have clearly proven that weight training can help us gain muscle and bone mass even as grow old.
Besides adding bone & muscle mass, pushups exercise has a few other advantages for people older than 50. For example, the pushup movement mimics our natural reaction when we fall, where we extend our arms, hands, and wrists to break a fall – as reported by biomechanics researcher Dr. James Ashton-Miller in an article in “The New York Times.
Whereas doing pushup workout can be a very useful addition to your exercise regime at any age, but make sure to take it slow if you’re a beginner.
If you have never done pushups before and are just starting, follow these important steps & tips so as to prevent any injury & maximize benefits.
# 1
Warm-up: Before you begin your push-up session – or for that matter any strength training session – you should do some warm up exercise in order to provide more oxygen to your muscles and help you do pushups effectively without any injury. Do any light to moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, jogging at the spot or any other light cardio for 5 to 10 minutes.
# 2.
Wall Pushups: If you are new to doing pushups, start with wall pushups to gain strength in your arms. Learn here what is wall pushup exercise and how to do it correctly. When you can complete 2 sets of fifteen repetitions (reps) of this modified pushup type without struggling, progress to the step # 3. If doing wall pushups is hard for you, perform as many reps as you can in a row, take a short break, and then perform a 2nd set of as many reps as you can.
Watch this video to learn how to do wall pushups correctly:
Incline Pushups
When you feel comfortable in doing wall pushups then start doing incline push-ups to gain further strength in your arms. You can do incline push-ups using kitchen counter, bench, table or any other solid surface. For senior people, I recommend that they should begin with a higher incline because higher the incline easier the incline pushups would be. Once you practice using a certain incline for some days then you can gradually progress to a lower incline to increase the intensity.
Watch this video to learn how to do Incline Pushups correctly:
When you feel comfortable in doing incline pushups using lower incline level then start doing knee pushups to gain more strength in your arms.
# 4
Knee Pushups
When you feel comfortable in doing incline pushups using lower incline level then start doing knee pushups to gain more strength in your arms.
When you can do 2 sets of twelve to 15 repetitions (reps) using proper form without struggling, progress to the next step. If you are unable to do so, perform as many as you can during each set and gradually add more reps until you can do a full twelve.
Watch this video to learn how to do knee pushups correctly:
Regular Full Pushups
Congratulations! Now it’s time for you to start doing full pushups with your knees off the floor. Aim to do 2 sets of twelve to 15 reps. As you get stronger, gradually add more sets or reps as you so desire – although 1 or 2 sets of 12-15 reps are enough to gain muscle and bone mass and keep your upper body strength as you age.
Watch this video to learn how to do Standard full pushups correctly:
Tips
(i) Be patient & follow your routine religiously; it may take many weeks or months to progress from the wall pushups to the standard full pushups.
(ii) Perform push-ups 2 to 3 days a week, allowing you rest of at least 24 hours in between the sessions.
Caution
For seniors, it’s particularly crucial to get their doctor’s OK before starting any new exercise routine – and even more important if you have any medical issues like diabetes, heart disease or osteoporosis.
