I was looking through the May, 2004 issue of Men’s Health magazine the other day. Along with the likes of “Sex So Good, She’ll Beg You For More”, I came across an article on page 162, asking, “How Fit Are You?”. It gives some statistics for the “average guy.” So how do you rate against the “average guy”? (mine)
Good stuff Hermes. Most of the 18 year old kids back in my boot camp days couldn’t do 60 pushups. Keep it up dude.
Hey Lokei,
That’s a good question. I don’t remember nor do I have the magazine with me. I’d bet they were talking about 20 or 30-somethings. I do remember them saying that a man loses 1% of his testosterone for every year after age 40. If so, I’m down by 7%. Given that I thought about sex every ten minutes when I was 17, and now a whole morning can go by without me once thinking of it, I’d have thought it would be more.
Hi Magius,
It’s no secret. I just do lots of 'em. For three years running I did 100,000 two armed push-ups per year (20 sets of 100 per week). I changed my routine about two years ago. Now I do one-armed pushups; 31,000 per year (10 sets of 60 per week). I’ve found that doing pushups is also a great way to meditate.
i question all of you whose max pushup count is above 50 consequtively. more specifically, i question that you are using proper form. there are soo many ways you can cheat… its not worth going into it. you must know, in the back of your mind, despite your unwillingness to recognize it, that you are bouncing off the ground, or going 100 miles an hour, or not pausing at the bottom, or something…
there are very few people who can just rifle off 100 pushups properly, a few though, i’ve seen on tv - guiness records and things like that - but it seems like everyone here is saying, ‘psh, 50, 60, 80… no problem man’
I’m not going to claim that i was naturally born by doing 80.
I keep my regime. I used to be able to do 40 naturally but over the last 12 weeks, i have been steadily been able to increase the amount i can do. I always make sure i do at least 200 a day.
And you want to know why i want to do those? So one can go kick arse in Rugby.
Sure you can. Just spread your legs apart for stability. I leave the leg straight on the side that I’m pushing with and throw-out the other leg like an outrigger of a canoe (at roughly a 30 degree angle). But that’s just me. If you can do 80 regular pushups you should be able to do a dozen one-armed.
I don’t know how old you are, but it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not as if you’re power-lifting. But don’t do them every day, Lokei! You’ve got to give muscle a chance to heal after you work it. At most, work the same muscle no more often than every second day. My nephew is an ex-Mr. New Hampshire body builder. He works a muscle once a week. I origionally thought that was too little, and yet he’s gotten excellent results (needless to say). He’s currently a third year medical student at Boston University, so he knows the physiology behind his routine.
Good luck with the rugby season, Lokei. I played wing-forward one year back in college. There was a kid from South Africa on our club team that could kick the ball into orbit. He went on to place-kick for my school’s American football team (Mizzou). Those Commonwealth types are pretty good. The “All Blacks” probably do eat their dead.
Has 19.7% body fat: (5.5%, as of a few months ago at least)
Can do 27 pushups: (193 [the last 3 hurt, so I figured I’d count them ])
Can bench press 93% of his body weight: (Don’t bench anymore, but my old max was 320lbs)
Stands 5 feet, 9.1 inches: (6 feet, 2 inches)
Weighs 181 pounds: (Between 175-180 pounds)
I should probably note that the push-up figure may be a slight bit misleading. I’m still recovering from a herniated disk in my neck, and because of this, I completely lose strength in my left tricep when it comes close to full contraction. So, these push-ups were done as high as I can push without my left arm collapsing. At the risk of sounding like a has-been, I used to be able to do more (legitimately ). Anyway, Polemarchus, you are a certifiable Renaissance Man if I do say so myself.
I’m some impressed! How did you get down to 5.5% body fat? Lance Armstrong himself hovers between 4 to 5%! After a summer of mountain biking the Gaps here in Vermont I never dropped below 9% BF.
Also, I was wondering why you stopped benching? Do you have an injured rotator cuff? I ask because I know so many people with that problem. Within a few weeks of starting to use a machine instead of free weights some years ago I began to have shoulder pain. The solution was to warmup with lightweight dumbell flys and go back to free weights. Machines can be joint killers.
I would love nothing more than to attribute my low body fat % to hard work, but I’m afraid I can’t do so. It’s mostly the result of a really fast metabolism. I do go to the gym 5 days a week (for about an 1 hour and 30 minutes each time), but nothing I do is anywhere near the amount that Lance Armstrong does. I eat very well for the most part, so I suppose that’s a major factor too. My landlord is a die-hard tri-athlete, but judging by the looks of him, his body fat % is probably around 9%-10%. There is no way way however that I am in better shape than him. I think body fat % percentage can be misleading in certain respects.
It’s the result of my herniated disk. There’s actually alot of things I can’t do right now, and there doesn’t appear to be much rhyme or reason to it. I can’t bench because, as mentioned earlier, I can’t fully extend my left arm and maintain strength. Also, there is a slight tendency to push back with your neck when benching, and this action does not settle well with my injury at all. I still have a ways to go with my rehabilitation, but I’m pretty satisfied with my progress so far. All the doctors I’ve spoken to have said that I’ll probably never be back to a hundred percent, but at this point in my life, I don’t really care. I’ve moved beyond the point of trying to lift the most I can, and always trying to increase strength. I’m satisfied now to just maintain a healthy regime and keep fit.
As far as machines go, I haven’t experienced any joint pain associated with using them, but I’ll be the first to admit that using free weights definetely makes for a superior workout. But I do like machines, especially because they offer a good sense of security when using them, as they don’t require the assistance of a spotter (for the most part).
I just started my ‘real’ job today, and judging by how tired I am right now, I won’t be surprised if my fitness begins to wane. I’m sure I’ll be joining the ranks of the status quo shortly.
Can bench press 93% of his body weight: (Don’t Know)
Stands 5 feet, 9.1 inches: (6 feet, 4 inches)
Weighs 181 pounds: (Around 280 pounds)
I’ve gained some weight since my 9 month old baby girl came along. About 30 pounds or more. Quit working out and eating right too. Got a good sized gut going on now. Papa needs a tool shed. My body fat was once down to 13.6%, but it’s nowhere near that now. Very difficult to keep it there. I’ve always had trouble with my weight, but I was always able to pack on muscle easily too. You get a little, you lose a little I guess.
Ouch! Here’s my best wishes for an eventual, if not speedy recovery, Matt. I’ve a problem with a disk in my lower back (who doesn’t, right?). It made me feel rather miserable for over a year when I was in my mid-twenties. I only feel it these days after I’ve done something very stupid.
You’re right, body fat, in itself, is no complete health indicator. One glance at the photos of the inmates at Auschwitz is enough to convince us of that. I think that 5% body fat is probably the low threshold that a man wouldn’t normally want to fall below. And yet there appear to be substantial health advantages associated with having a lean body. Besides, why bury a six-pack under the spare tire?
Concerning machines: the problem is that one tends to overdo the weight with a machine. With a barbell, or better yet, with dumbells, ancillary muscles are involved in order to control the movement. With a machine one too often simply grunts and heaves. I was benching just over 300 pounds with the machine - which is crazy, given that my all-time one rep. max. with a bar was something like 245 pounds (225 pounds these days). No wonder I whacked my shoulders.
i question you all as philosophers… i mean, come on, aren’t philosophers supposed to be pale, scrawny guys with so many thoughts in their head they can barely remember to eat, nevermind exercise?
Philosophy is an interest i have, it isn’t my job. I have just seemed to have lost practically all interest in anything i used to do.
I don’t know what did it, well, i have an idea but i don’t want to tell you. I still have my passions for such sports, that is why i exercise myself. To excel in these things. They are hobbies, just like me breathing in philosophy is.
Hey Polemarchus, Can you explain to me how you do a one armed push up, I think i just cant keep my balance, because I beleive im strong enough, I can go up, I just fall when I come down. My abilities are strange:
Has 13" biceps: (13.5")
Has a 41" chest: (38")
Has a waist size of 38.8": (30")
Has 20.4" thighs: (19")
Has 19.7% body fat: (6.5%)
Can do 27 pushups: 50 (without pausing)
Can bench press 93% of his body weight: (147%)
Stands 5 feet, 9.1 inches: (5 feet, 6 inches)
Weighs 181 pounds: (130 pounds)
Im 15, I weigh 129 and can bench 190, I do wrestle. Im not crazily buff. I cant do 1 arm push ups tho. I dont bench regulary because I dont have one. I do push-ups, 3 sets of as many I can do, each set with a minute and 15 second rest. the first set is 50, the 2nd ussualy 35 or 40 and the third ussualy the same as second. Can you give me any insight on my sitution?
). Anyway, Polemarchus, you are a certifiable Renaissance Man if I do say so myself.
My body fat was once down to 13.6%, but it’s nowhere near that now. Very difficult to keep it there. I’ve always had trouble with my weight, but I was always able to pack on muscle easily too. You get a little, you lose a little I guess. 
