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How Many Push-Ups Should A 16 Year Old Do? (Solved!)

Push-ups are a fantastic exercise for a 16-year-old.

Not only are they safe and effective, but you can do them from the comfort of your home too.

(You’d be surprised how many gyms out there won’t allow 16-year-olds access!)

If you are 16, you may be wondering how many push-ups you should be able to do.

And that’s what we’re going to answer today.

Teenage boy and girl doing push-ups

How Many Push-Ups Should A 16 Year Old Do? (Short Answer)

As a 16-year-old male, you should be able to do 15-20 push-ups per set. Whereas you should be able to do 10-15 push-ups as a 16-year-old female.

This is a rough range though and keep reading to find out why.

How Many Push-Ups Should A 16 Year Old Do? (Long Answer)

I hate to break it to you, but there’s no quick answer to the number of push-ups a 16-year-old should be able to do.

There are many factors at play which we’re now going to cover in more detail.

How Often You Do Push-Ups

The saying “practise makes perfect” is true, even when it comes to push-ups.

The more often you do push-ups, the more you’ll be able to do as your chest muscles get bigger and stronger.

If you’re someone who practises push-ups 5 times a week, then you’ll likely be able to do more push-ups than someone who only does them once a week.

How Heavy You Are

You push between 60%-70% of your total bodyweight when doing push-ups.

So, the heavier you are, the more weight you have to push.

(This explains why push-ups are more difficult if you are heavier.)

If you’re a heavy person, then you’ll likely be able to do less push-ups than a lighter person.

How Fast You Do Push-Ups

The tempo of your push-ups plays an important role too.

The slower you do push-ups, the more tension your muscles are under per rep which makes them harder. The result being, you’ll be able to do less push-ups.

On the other hand, if you do fast push-ups, you’ll be able to crank out more.

Your Gender

Men typically have more upper body strength than women.

Therefore a 16-year-old male will likely be able to more push-ups than a 16-year-old female.

How Strong You Are

Now for a more obvious factor – your strength!

It’s a fact that some people are naturally stronger than others.

If you’re a naturally strong person, you’ll likely be able to do more push-ups than someone who’s naturally weaker.

The Push-Up Type

Another important consideration is the push-up variation you’re doing.

There are many types of push-ups, and some of them (like Tyson push ups and decline push ups) are harder than others.

Whereas regular push-ups and incline push-ups tend to be easier.

Obviously, the harder the type of push-up you do, the less reps you can do.

How Many Push-Ups Should A 16 Year Old Do A Day?

As covered earlier, a 16-year-old will likely be able to do between 10-20 push-ups depending on whether they’re male or female.

If you’re a male, you should be able to do 3-5 sets of 15-20 push-ups in a day. Which gives a total of 25-100 push-ups.

If you’re a female, you should be able to do 2-4 sets of 10-15 push-ups in a day, totalling 20-60 push-ups.

Conclusion

In summary, the number of push-ups a 16-year-old should do depends on numerous factors and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the question.

That’s all for this article, but how many push-ups should a 12 year old be able to do? Or perhaps you’re wondering do push-ups stunt growth?

Hope this helped!

Sources

Men are stronger than women

How much body weight you push in push-ups