A new study conducted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that push-up capacity may be a dependable and inexpensive way to assess a person's risk of cardiovascular disease.
What researchers found was the after ten years from the time of baseline testing, active middle-aged men able to complete more than 40 push-ups had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related outcomes. These outcomes included cardiovascular disease diagnosis, heart failure, and stroke.
This no-cost, easy to implement method of testing may come to replace current tools, like the treadmill test, in some cases. Although widely used, treadmill tests are too expensive and time-consuming to be used routinely in clinical settings.
In their study, researchers reviewed the health data of 1,104 active male firefighters. The data were collected from 2000 to 2010. At the start of the study, baseline measurements revealed a 28.7 body mass index (BMI) and an average age of 39.6.
Researchers measured submaximal exercise tolerance on treadmills and via the participants push-up capacity. Throughout the ten years of the study each participant completed yearly physical examinations and questionnaires about their health.
During the study, 37 cardiovascular disease-related outcomes were reported by participants. Only one of these heart outcomes occurred in men who were able to do at least 40 consecutive push-ups at baseline.
Researchers calculated a 96 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related events in those completing 40 or more push-ups at the start of the study.
Shockingly, the likelihood of experiencing a cardiovascular event was more closely associated with push-up test performance than it was to aerobic capacity as estimated during treadmill exercise testing.
Because the participant pool was limited to occupationally active man, the results may not be generalizable to the greater population. For this reason, further testing is needed that includes woman and persons of various age groups.
Push-up tests are typically used by fitness professionals to track baseline fitness levels. When retaken at various intervals throughout a training program it gives clients and trainers a good idea of how much progress is being made.
The guidelines for the push-up test set strict standards for how the test should be administered. These guidelines assure accurate testing each time.
The protocols first call for a warm-up to prepare the test subject for weighted movement. The warm-up helps the participant prepare for the test and reduce the risk of injury. Then the hands are placed under the shoulders or slightly wider for the start of the test. Test subjects should have their legs extended straight behind them test with toes tucked under.
The subject is then directed to do as many push-ups as possible following a three-second cadence. The exerciser is allowed one break in form throughout the test, and it stopped at the second form break or when they are in clear distress. The total number of push-ups is counted. The resulting value is an individual's push-up test score which is then compared to normative charts for the person's age and gender.
The above video from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) goes into detail about how to administer the test according to ACSM standards.