Keep your heart healthy with push-ups

Active, middle-aged men who can complete more than 40 push-ups at a time had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes compared to those who did less than 10 push-ups, says a new study.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that men who are able to do more than 40 push-ups had a 96 per cent reduced risk of CVD events compared with those who were able to do less than 10 push-ups.

In addition, push-up capacity was more strongly associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease events than was aerobic capacity as estimated by a submaximal treadmill exercise test.

For the study, the researchers from Harvard University analysed health data from 1,104 active male firefighters whose mean age was 39.6.

During the 10-year study period, 37 CVD-related outcomes were reported.