The Longevity Test
NOTE: this text was not written by me and is from user u/GovSchwarzenegger. Yes, that Governor Schwarzenegger. I recommend a tour through his post history. The only changes were to automatically scan to text (it was a picture of text), fix typos in that process and format it for readability. I would gladly link to the original text if someone can find it.
The original post.
Want to know how long you will live? You can spend hundreds of dollars on hypothetical tests that measure your “biological age” - which is not a scientific measure - or you can drop and give me 40.
That’s because research suggests the number of pushups you can perform helps determine how long you will live.
There’s nothing special about pushups, per se, but tests that combine strength, movement, and cardiovascular health tend to be some of the best indicators of longevity.
Many companies are starting to push “biological aging” tests. You can try them, but buyer beware: improving your biological age does not necessarily mean you’ll live longer. It’s not a proven method.
There’s better evidence that physical capabilities, such as grip strength, are a better indicator of longevity. In this study conducted by Harvard scientists, people who did 40 pushups were associated with a 96 percent reduction of a potentially deadly cardiovascular event, compared with those who could complete fewer than ten push-ups.
If you need help increasing your pushup strength, we have you covered in today’s workout of the week.
Workout of the Week
Who’s ready to do more pushups and live a little longer? We promised to help increase the number of pushups you can perform, so this week’s workout is a 4-week program designed to make you stronger and increase your upper body muscular endurance. It’s this combination that is the secret to the fountain of youth.
If you need help with performing the perfect pushup, watch this video (ed: unknown what the original video was). If pushups are too difficult, you can do them from your knees. Or, place your hands on a bench - instead of the floor - for an incline pushup (ed: unknown what the original link was), which is an easier variation.
Here’s the test:
First, set a timer for 1 minute, and then perform as many pushups as you can. That’s it. Record the number of reps you performed, and that’s your starting position. Remember, it’s more important to perform good pushups than do fake ones. Don’t lie to yourself because it only harms you. Think about it. You can stuff socks in vour sleeves to pretend you have bigger biceps, or you can actually build them the right way. Let’s check your ego, and all improve together!
So how did you do? Remember, the goal is 40 straight pushups. We don’t care if you got 40 or just 4. The fun part is the journey and watching yourself get better.
Now, it’s time to improve.
If your pushup score is lower than you’d like, here’s a program that will help you improve. You can do this as a standalone workout, make it the first exercise in an upper body or push day workout, or make it the first exercise in a full-body training program.
Week 1 (Perform twice per week)
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
- Perform 10 sets of 3 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
- If you can’t do 3 pushups, adjust to an easier variation.
- If the easiest variation is difficult, don’t worry about it! Perform as many as you can, rest, and keep going until you complete a set of 3 reps. Instead of doing 10 sets, perform 4 to 5 total sets.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
- Perform 10 sets of 8 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
Week 2 (Perform twice per week)
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
- Perform 8 sets of 5 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
- If you can’t do 5 pushups, adjust to an easier variation.
- If the easiest variation is difficult, don’t worry about it! Perform as many as you can, rest, and keep going until you complete a set of 5 reps. Instead of doing 8 sets, perform 4 to 5 total sets.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
- Complete 8 sets of 10 repetitions with 2 minutes of rest between sets.
Week 3 (Perform twice per week)
If you did 10 or fewer pushups:
- Perform 6 sets of 7 repetitions of pushups. Rest one minute between sets.
- If you can’t do 7 pushups, adjust to an easier variation, and follow the same instructions as the prior two weeks.
If you did 10 or more pushups:
- Perform 6 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute of rest between sets.
Week 4 (Perform twice per week)
If vou did 10 or fewer pushups:
- Perform 5 sets of 9 repetitions of pushups. Rest two minutes between sets.
- If you can’t do 9 pushups, adjust to an easier variation, and follow the same instructions as the prior two weeks.
If vou did 10 or more pushups:
- Do 4 sets of 20 repetitions with two minutes of rest between sets.
Once the four weeks are up, take off 3 to 5 days from pushups, and then it’s time to test again! We promise if you stick to the program, your number will improve a lot in just 4 weeks. We’ll be following up to see how you did.