The Healthspan Map · Fitness (Ch7-8)

Upper-body strength (push-ups)

What this is linked to

Where Upper-body strength (push-ups) is linked — 4 sources.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Nutrient or lever	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Upper-body strength (push-ups)	Watch this	Moderate	Cohort / observational	Men able to do >40 push-ups had far lower 10-year cardiovascular incidence than those doing <10 (5% vs 15%); push-up capacity predicted CVD better than a submaximal treadmill test.	Yang et al., JAMA Network Open 2019 (n=1,104 men, 10-yr) (opens in a new tab)
Upper-body strength (push-ups)	Watch this	Moderate	Established clinical	Push-up capacity - a simple, no-cost measure - meaningfully stratified future cardiovascular risk in active adult men.	American College of Cardiology journal scan (2019) (opens in a new tab)
Upper-body strength (push-ups)	Watch this	Moderate	Cohort / observational	Push-up capacity - a simple, no-cost measure - meaningfully stratified future cardiovascular risk in active adult men.	Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men, JAMA Netw Open 2019 (opens in a new tab)
Upper-body strength (push-ups)	Watch this	Moderate	Cohort / observational	Higher muscular fitness (push-up capacity) tracks better musculoskeletal and cardiometabolic health.	Yang et al., JAMA Network Open 2019 (opens in a new tab)