Bryan Johnson breaks down a 10-year study of 1,000 male firefighters showing pushup capacity predicts heart health better than treadmill tests. Men who could do 40+ pushups had a 96% lower risk of cardiovascular events. The threshold may not apply to women or older adults.
Drop what you're doing and gimme 20 seconds to tell you something very important. A 10-year study of 1,000 men found that push-up capacity is a meaningful predictor of heart disease risk. Here is what the data showed. Men who could do 20 or more push-ups were linked to a 75% lower rate of cardiovascular events. Being able to do 40 or more push-ups was linked to a 96% lower rate. And push-ups outperformed treadmill tests at predicting heart disease. This makes sense because push-ups don't just measure cardio, they capture muscular strength and power, two of the strongest protective biomarkers known for long-term health. One caveat: the study was conducted on young to middle-aged male firefighters, so the specific numbers don't directly extend to women, senior adults, or sedentary populations. But the underlying message is hard to ignore: the heart wants what it wants, and that's 40 push-ups.
