Wait, Do You Really Need to Be Able to Do 11 Push-Ups?

If fitness content seeps into your social feeds, you've likely seen something about an 11 push-up challenge. A bunch of people on TikTok and Instagram have been showing off their ability to hit this number, creating a literal online flex.

The trend started after orthopedic surgeon and longevity expert Vonda Wright, MD, informed podcast host Mel Robbins that all women should be able to do 11 push-ups. In a clip that's gone viral, Robbins asks "[Is] on the knees okay?" Dr. Wright's answer was a simple, "no," although she clarified that you can work up to 11 standard push-ups on your toes.

After that, women across the country started dropping to the ground to see how many push-ups they could crank out — myself included (and without success).

That said, I won't be shamed by an arbitrary number for physical fitness. If you're a fit person but it's a struggle to do a few push-ups in a row (me, hi again), it's fair to wonder what's up with this challenge. Also, why 11 push-ups? And are you completely screwed in the health department if you can only do 10? So many questions. We tapped personal trainers for more info.

Experts Featured in This Article

Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, is the cofounder of New York City's SoHo Strength Lab.

Taylor Beebe, CPT, is a personal trainer in California and national qualifier for USA Powerlifting.

So Why Is It Helpful For Women to Do 11 Push-Ups?

The need to blast through 11 push-ups seems random, but Dr. Wright later clarified on Instagram that this number isn't completely out there. "The push-up is such a fundamental movement that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has even set national benchmarks for push-up repetitions," she wrote. Dr. Wright also noted that women between the ages of 50 and 60 should be able to do between seven and 10 push-ups, while those who are 60 and up should do between five and 11 push-ups.

Clearly, 11 push-ups is on the higher range of that, but Dr. Wright may have also been referencing a JAMA Network Open study that found that men who could do at least 11 push-ups had a lower risk of having a cardiovascular disease issue than those who couldn't. But that study was done on men, not women.

These are the biggest perks of being able to do 11 push-ups, spelled out by Dr. Wright on Instagram:

What If You Can't Do 11 Push-Ups?

That's OK. Doing 11 push-ups in a row is a marathon, not a sprint. In general, push-ups are harder for women than men because women have lower amounts of muscle mass in their upper body, explains Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, cofounder of New York City's SoHo Strength Lab. Women's lower body typically has a higher percentage of muscle mass, Matheny says. "It's typically harder for them to do upper body exercises than it is for men." That doesn't mean it's hard for all women to do upper body exercises like push-ups — it's just tougher for women on average.

Matheny refers to a push-up as a "benchmark upper body exercise," saying that it's a good indicator if you have solid upper body strength. In terms of longevity, Matheny points out that being able to do a push-up suggests that you might be able to catch yourself if you fall forward as you get older, lowering the odds of hitting your head.

Taylor Beebe, CPT, a personal trainer in California and national qualifier for USA Powerlifting, agrees. "Being able to do 11 unassisted push-ups can be empowering and a great goal for women to strive for," she says. "Being able to push your own body weight, or even the ability to push yourself off the floor, translates into strength that we need in case we fall, especially as we age."

But neither is convinced that it's necessary for all women to be able to crank out 11 push-ups, exactly. "Much like the 10,000 steps rule, it's arbitrary and does not indicate if the person's overall lifestyle is healthy," Beebe says.

Something else to keep in mind, per Matheny: Plenty of people have crappy push-up form and may not actually be able to do 11 reps properly. "You see a lot of people who would say that maybe they could do good push-ups, but there's a lot of nuance," he says.

How to Work Your Way Up to 11 Push-Ups

Again, you don't need to be able to pull off 11 push-ups if you don't want to. In fact, Matheny chalks this specific number up to marketing. But if you want to increase your push-up capacity or you just feel like getting some social media bragging rights, there are a few things you can do.

If push-ups don't come naturally to you, Beebe recommends starting out by seeing how well you can hold a plank. (This is the position you should be in at the start and finish of a pull-up, she notes.) If you can't lower your body to the floor without collapsing, she suggests using an elevated surface like a weight bench and trying to do a push-up on an angle.

"As you progress your strength, move lower and lower to the ground," she says. "As you make the angle of your body more parallel to the floor, the harder it gets," Matheny says.

When you're not doing push-ups, you can also do upper body exercises like dumbbell bench presses to help build up more strength in the area, Beebe says. Once you ace one push-up, you can build up to more over time.

Ultimately, trainers agree that the 11 push-up challenge is kind of random — but there's definitely more benefit here than other challenges swirling around social media. "Being able to get up off of the ground if we fall is the main reason for training a push-up, burpee, or even Turkish get up," Beebe says. "Regardless of the modality, we need to be sure we can safely navigate ourselves on and off the floor."

And, if you happen to film yourself crushing this challenge and share the results on social media, so be it.

Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women's Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more.