The Return of the Presidential Awards: The Push-Up Challenge
Why are push-ups considered one of the best exercises? Push-ups are a highly effective bodyweight exercise that strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps, core, and stabilizing muscles. They can improve strength, cardiovascular fitness, glucose metabolism, and overall functional fitness without requiring any equipment. By Nancy A. Palermo, MD The Presidential Fitness Award is given to those who can perform at least 25 push-ups (women) or 50 push-ups (men) in 60 seconds. One of the best things about push-ups? No gym. No equipment. No excuses. Yet many adults struggle to perform even a single push-up. So why should we make push-ups part of our daily routine? Because a single push-up can trigger measurable changes in the body related to muscle strength, metabolism, cardiovascular health, and even brain function. Imagine what 10, 25, or...
