How much weight does a push-up lift?
A push-up doesn't lift your full bodyweight, because your feet carry part of it. Force-plate measurements by Ebben et al. (2011) found that a standard push-up loads your hands with about 64% of your bodyweight at its peak. An earlier study (Gouvali & Boudolos, 2005) measured a similar 66%.
For an 80 kg (176 lb) person, that's about 51 kg (113 lb) per rep, comparable to a moderate barbell bench press set. The load also changes through the rep: Suprak et al. (2011) found your hands support more of your weight in the bottom position than at the top.
Push-up weight by variation
Raising your hands makes a push-up lighter. Raising your feet makes it heavier. These are the peak loads Ebben et al. measured for six variations:
| Variation | % of bodyweight | At 70 kg (154 lb) | At 90 kg (198 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decline, feet on 61 cm (24 in) box | 74% | 51.8 kg / 114 lb | 66.6 kg / 147 lb |
| Decline, feet on 30 cm (12 in) box | 70% | 49.0 kg / 108 lb | 63.0 kg / 139 lb |
| Standard push-up | 64% | 44.8 kg / 99 lb | 57.6 kg / 127 lb |
| Incline, hands on 30 cm (12 in) box | 55% | 38.5 kg / 85 lb | 49.5 kg / 109 lb |
| Knee push-up | 49% | 34.3 kg / 76 lb | 44.1 kg / 97 lb |
| Incline, hands on 61 cm (24 in) box | 41% | 28.7 kg / 63 lb | 36.9 kg / 81 lb |
What about wide and diamond push-ups? Studies of different hand placements report loads from about 53% to 73% of bodyweight, but there's no reliable figure for each grip. Changing your grip mainly shifts the work between chest and triceps, so the calculator uses the standard 64% for them.
Source: Ebben WP et al. (2011). “Kinetic analysis of several variations of push-ups.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25(10):2891–2894. 23 recreationally fit adults, force platform, 2-second reps.
How to calculate the weight of a push-up
Multiply your bodyweight by the fraction for the variation you're doing:
weight per rep = bodyweight × 0.64 (standard push-up)
Example: a 75 kg (165 lb) person doing standard push-ups lifts 75 × 0.64 = 48 kg (106 lb) per rep. On their knees it's 75 × 0.49 = 36.8 kg, and with their feet on a 30 cm box it's 75 × 0.70 = 52.5 kg. The calculator above does this for you in kg or lb.
Push-up to bench press equivalent
The bench press equivalent applies the Epley 1RM formula to the weight you lift per push-up:
- Weight per rep:
weight = bodyweight × 0.64(standard push-up) - Estimated 1RM:
1RM = weight × (1 + reps / 30)
Example: 80 kg, standard push-ups, 20 reps → 51.2 kg × (1 + 20/30) = about 85 kg (188 lb) bench press.
Treat this as a rough benchmark. Push-ups demand shoulder-blade control and core stability, the bench press doesn't, and rep-based 1RM formulas get less accurate at high rep counts. Plenty of people can bench more or less than their push-up equivalent.
Push-up strength standards
The calculator's strength level uses Strength Level's push-up standards, built from nearly 900,000 qualifying results logged by its users. Each level is the rep count that beats that share of users:
| Level | More reps than | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 5% of users | 5 | 1 |
| Novice | 20% | 19 | 7 |
| Intermediate | 50% | 39 | 18 |
| Advanced | 80% | 62 | 31 |
| Elite | 95% | 87 | 47 |
The average Strength Level user does 39 push-ups (men) or 18 (women). These are people who track their training, so they do more push-ups than the general population. For age-based fitness norms, see how many push-ups you should be able to do.
Source: strengthlevel.com, Push Ups strength standards (community data 2017–2026).
Calories burned doing push-ups
The calculator uses 7.5 METs, the Compendium of Physical Activities value for vigorous calisthenics such as push-ups (code 02020), at an assumed pace of 3 seconds per rep:
kcal = 7.5 × weight_kg × (reps × 3 seconds / 3600)
| Reps | 60 kg | 75 kg | 90 kg | 110 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3.8 kcal | 4.7 kcal | 5.6 kcal | 6.9 kcal |
| 20 | 7.5 kcal | 9.4 kcal | 11.3 kcal | 13.8 kcal |
| 30 | 11.3 kcal | 14.1 kcal | 16.9 kcal | 20.6 kcal |
| 50 | 18.8 kcal | 23.4 kcal | 28.1 kcal | 34.4 kcal |
| 100 | 37.5 kcal | 46.9 kcal | 56.3 kcal | 68.8 kcal |
MET values describe steady activity, so short sets of push-ups are an estimate. Faster reps, harder variations and shorter rests push the real number up.
Push-ups vs bench press: what each builds
| Factor | Push-ups | Bench press |
|---|---|---|
| Load | About 41–74% of bodyweight, depending on variation | Adjustable, progressive overload possible |
| Equipment | None | Barbell and bench (or dumbbells) |
| Shoulder-blade movement | Free to move (serratus anterior works) | Pinned against the bench |
| Core demand | High: you hold a plank | Low |
| Max strength gains | Limited above bodyweight | Continues with added weight |
| Accessibility | Anywhere, any time | Requires gym equipment |
| Best for | Endurance, no-gym training, beginners | Maximum strength and size |
Frequently asked questions
How much weight do you lift in a push-up?
About 64% of your bodyweight at the peak of a standard push-up, according to force-plate measurements by Ebben et al. (2011). For an 80 kg person that is about 51 kg (113 lb) per rep. An earlier study found a similar 66%. Knee push-ups drop the load to about 49% of bodyweight.
How do you calculate the weight of a push-up?
Multiply your bodyweight by the fraction for your variation: 0.64 for a standard push-up, 0.49 on your knees, 0.55 or 0.41 with your hands on a 30 cm or 61 cm box, and 0.70 or 0.74 with your feet on a 30 cm or 61 cm box. For example, 75 kg × 0.64 = 48 kg (106 lb) per standard push-up.
How much weight is a decline push-up?
With your feet on a 30 cm (12 in) box, a push-up loads about 70% of your bodyweight. With your feet on a 61 cm (24 in) box it rises to about 74%. For an 80 kg person that is roughly 56 kg and 59 kg per rep, compared with 51 kg for a standard push-up.
How many calories do 20 push-ups burn?
About 9 kcal for a 75 kg person and 10 kcal for an 80 kg person, using the Compendium of Physical Activities value for vigorous calisthenics (7.5 METs) and a pace of 3 seconds per rep. That works out to roughly 0.4–0.6 kcal per push-up for most adults. Treat it as an estimate.
What bench press do 20 push-ups equal?
For an 80 kg person, each standard push-up is about 51.2 kg. Running 20 reps at that load through the Epley formula gives roughly an 85 kg (188 lb) bench press. For a 70 kg person it is about 75 kg. This is only a rough guide: push-ups and the bench press use your muscles differently.
What is a good number of push-ups?
Among Strength Level's users, the average is 39 push-ups for men and 18 for women. For men, 19 reps is Novice, 39 Intermediate, 62 Advanced and 87 Elite. For women the marks are 7, 18, 31 and 47. These users are people who log their training, so the general population averages lower.
Are wide or diamond push-ups heavier than standard push-ups?
There's no reliable per-grip figure. Studies of different hand placements report loads anywhere from about 53% to 73% of bodyweight, and changing your grip mostly shifts which muscles work harder (wide = more chest, narrow = more triceps) rather than how much you lift. The calculator uses the standard 64% for these grips.
Do push-ups build as much muscle as bench press?
Push-ups can build meaningful chest, triceps and front-shoulder muscle, especially for beginners and intermediate trainees. For advanced lifters, the fixed load limits progressive overload, which is the main driver of growth. Decline push-ups, a weighted vest or plates on your back can bridge part of that gap.
Can push-ups replace bench press?
For general fitness and upper-body conditioning, yes. They can't match the bench press for maximum strength, because a standard push-up is capped at roughly two-thirds of your bodyweight while a bench press can be loaded well past bodyweight. Many people use both.
How many push-ups should I do a day to build muscle?
Total weekly volume matters more than doing them every day. Three to five sets taken close to failure, three or four times a week, is an effective approach. Once 30 or more reps per set gets easy, move to decline push-ups, a weighted vest or harder variations to keep progressing.
Are push-ups good for weight loss?
A set of push-ups burns only a modest amount of energy, usually around 5–20 kcal. Their main value for body composition is building and keeping muscle. For weight loss, pair them with a calorie deficit and regular walking or cardio, which burn far more energy per session.