Do women really need to be able to do 11 push-ups?

You might have seen a female fitness challenge floating around the internet - can you do 11 push-ups?

Not push-ups on your knees or against a wall. Not push-ups with your bum in the air, but old-fashioned, quality push-ups.

The challenge came out of a conversation between orthopedic surgeon and longevity expert Dr Vonda Wright and self-help commentator Mel Robbins (you might know her as the “Let them” person, a one-line theory that helps you figure out what’s in your control and what is not).

During Robbins’ podcast, Wright laid out her basic prescription for a weekly female fitness that is:

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It’s a neat tidy package that doesn’t involve hefty gym or personal training fees and it’s perfect for going viral on the internet (which it has, especially the 11 push-ups). It’s the type of fitness fad that can draw a collective eye roll from many fitness experts so let’s unpack what is helpful and unhelpful about this social media trend.

Before you hit the floor with this lofty goal, consider the limitations of your body due to age, injury and fitness. Despite Wright’s insistence that her weekly fitness routine is for every woman or at least something every woman can build up to, it might not be for you, says Ruth Kelly, an Auckland-based Pilates, yoga and barre instructor.

“If you’re completely working with really bad form, and you can’t stabilise or control the movement, then over time you’ll end up with just wear and tear and injury.”

“So I don’t like to say all women should be doing 11 push-ups.”

The concept seems simple, but executing a push-up with the correct technique is not. The proper technique will dial up the challenge.

Here’s what to do, according to Melissa Pittman, a personal trainer and group exercise instructor in south Auckland:

The push-up is an exercise that has stood the test of time. The modern concept of forming a plank on the ground with your body and lifting your own body weight was supposedly created - or at least widely publicised - by Indian wrestler Jerick Revilla in 1905.

Juls Moore, a Wanaka-based yoga teacher, says push-ups hit multiple muscle groups including the chest, triceps, biceps, back and core, while encouraging good posture.

“You can do it without any equipment. You can do it at home. You can do it on holidays.”

But can it indicate your fitness level? No, not really, the experts say.

“There are some people who are incredibly strong who might not be able to do that, but they might be able to do 11 pull-ups,” says Kelly.

Pittman has numerous male and female clients she considers strong who struggle with push-ups.

“Obviously, over time with consistency, things like exercises that rely on your body weight will eventually get a lot easier but it's not one of the exercises that I would say, you know, like challenge up to x amount of push-ups and you can sort of measure your fitness based on that.”

While the push-up has a lot of value as a single exercise, the burpee can measure strength and aerobic capacity, says Pittman. A burpee involves forming a plank and either jumping or stepping to your feet before jumping on the spot and stepping or jumping back to a plank. (Repeat).

If Moore was your trainer, she would start you off by perfecting your plank and holding it for increasing amounts of time.

“...and then we might be doing a chest press or starting push-ups on the wall so that you’re starting to hold your body weight.

“It’s just those little stepping stones that would lead you to the pinnacle of 11 push-ups.”