Push-Ups: How much weight are you moving?

So, there is a little bit of the "geek" in me that has begun to wonder just how much weight I actually move doing push-ups?  Does it really matter?  No.  Push-ups have become one of my go-to exercises, as evidenced by our January and February Challenges.  Nonetheless, let's take a look at this, just for kicks.

Believe it or not, there have been studies designed to evaluate how much weight men and women are "moving" while doing push-ups.  A summary of some of this work, from some of the articles in the references below, indicates that:

• When performing traditional push-ups you lift the equivalent of 55 - 71% of your body weight (numbers vary based on the reference)
• When performing modified push-ups (performed on the knees) you are lifting between 50 - 56% of your body weight (again, the numbers are variable depending on the reference)
• The total weight supported will vary between traditional push-ups and other variants (incline, decline and modified) and there will be slight differences between the up and the down positions.

This leads into another question that I have been asked quite a bit lately.   Are push-ups better than doing the bench press?  In my opinion, there is no correct answer to this question.  Which exercise is "best" depends on the goals you have set for your fitness and training.  Understand that there are differences in how the two work the muscles of your upper body.  In addition, given the discussion above, unless you are using a weight vest or doing push-ups with a partner who can add weight to your back (45# plate) there is an upper limit to how much you will be able to lift in a given movement.  No matter what your goal may be, variation in your fitness routine will always help you stay motivated and can positively contribute to achieving your goals.


References
1.  http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Push-ups--How-Much-Weight-Are-You-Lifting-/486282#.URY_3Ic83TQ
2.  http://cwanamaker.hubpages.com/hub/How-Much-Weight-Do-You-Actually-Push-Up-During-a-3.  Pushup (this is a great mathematical discussion that evaluates regular push-ups and incline push-ups)
3.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juGXvXylV1U (a great dynamic video demonstrating form and the muscles involved in the push-up)
4.  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/push-ups-vs-bench-press.html
5.  https://youtrainfitness.com/how-much-weight-do-you-lift-in-a-push-up/