I got about 9½ pushups in before my arms gave out and I had to roll out of it and give up LOL!
I’m 43 years old for reference, but my main preferred exercise is BMX flatland, which generally exercises the legs more than the arms. I did make sure as best as I could to keep my back and legs straight for proper pushups.
I guess I’m getting old, I’m sore today…
Edit: Tonight I managed 10, yay me! I really should give my muscles a bit of a break for a few days or so…
Edit 2: Thank you kind strangers for the words of encouragement and motivation! I do think I need to take a bit of a break for a few days or so, but I do plan to work on more exercises as such every couple days or so at my convenience…
One of the important things about working out is knowing which muscles you’re actually working out so that you can consciously focus on firing them off with force.
Pushups aren’t for your arms, at least not normal pushups. They work your triceps a bit, and a few of the stabilizer muscles in the forearms and shoulders. But, for the most part, push ups are about your chest. Squeezing your chest inwards should give you your upward momentum, not pushing away from the ground.
It’s also not quite enough to just have a straight back. You ever flex your stomach while looking at a mirror and it kind of auto-straightens your back? That’s the move you’re lookin for, tighten your abdominal muscles as best you can to make it so those are the muscles supporting your lower half, instead of pushing that weight onto your lower spinal column and shoulders