What is a good Decline Push Up?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Decline Push Up is about 27 reps. Advanced starts around 46 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Decline Push Up for a 180 lb male is about 27 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Decline Push Up into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 46 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Decline Push Up? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Decline Push Up Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 27 Decline Push Up in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 46+, and an elite lifter reaches 66 or more.
Decline Push Up rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 27 Decline Push Up at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 17.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 28 Decline Push Up, dropping to about 21 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Decline Push Up?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Decline Push Up entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.
How Much Should You Decline Push Up?
Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | < 1 | 8 | 27 | 51 | 78 |
| 120 | < 1 | 9 | 27 | 51 | 77 |
| 130 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 50 | 75 |
| 140 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 49 | 73 |
| 150 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 49 | 71 |
| 160 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 48 | 70 |
| 170 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 47 | 68 |
| 180 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 46 | 66 |
| 190 | < 1 | 11 | 27 | 45 | 64 |
| 200 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 44 | 63 |
| 210 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 43 | 61 |
| 220 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 42 | 60 |
| 230 | < 1 | 11 | 25 | 41 | 58 |
| 240 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 40 | 57 |
| 250 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 39 | 56 |
| 260 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 39 | 54 |
| 270 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 38 | 53 |
| 280 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 37 | 52 |
| 290 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 36 | 51 |
| 300 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 35 | 50 |
| 310 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 35 | 49 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 31 | 57 |
| 100 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 33 | 58 |
| 110 | < 1 | < 1 | 13 | 34 | 59 |
| 120 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 35 | 58 |
| 130 | < 1 | < 1 | 16 | 36 | 58 |
| 140 | < 1 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 58 |
| 150 | < 1 | 3 | 17 | 36 | 57 |
| 160 | < 1 | 4 | 18 | 36 | 56 |
| 170 | < 1 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 55 |
| 180 | < 1 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 54 |
| 190 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 54 |
| 200 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 53 |
| 210 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 52 |
| 220 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 51 |
| 230 | < 1 | 7 | 18 | 34 | 50 |
| 240 | < 1 | 7 | 18 | 33 | 49 |
| 250 | < 1 | 7 | 18 | 33 | 48 |
| 260 | < 1 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 47 |
Is Your Decline Push Up Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Decline Push Up at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Decline Push Up is about 27 reps. Advanced lifters hit 46 reps, and Elite is 66 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Decline Push Up is about 17 reps. Advanced lifters hit 36 reps, and Elite is 58 reps.
Decline Push Up Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 27 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 17 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 28 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 26 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 28 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 21 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Decline Push Up Strength?
How Decline Push Up standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | < 1 | 5 | 19 | 38 | 59 |
| 20 | < 1 | 9 | 26 | 48 | 71 |
| 25 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 50 | 74 |
| 30 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 50 | 74 |
| 35 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 50 | 74 |
| 40 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 50 | 74 |
| 45 | < 1 | 8 | 25 | 46 | 69 |
| 50 | < 1 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 63 |
| 55 | < 1 | 4 | 18 | 36 | 56 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 13 | 30 | 48 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 24 | 41 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 34 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 16 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 29 | 51 |
| 20 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 37 | 62 |
| 25 | < 1 | < 1 | 16 | 39 | 65 |
| 30 | < 1 | < 1 | 16 | 39 | 65 |
| 35 | < 1 | < 1 | 16 | 39 | 65 |
| 40 | < 1 | < 1 | 16 | 39 | 65 |
| 45 | < 1 | < 1 | 14 | 35 | 60 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 31 | 54 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 27 | 48 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 22 | 41 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 17 | 34 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 28 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 22 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 16 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 |
What Do Decline Push Up Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Decline Push Up, building the shoulder stability and pressing coordination needed to handle heavier loads safely.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can press with a consistent path and controlled tempo on the Decline Push Up. You are progressing linearly and building the chest, shoulder, and tricep base needed for intermediate strength.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Decline Push Up technique is efficient under heavy loads. You use programmed variations, understand how to manage pressing fatigue, and can grind through the mid-range sticking point.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have optimized your Decline Push Up setup for maximal force production - arch, leg drive, and grip width are dialed in. You train with periodized intensity blocks and accessory work targeting weak points.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Decline Push Up is at a competitive standard. You have refined every aspect of the lift through years of structured peaking and can produce maximal force with technical precision.
How to Progress Your Decline Push Up
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Decline Push Up to the next level.
- Train the Decline Push Up 2-3x per week to build pressing strength and shoulder stability.
- Use linear progression: add 2.5-5 lbs per session.
- Practice controlled eccentrics (3-second lowering) to build tendon strength.
- Keep working sets at RPE 6-7 to accumulate quality volume.
- Add a pressing variation (close-grip, incline, or paused) for weak-point development.
- Increase frequency to 2-3 sessions per week with varied rep ranges.
- Program most sets at RPE 7-8 with one heavy session including RPE 9 work.
- Build tricep and shoulder accessory volume to support the Decline Push Up.
- Run 4-6 week blocks with planned volume and intensity progression.
- Use RPE 8-9 for competition-style sets, RPE 7 for volume backoffs.
- Target your sticking point with specific accessory work (board press, pin press, bands).
- Manage total weekly pressing volume (12-20 sets) across all push movements.
- Peak with structured 8-12 week cycles targeting a competition or max attempt.
- Refine your setup: arch, leg drive, grip width, and bar path for maximal efficiency.
- Use the RPE chart for precise percentage work during peaking phases.
- Test your Decline Push Up under competition-style commands and judging.
How to Perform Decline Push Up
- Start by positioning a bench or sturdy platform behind you.
- Place your feet on the bench and your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor in a plank position.
- Keep your body straight from head to heels, engaging your core and glutes.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them at a 45-degree angle to your torso.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Push through your palms to return to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Breathe in while lowering your body and breathe out while pushing back up.
Tips for Decline Push Up
- Maintain a straight line from head to heels to avoid sagging hips.
- Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
- Avoid flaring your elbows excessively to prevent shoulder strain.
- Modify the height of the bench to adjust the difficulty level.
Where Do These Decline Push Up Standards Come From?
FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.
Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026
Is Your Decline Push Up Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Decline Push Up against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Decline Push Up 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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