An expert has revealed just how many sit ups you should be able to do at your age and why this is so important to overall fitness.

Now, while many of us want to keep fit, we may not be as dedicated as we think we should be. Obviously, life can get in the way, injuries or just being overall content with your figure stops us working out like we used to during our youth.

But some experts have noted that while you might not want to be working your butt off towards a six pack doing loads of sit ups and crunches, it can still be great for your overall health.

According to a Mail Online report, British Army veteran turned physiotherapist Nell Mead says has emphasized the importance of having a good core.

He said: “Your core doesn’t function in isolation. It works as an integrated system to stabilize your entire body during real-world movements.”

Might be worth seeing how many you can do (Getty Stock Image)

So, even if you aren’t intending on going pro because of your bum knee, it still might help having a good core as it helps in the tasks you often don’t think about, like walking, running, stretching to the top shelf and even unloading the dishwasher.

Nico Schwandt, a physiologist specializing in pain and chronic conditions at Stone London gyms spoke to the Telegraph and gave the lowdown on how many each age group should be able to do.

He also reiterated Mead’s point saying: “All functional movements (standing, sitting, carrying, walking) require core strength to maintain stability and prevent you falling over.

“Working core strength also reduces injury risk (especially in the lower back) as it strengthens the muscles and tissues in the spine region.”

Speaking of the age groups he said:

• 30-39 year olds should be able to perform 40 crunches at least two or three times a week.
• For 40-49 year-olds they should be able to do 30 crunches.
• For 60-69 year olds they should be able to do 10 crunches.
• And for 70 year olds+ they should be able to do five.

Nico Schwandt said these are numbers to aim for (Getty Stock Images)

He did note that ‘these numbers are markers to aim for’ rather than strict standards to hold yourself to. He added that it was important to have the right technique and a reasonable level of fitness.

Schwandt even pointed out why it wasn’t important to get fixated on meeting or surpassing these numbers, or individuals who are older than you who can do more.

He added: “Remember Mike Tyson is 59 and can probably perform more crunches than most people at 29.”

Experts reveal how many push-ups you should be able to do depending how old you are

Be prepared to be upset about your overall fitness

When it comes to being in shape, there are a lot of ways you can measure it, but one medical center has argued there is one simple method to test one aspect of your fitness easily.

So be honest…when was the last time you did a push-up?

Because according to private medical center The Mayo Clinic, this may be a good way to simply test your muscular strength and endurance.

As well as this, they have outlined an expected number you should be able to reach depending on your age.

There are a lot of ways to test health and fitness but the report by the clinic has suggested seeing where you should measure up for your age group is a good way to see how much you need to improve.

How well do you think you would measure up for your age group? Because the number might be more than you were expecting. The expectations also differ depending on whether you are male or female.

How many can you do? (Getty Stock Image)

Starting at age 25, women should be able to do 20 pushups, while men should be able to do 28.

Age 35, women should be able to do 19 while men should be able to do 21.

Age 45, it jumps down to 14 for women and 16 for men.

For women aged 55 and 65 the expectation is 10, whereas at the same ages, for men the expectation is between 12 and 10.

While the clinic has stated this can be a good indicator of fitness, some fitness experts have disagreed.

Speaking to the Mail Online, personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko said: “I respect various experiments and studies, but in this case, I lean more on my personal experience training individuals.

The expectations for men and women depending on their age (Mayo Clinic)

“Most of my clients lead a moderate lifestyle and work out two to three times a week.

“Given that, I believe realistic norms might be lower for women by about three to five repetitions and higher for men with a sports background by about five to 10 repetitions compared to the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations.”

Alexeyenko also made a point of noting that physical strength and endurance can be influenced by a number of different factors ultimately making it more difficult to set a strict ‘age-to-push-up correlation.’

Some of these factors could be as simple as training history, past injuries, joint mobility, nutrition or stress levels.

So ultimately don’t go beating yourself up too much if you werent able to hit the target.