Michelle Obama Vs. Ellen DeGeneres On Air Push-Up Contest

Just how fit is our First Lady? Watch her use those famous, enviably chiseled guns to best talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Both women, well into middle age (Obama is 48 and DeGeneres is 54), put up good numbers -- though Obama clearly took the lead, easily completing 25 push ups with perfect form and the stamina to keep going. The FLOTUS is also proficient in playfully talking smack. When DeGeneres asked for an opinion on who could do more push-ups, Obama replied: "It depends on how your back is -- I know you have these back issues."

For anyone who has followed the First Lady's efforts to improve physical fitness for Americans, none of this should be surprising: she was on "Ellen" to promote her "Let's Move" campaign. Previously, she broke the Guiness World Record for the most jumping jacks. For more FLOTUS fitness moments, check out Healthy Living's retrospective of Obama's 2011 athletic achievements here:

Comments

[Ann Walter]

08:46 AM on 03/19/2012

The First Lady definitely did not have "perfect form" when doing "pushups." None of her "pushups" would have counted for an Army PT test. So I am sure she is very grateful for the thousands of soldiers who can do pushups and myriad other tasks to defend her and this country.

[Mamadea]

04:00 AM on 02/09/2012

LUV her! 2012

[chackocc]

03:39 PM on 02/05/2012

Is it some kind of reflexive hatred, irrational fear or just plain ignorance of what (who) government is and why it does what it does by the poor that impels a good many of us to go ballistic at the notion of "government using the hard earned dollars of the working people in this country to keep the poor alive"? You can cite chapter and verse and point out to them that the poor have only become poorer (along with the middle class) over the last 30 years or so and that, if they follow their "hard earned" money they will find the loot in the bank accounts of the filthy rich among us, who famously have seen their wealth nearly triple in the very same period. Although it is the simplest of arithmetic, the middle class remains unshakably convinced that the poor have been stealing from them, with the connivance, of course, of the government.

There is a simple way to accommodate the wishes of all tax payers about the disposition of their tax dollars. Give them options and strictly segregate tax revenues into, say, 5 or so categories:

1. [ ] Nothing for the poor
2. [ ] Everything for the poor
3. [ ] Nothing for war
4. [ ] For wars only
5. [ ] Whatever

My sense is that option 5 will see the bulk of the designations and as such the imbalances in the other 4 categories can be readily remedied.

[toby boyett]

10:59 AM on 02/05/2012

According to most of these comments I do believe that only people with "JOBS" and pay taxes should be allowed to vote in this country. Welfare recipients should be drug tested and be made to do community service 40 hours a week as long as they are recieving my hard earned tax dollars in our governments free money program.

[SpeakupNation]

02:44 PM on 02/06/2012

Why shouldn't you be drug tested? You are using roads, bridges and highways built with MY hard earned tax money. How do I know that you aren't a drug abuser?

[toby boyett]

09:30 AM on 02/10/2012

I have a J-O-B and pay taxes to drive on these roads,Jose'. I was born here as were my great great grandparents. I don't recieve free money from the gov. or anyone else since I started work at fifteen years old. You must be one of the illegal drug headed freeloaders or you would feel the same way most hardworking Americans do. Let me know how you feel.

[danieliii]

11:38 PM on 02/04/2012

Politics aside, here were two very in-shape middle-aged women showing youngsters how its done. Yeah, their style wasn't perfect, but hey, they have been working out, and it shows. Congrats.

[sassydoc9]

07:07 PM on 02/04/2012

Must be nice to be able to afford the time and a personal trainer.

[Scarlet57]

07:59 AM on 02/05/2012

True, a trainer probably makes it easier but anyone can exercise...you can get up earlier...walk during lunch...walk while dinner cooks...park as far from any door as you can...It is possible..

[sassydoc9]

10:32 PM on 02/06/2012

I do all those things, Thanks. I'm in great shape but I also have good genes and no disease processes run in my family. It's not so easy for some people especially when they can't even get to a doctor to see if there is an underlying cause of their obesity. And even doing those things, most 48 year olds can't do what Michelle did. That comes with privilege and $$$.

[skevwe]

11:18 AM on 02/05/2012

And you and I are probably paying for him too!

[will357]

11:42 AM on 02/05/2012

Damn HATERS! Hell your paying Exxon Mobile and these other oil companies to drill for oil so they can sell it to world, your paying for foreign wars, your paying for companies to take jobs overseas. Damn shame this women worked her way out of the ghetto achieved success in higher learning and in business and probably has more in common with you than Mitt/Newt combined.

[Mamadea]

04:29 AM on 02/09/2012

And you and I are probably paying for him too! blah blah blah.......

Where were you cry babies when jr baby bush was running up the tab? We are on to you teapublicans and you all really need to get a life!

[Muctaru Wurie]

04:26 PM on 02/03/2012

Nice one Michelle

[Leadbottom]

01:10 PM on 02/03/2012

If she was morally fit she'd tell her husband to stop assasinating people, and close down his black prisons,

[toby boyett]

10:38 AM on 02/05/2012

We need more black prisons. According to stats we need two for whites, a dozen or so for Hispanics and the rest for blacks and terrorists. May be exagerating a bit and don't mean to sound racial but black men need to pull up their pants and take a little responsibility.

[will357]

11:50 AM on 02/05/2012

If America would stop perpetuating Willie Lynch syndrome and not zone liquor stores in Black neighborohoods along with a corrupt history of who we are and what we really achieved as a people, example 1: Brought Europe out of the Dark Ages by bringing education/health/science into Europe from Africa (Moors) the story of our Black Popes and Black Roman Emperors, Septimus Severus and more! Yes they need to pull their pants up, agreed but America has white washed literally and figurativelly our true History, Faith and future.

[Mamadea]

04:31 AM on 02/09/2012

Well well well.....another raysist freek speaketh with an ignorant tongue.

[Jacqueline Barnes]

12:02 PM on 02/03/2012

They really inspired me! Got down on floor could only do 1 I'm sorry to say ,but I'm still inspired!

[PDXTransplant]

10:43 AM on 02/03/2012

Kudos to both of these incredible women!! We have the best FLOTUS ever and Ellen rocks! :D

[Earthling1125]

12:26 PM on 02/03/2012

I couldn't agree more!!!

[RusStyles]

09:41 AM on 02/03/2012

Props to both ladies...However, if I was training either one of them, I'd forgo quantity for quality. The range of motion was insufficient to work the entire muscle, and their elbows were fully extended, what I call chicken wing push-ups. If they slightly touched the floor with their chest, kept their elbows in tight, and for each rep descended to a 3-4 second count, I doubt if they could do 5, but over time would build much greater strength and bone protection.

However, compared to most women of any age, they are way ahead of the curve!

[Meredith Melnick]

11:43 AM on 02/03/2012

Wow! You really know your stuff.

[NJLiberalMom]

09:24 AM on 02/03/2012

Love the First Lady but Ellen was going lower on those push ups!! Good show ladies!

[eva belle]

07:52 AM on 02/03/2012

Ellen also looks amazing and she is in her 50s.

[eva belle]

07:48 AM on 02/03/2012

As soon as I read this, I dropped to the floor to do my own push ups. I managed to do the 25, but obviously would want to do more than that.

[RusStyles]

09:43 AM on 02/03/2012

See my post above...If done correctly, you don't need to do more than 25. Do just 10 reps, three times the way I described and you'll be better off.

[richj45]

07:41 AM on 02/03/2012

I am hoping for a Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich push up competition.. Rush is always taking shots at these two.. time for to "Man up"..

[onlyaquarterdelusional]

09:01 AM on 02/03/2012

Neither could get their belly off the floor and both would stroke out in about 5 seconds.

[toby boyett]

10:41 AM on 02/05/2012

Gotta love those guys. Love the way Rush bashes Osama-oops! I mean obama. You know the one with the big ears.