Push-Up Test: How Many Push-Ups Should You Do?

Updated November 7, 2026 · 6 minute read

A push-up test is the simplest strength test there is: no gym, no equipment, two minutes at most. It tells you where your upper body and core stand today, and if you repeat it every few weeks, whether your training is working. Here is how to do it properly, what your number means, and how to make it go up.

What is a push-up test?

You do as many push-ups as you can with good form, and count them. There are three common versions:

Max set	One set, no time limit. It ends the first time you stop, rest on the floor or lose your form.
1 minute	As many as you can in 60 seconds. Common in school and gym fitness tests.
2 minutes	As many as you can in 120 seconds. The military style test, and the best test of push-up endurance.
Equipment	None. A partner or a camera to count helps.

Pick one version and stick with it. A 1 minute score and a 2 minute score cannot be compared, so the number only means something next to your last result in the same test.

How to do the test right

Warm up. A couple of minutes of arm circles and an easy set of 5 to 10 push-ups. Do not warm up so hard that you are tired before you start.
Start at the top. Arms straight, hands just wider than your shoulders, one straight line from head to heels.
Count only full reps. Lower until your chest is a fist's height from the floor, or touches it, then push all the way back to straight arms. A half rep is not a rep.
Rest only at the top. In a timed test you may pause with your arms straight and your body held in a plank. Knees on the floor, hips on the floor or a sagging back ends the test.
Write the number down, along with the date and the version you did.

The hardest part of a fair test is counting. Counting in your head while you are out of breath goes wrong surprisingly often, and you always round in your own favour. Have someone count for you, or let the app do it.

What your score means

There is no single official standard. Fitness tests, schools and armed forces all use their own tables, and age, sex and body weight move the numbers. As a rough guide for an adult doing a max set with strict form:

Fewer than 10	A starting point. Push-ups on a bench or a table, plus a few short sets on the floor, will move this quickly.
10 to 20	A good base. Regular training will add reps every week for a while.
20 to 40	Solid. You are fitter than most people who never train push-ups.
More than 40	Strong. Progress gets slower from here, and harder variations start to help more than more reps.

The number that really matters is your own from two weeks ago. Beat that, and the plan is working.

Military push-up tests

Armed forces have used push-up tests for decades, and most of them use the 2 minute version. The US Army now tests the hand-release push-up: at the bottom of every rep you lower all the way to the floor and move your hands out to the sides and back before pushing up, which takes away any doubt about depth. Many other forces and police academies test push-ups too, each with its own rules and time limit. If you are training for one of these tests, practise the exact rules of the test you will take, because a strict hand-release push-up is slower than a normal one.

How to raise your score

Do lots of easy reps. Sets of about half your max, with short rests, build endurance without wearing you out. Our EMOM guide has a simple way to structure them.
Train most days, briefly. Push-up muscles recover quickly. A daily habit, like the 100 push-ups a day challenge, works well once you are past 10.
Test every two weeks, not every day. A max effort is tiring. Test too often and you never recover enough to beat your number.
Work on the weak point. If you fail at the bottom, do slow lowering reps. If your hips sag first, add planks.
Practise the pace. In a 2 minute test, going flat out for the first 30 seconds is the most common mistake. A steady rhythm with short pauses at the top lasts longer.

How to take the push-up test with RankTime

RankTime has the 2 minute test built in. Swipe sideways to AMRAP mode and you will find the PUSHUP TEST: 2:00 on the clock and one non-stop set of push-ups, marked MAX.

RankTime AMRAP mode with the PUSHUP TEST: a 2:00 time limit and one non-stop set of push-ups, marked MAX — The PUSHUP TEST: 2 minutes, one non-stop set.

RankTime push-ups page: 17,029 total push-ups at the rank of Major, with weekly reps and pace — Every rep goes to your push-up history and rank.

Prop the phone up about 2 meters (6 feet) away, with your whole body in the frame. The camera counts push-ups from the front, the side or behind, on the phone itself. Nothing is uploaded.
Press play. A short get ready countdown gives you time to get into position.
Push. The clock counts down and every rep is counted for you, so you can keep your eyes on the floor and your mind on form.
Read your score. When the time runs out, the test ends and your total goes to your history and your push-up rank.

Prefer the 1 minute version? Tap the time circle at the end of the bottom row, set it to 1:00, and save it as your own test. Pick a different exercise on the exercises circle and the same test becomes a squat test or a burpee test: it works for all nine exercises the camera counts.