How the Army counts the hand-release push-up

The starting position

On the command "GET SET," the soldier lies prone with both hands flat on the ground under the shoulders. The chest and the front of the hips and thighs are on the ground. The toes touch the ground, and the feet are together or up to a boot's width apart, which the grader measures. The ankles are flexed.

The head does not have to touch the ground. The index fingers sit inside the outer edge of the shoulders, and the hands come back to that spot at the end of every rep.

The four movements of one rep

The ATP breaks each rep into four movements.

1. On "GO," the soldier pushes the whole body up from the ground as a single unit until the elbows are fully extended. This up position is the front leaning rest.
2. The soldier bends the elbows and lowers the body until the chest, hips and thighs touch the ground together. The head or face does not have to touch.
3. Without moving the head, body or legs, the soldier extends both arms out to the sides into a T. The arms and hands may touch or slide along the ground.
4. The soldier brings the hands straight back to the starting position. That finishes the rep.

The feet stay on the ground the whole time and cannot be more than a boot's width apart.

What makes a rep not count

A rep does not count when the soldier makes a movement error. The ATP names five.

• Losing a straight line from head to ankles during the rep, including stretching the neck or arching the back to keep the chest off the ground.
• Failing to extend both arms into a generally straight T.
• Failing to extend the elbows fully in the up position.
• Failing to bring the hands back to the starting position.
• Letting the feet go more than a boot's width apart.

Soldiers are told to correct a movement error immediately and not to "snake" off the ground. The body has to move as one unit. The grader counts the correct reps out loud.

What ends the event

A voided rep costs one rep. A different list of faults ends the event. The grader stops it when the soldier does any of these.

• Bends or flexes at the shoulder, hips or knees while in the front leaning rest.
• Lifts a foot at any point in a rep.
• Lifts a hand while in the front leaning rest. Lifting a hand while on the ground is not grounds for ending the event.
• Puts a knee on the ground from the front leaning rest.
• Stops making a continuous effort to rise from the ground.
• Repeats the hand release before raising the body up.

The two-minute clock and the one rest position

The event runs two minutes. The NCOIC or timer starts the clock on "GO" and calls one minute remaining, 30 seconds remaining and a count of the last 10 seconds. The lane grader does not time it. The raw score is the number of correct reps completed in those two minutes.

The front leaning rest is the only authorized rest position. Moving out of it ends the event. So does resting on the ground, and the count reached before the rest is the recorded score.

The ATP does not say how a rep still under way when the clock stops is treated.

Mats, glasses and hand position

A mat is optional. If one is used, the soldier's whole body must be on it, except for the arms during the hand release. Sleeping mats are not allowed. Soldiers do not wear glasses for the event.

What the reps are worth

The push-up is the second event of five, after the deadlift. Its table gives points from 0 to 100, and a soldier needs 60 in each event to pass. In the 17 to 21 group, the M|C column needs 15 reps for 60 points and 58 for 100. The F column needs 11 and 53. Other age groups sit in the AFT chart with the push-up marks by age group, and the Army Fitness Test calculator turns a rep count into points.