Guides · Tests and norms

Military Push-Up Standards 2026: Army, Marines, Navy, AF

Push-up minimums and maximums for the Army AFT, Marine Corps PFT, Navy PRT and Air Force PFA, by age and sex, from each service's official tables.

By the Beastie team · 4 October 2026

Every US military fitness test that includes push-ups times them, and every one scores them by age. The Army asks for two minutes of hand-release push-ups, the Marine Corps and Navy for two minutes of standard push-ups, and the Air Force for one minute (or two minutes of hand-release push-ups). For the youngest men, the lowest passing score ranges from 15 reps (Army) to 42 (Marines and Navy). The tables below come straight from each service's own published charts, as of October 2026.

These standards change often. The Army replaced the ACFT with the AFT on 1 June 2025, and the Air Force's new charts took effect on 1 March 2026. Before you train for a test, check the source linked at the bottom of this page. If anything here disagrees with your recruiter or unit, they are right.

The four tests at a glance

Service	Test	Push-up event	Time	Scoring
Army	Army Fitness Test (AFT)	Hand-release push-up	2 minutes	60 points minimum, 100 maximum
Marine Corps	Physical Fitness Test (PFT)	Push-ups, as an alternative to pull-ups	2 minutes	40 points minimum, 70 maximum
Navy	Physical Readiness Test (PRT)	Push-ups	2 minutes	45 points (Probationary) to 100
Air Force	Physical Fitness Assessment	Push-ups, or hand-release push-ups	1 minute, or 2 minutes	Up to 15 of 100 points

Army: AFT hand-release push-ups

You lower your chest to the ground, lift your hands off it, put them back and push up. You get two minutes. The Army's score tables were approved on 15 May 2025 and took effect on 1 June 2025. The men's column is also the combat column: soldiers in combat specialties are scored on it whatever their sex, and need 350 points across the whole test with at least 60 in every event. Combat-enabling specialties keep sex- and age-normed scoring and need 300 points in total.

Age	Men and combat: 60 pts	Men and combat: 100 pts	Women: 60 pts	Women: 100 pts
17-21	15	58	11	53
22-26	14	61	11	50
27-31	14	62	11	48
32-36	13	60	11	47
37-41	12	59	10	43
42-46	11	57	10	40
47-51	11	55	10	38
52-56	10	51	10	36
57-61	10	46	10	24
62+	10	43	10	24

Army Directive 2026-07 (17 April 2026) added a separate Combat Field Test for soldiers in combat specialties. It is pass or fail, run as one continuous course, and one of its seven events is 30 dead-stop push-ups. The directive says the CFT does not replace the AFT.

Marine Corps: PFT push-ups

On the PFT, a Marine picks either pull-ups or push-ups. Push-ups are two minutes long. The rule is that the upper arms must be at least parallel to the deck at the bottom and the arms fully extended at the top. The order points Marines towards pull-ups: the push-up table tops out at 70 points, and only pull-ups can earn 100. The current order is MCO 6100.13A with administrative change 5, dated 28 May 2025.

Age	Men: minimum (40 pts)	Men: maximum (70 pts)	Women: minimum (40 pts)	Women: maximum (70 pts)
17-20	42	82	19	42
21-25	40	87	18	48
26-30	39	84	18	50
31-35	36	80	16	46
36-40	34	76	14	43
41-45	30	72	12	41
46-50	25	68	11	40
51+	20	64	10	38

Navy: PRT push-ups

Navy Guide-5A (December 2025) gives two minutes. You lower your body until your arms bend to at least 90 degrees and push back up to straight arms. You may rest only in the up position, and "pulsing" push-ups don't count. The lowest passing category is Probationary (45 points). The table below is for tests below 5,000 feet; the guide has a separate table for higher altitudes.

Age	Men: Probationary	Men: 100 pts	Women: Probationary	Women: 100 pts
17-19	42	92	19	51
20-24	37	87	16	48
25-29	34	84	13	46
30-34	31	80	11	44
35-39	27	76	9	43
40-44	24	72	7	41
45-49	21	68	5	40
50-54	19	64	2	38
55-59	10	60	2	30
60-64	8	57	2	26
65+	4	48	1	22

Air Force: PFA push-ups

In the Air Force's updated assessment, push-ups are the strength event: you choose one minute of push-ups or two minutes of hand-release push-ups. The charts below took effect on 1 March 2026. Tests from March to June 2026 were diagnostic, and official testing resumed on 1 July 2026. The lowest row on the chart is 2.5 points, marked with an asterisk; the pass rules themselves are in the Air Force's fitness manual (DAFMAN 36-2905), so confirm them with your unit.

Age	Men: 2.5 pts	Men: 15 pts	Women: 2.5 pts	Women: 15 pts
Under 25	30	67	15	50
25-29	28	63	14	47
30-34	26	60	12	44
35-39	23	56	11	42
40-44	21	52	10	39
45-49	19	49	8	36
50-54	17	45	7	34
55-59	14	42	5	31
60+	12	38	3	28

If you choose the two-minute hand-release version instead, its chart is on the same PDF. For example, under 25, 52 reps (men) or 42 (women) earns the full 15 points.

We haven't covered the Space Force here. Its fitness programme has been changing, so check spaceforce.mil for the current rules.

What these numbers mean if you're training

The rep standard decides the number. A Marine push-up only needs the upper arms parallel to the deck. An Army hand-release push-up needs your chest on the ground and your hands off it. The same person scores very differently in the two. Practise the exact version you will be graded on. Our guide to what counts as a push-up explains the differences.
Pacing matters in a timed test. Two minutes is long enough to fail by sprinting the first 30 seconds. Where the rules allow it, rest in the up position, not on your knees.
Compare yourself with the right table. Military standards are not population norms. If you want to know how you compare with ordinary adults your age, the published push-up norms are the better yardstick. If your test is a minute long, see how many push-ups in a minute is good.

Practising with Beastie

Beastie counts push-ups through your phone's camera, on the device; the video is never uploaded or stored. It only counts clean reps: your elbows have to bend past about 90 degrees and come back to straight arms, and it checks your body line for a sagging hip. That is Beastie's own game rule, not an Army, Marine Corps, Navy or Air Force standard. It doesn't check hand-release push-ups, and a Beastie score doesn't tell you whether you would pass. What it gives you is a strict, consistent count to practise against, and a live 60-second duel if you'd rather train against a friend. Your first counted set is free; after that it's Beastie Pro, which starts with a 7-day free trial. Answering a friend's challenge is always free. Get Beastie.

This is general fitness information, not medical advice. Check with a professional before you start a new training plan, and stop if you feel pain.

Questions people ask

How many push-ups do you need for the Army?

On the Army Fitness Test you do hand-release push-ups for two minutes. In the 17 to 21 age group, 15 reps scores the minimum 60 points on the men's and combat column and 11 reps on the women's column. 58 and 53 reps score the full 100. The tables have been effective since 1 June 2025.

How many push-ups do Marines need?

On the Marine Corps PFT, push-ups are an optional alternative to pull-ups, done for two minutes. A male Marine aged 21 to 25 needs 40 for the minimum 40 points and 87 for the push-up maximum of 70 points. A female Marine of the same age needs 18 and 48. Only pull-ups can earn the full 100 points.

Are military push-ups timed?

Yes, in all four tests covered here. The Army, Marine Corps and Navy give two minutes. The Air Force gives one minute for standard push-ups, or two minutes if you choose hand-release push-ups.

Can an app tell me if I would pass?

No app can certify a military test result, and Beastie does not try. Only the service's own graders, using the service's own rules, decide what counts. An app can help you practise and keep an honest count, as long as you know its rep rule is its own.

Sources

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