BeastiePush-up competition rules
that end the arguments
Most push-up competitions are won by whoever has the most generous counter. These are the rules that make a count mean something — and how a phone camera can apply the same ones to every rep, for everyone.
your phone
When in doubt, it doesn’t count.
House rules, not an official federation rulebook · use them, adapt them, argue less
Seven rules, in the order a rep happens
- Pick the format before anyone starts. Most push-ups in a row, or most in a fixed time such as 60 seconds. Changing it after the first person has gone is how friendships end.
- Start at the top. Arms straight, hands under the shoulders, body in one line from shoulders to ankles.
- Go down to depth. Lower until the elbows bend past about 90 degrees. A bounce that turns around early is not a rep.
- Lock out at the top. Press back to straight arms before the next rep can count.
- Keep the line. Hips stay level with the shoulders and ankles — no sagging, no piking up to make the rep shorter.
- Rest only at the top. In a most-in-a-row contest you can pause holding straight arms. Knees or chest on the floor ends the set.
- When in doubt, it doesn’t count. A rep the judge isn’t sure about is not a rep. That one rule prevents most of the arguments below.
The disputes these rules end
“That was a full rep.”
Watch the elbows, not the head. It is easy to dip the head towards the floor while the arms barely bend. Depth is decided by the elbow angle, which is why rule 3 is written that way.
“I was just going fast.”
Speed is fine. Short reps aren’t. A fast rep that reaches depth and locks out counts; a fast one that doesn’t is a half rep, however quick.
“My hips were fine.”
A sagging middle shortens the distance the chest has to travel. If the hips drop off the shoulder–ankle line, the rep doesn’t count — rule 5.
“Knee push-ups should count too.”
Not in the same contest. A knee push-up is measurably lighter (about 49% of body weight against 64%), so mixing them makes the scores meaningless. Give them their own category instead.
The same rules, every rep,
for everyone.
A human judge gets tired, gets distracted, and likes some competitors more than others. Beastie’s camera applies rules 3, 4 and 5 identically to every rep: the elbow angle for depth and lockout, and the shoulder–hip–ankle line for sag. A rep that misses is refused, and it tells you what broke.
Go first, send the link
Do your set, send the challenge. Your rival does theirs in front of their own phone before the deadline, judged by exactly the same rules.
A 60-second live duel
Both of you get 60 seconds at the same time. Most clean reps wins — shallow ones never count.
What a person still judges
The camera doesn’t police hand width, resting, or the format you agreed. Those stay house rules for the room to enforce.
Before the first rep
What are the rules for a push-up competition?
Agree the format first: most push-ups in a row, or most in a fixed time such as 60 seconds. Then every rep has to start at the top with straight arms, go down until the elbows bend past about 90 degrees, and press back to straight arms, with the body held in one line from shoulders to ankles. A rep the judge is not sure about does not count.
What counts as a proper push-up?
Full depth and full lockout: chest lowered until the elbows pass roughly 90 degrees, hips held in a straight line from shoulders to ankles, then pressed back to straight arms. A bounce that turns around early is not a push-up.
Do knee push-ups count in a push-up competition?
Not in a full push-up contest. A knee push-up is a lighter exercise, measured at about 49% of body weight against 64% for a full push-up, so mixing the two makes the scores meaningless. Run a separate knee push-up category if people want one.
How do you judge a push-up contest fairly?
Judge every rep against the same written rules, watch the elbows rather than the head, and refuse any rep you are not sure about. A phone camera can apply the depth, lockout and hip-line rules identically to every competitor; rules such as hand width and resting still need a person.
Beastie is a general fitness product, not medical advice. Check with a professional before starting a new exercise routine, and stop if something hurts.
Hire a referee that can’t be bribed.
Prop a phone against something, do one honest set, and send the link to whoever is judging generously this week. Every rep they do gets the same rules yours did — and they don’t need an account to accept.
- Free — no card, no trial to cancel
- No account needed to try it
- Video never leaves your phone
- Counts with no signal
your phone
One set takes about a minute. If the number disappoints you, nobody else ever sees it.
Your move, beastie.
More ways to settle it: challenge a friend, the office challenge, or the couples challenge.