The Hand-Release Push-Up, or HRP, is the second event on the Army Fitness Test. It isn’t the most physically punishing event on the test, but it’s one where good effort gets wasted more often than soldiers expect, because reps get thrown out for form reasons that are simple to fix once you know what a grader is actually watching for. This guide covers the real standard: how many reps you need at every age and gender to pass, exactly what counts as a valid rep, why reps get no-repped, and a training plan built to move your number.
Quick answer: at the 60-point minimum passing score, men age 17 to 21 need 15 reps in two minutes, and women in the same age band need 11. Both numbers drop as you move into older age groups. Soldiers in a combat MOS are scored on the same scale regardless of gender. The full breakdown is in the chart below.
What the Hand-Release Push-Up Actually Tests
The HRP measures muscular endurance, not one-rep strength. You get two minutes to complete as many correct reps as possible, so the event rewards soldiers who can hold good pushing mechanics and a tight core under fatigue, not just soldiers who can grind out one big push-up. The Army built the hand release into the standard specifically to remove the old trick of locking out at the top and resting there between reps. Because your hands have to come off the ground and extend out to your sides at the bottom of every rep, you can’t just hover in the up position and shake your arms out.
That release also works your shoulders, upper back, and core through a slightly different pattern than a normal push-up. It reflects real tasks a soldier actually does, like pushing yourself up off the ground under a loaded ruck, shoving open a stuck door or vehicle hatch, or getting back on your feet quickly after going prone.
How to Perform the HRP: Step by Step
Here’s exactly what one correct rep looks like, based on the official AFT standard.
Starting position. Lie face down with your hands flat on the ground, roughly under your shoulders, index fingers inside the outer edge of your shoulders. Your chest, hips, and thighs are on the ground. Feet are together or up to a boot’s width apart, ankles flexed.
Push up. On the grader’s command, push your whole body up as one unit until your elbows are fully locked out. This position, called the front leaning rest, is the only spot you’re allowed to pause in during the two minutes.
Lower down. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest, hips, and thighs touch the ground at the same time. If your chest touches while your hips and thighs are still hovering, that’s a problem, more on that in the next section.
The hand release. Without moving your head, torso, or legs, extend both arms straight out to your sides until they’re generally straight, forming a T. Your arms and hands are allowed to slide along the ground while you do this, they don’t need to lift completely clear. Both arms have to extend. If only one hand comes off the ground, or one arm stays bent, the rep doesn’t count.
Reset and push back up. Bring your hands back under your shoulders and push your body up to the front leaning rest with your elbows fully locked out. That completes one repetition.
Repeat for as many correct reps as you can inside two minutes. Your feet can shift slightly during the event as long as they stay in contact with the ground, but lifting a foot off the ground, or resting in any position other than the front leaning rest, such as kneeling, sitting back on your heels, or bending at the hips, ends the event immediately.
AFT HRP Minimum Reps by Age and Gender (2026 Standards)
Every AFT event is scored on a 0 to 100 point scale, and you need at least 60 points on every single event to pass. There’s no averaging your way around it. Score below 60 on the HRP, or on any other event, and the whole test is recorded as a failure, even if your combined total across all five events would otherwise clear the minimum.
The chart below shows the reps you need at the 60-point floor and at a perfect 100 points, broken out by age group. These numbers come straight from the official AFT Scoring Scales, approved 15 May 2025 and effective 1 June 2025.
| Age Group | Male / Combat MOS Minimum (60 pts) | Female General Minimum (60 pts) | Male / Combat MOS Max (100 pts) | Female General Max (100 pts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17–21 | 15 reps | 11 reps | 58 reps | 53 reps |
| 22–26 | 14 reps | 11 reps | 61 reps | 50 reps |
| 27–31 | 14 reps | 11 reps | 62 reps | 48 reps |
| 32–36 | 13 reps | 11 reps | 60 reps | 47 reps |
| 37–41 | 12 reps | 10 reps | 59 reps | 43 reps |
| 42–46 | 11 reps | 10 reps | 57 reps | 40 reps |
| 47–51 | 11 reps | 10 reps | 55 reps | 38 reps |
| 52–56 | 10 reps | 10 reps | 51 reps | 36 reps |
| 57–61 | 10 reps | 10 reps | 46 reps | 24 reps |
| 62+ | 10 reps | 10 reps | 43 reps | 24 reps |
One thing that trips people up: the male column doubles as the Combat MOS column. If you’re serving in one of the Army’s 21 designated combat specialties, such as infantry, armor, or Special Forces, you’re scored on that same sex-neutral scale no matter whether you’re a man or a woman. The separate, lower female column only applies under the general standard, which covers everyone outside those combat roles.
Top Reasons HRP Reps Get No-Repped
Graders don’t warn you before a no-rep. They simply don’t count it, so it pays to know exactly what throws a rep out before you’re standing in front of one on test day.
Sagging or piking hips. Your body has to hold a generally straight line from head to ankles through the whole rep, both on the way down and on the way back up. Hips that dip toward the ground, or pike up into the air, break that line and the rep won’t count.
An incomplete hand release. Both arms need to extend generally straight out to your sides at the bottom of the rep. A bent elbow during the release, or releasing only one hand while the other stays planted, is one of the most common reasons a rep gets thrown out.
Worming instead of a clean touch-down. Your chest, hips, and thighs are supposed to touch the ground at the same time. If your chest touches first and your hips stay hovering, that’s called worming, and it doesn’t count as a valid rep.
No lockout at the top. A rep isn’t finished until your elbows are fully extended in the front leaning rest. Rushing through a partial extension to save energy just means more no-reps, not more points on the board.
Resting in the wrong position. The front leaning rest is the only place you’re allowed to pause. Drop to your knees, sit back on your heels, or bend at the hips to catch a breather, and the event ends right there, not just that one rep.
4-Week Plan to Add Reps to Your HRP Score
You don’t fix a low HRP number by grinding out push-ups to failure every day. You fix it with a mix of volume, accessory strength, and practice under the actual two-minute time cap. Here’s a simple four-week structure you can run two to three times a week, with a rest or light activity day between sessions.
Week 1, build the base. Test your current two-minute max using full, correct reps only, even if a stricter count gives you a lower number to start from. Then train with sets of 8 to 12 reps, 4 to 5 sets per session, resting a minute or two between sets. Focus entirely on hitting the full T-release and locking out every single rep.
Week 2, add volume and accessory work. Increase your total weekly rep volume by roughly 10 to 15 percent. Add two accessory sessions covering incline bench press, dumbbell shoulder press, and triceps push-downs or dips, plus rows or pull-ups to keep your pushing and pulling muscles balanced. Add front plank holds too, since core endurance is what keeps your hips from sagging late in a set.
Week 3, train under fatigue. This is where you start simulating the real event. Do interval push-ups: 30 seconds of max-quality reps, 30 seconds of rest, for 8 to 10 rounds. That mirrors the time and fatigue pattern your muscles will actually feel on test day. Keep the accessory lifts going but trim the volume slightly so you’re not too sore to hit quality reps.
Week 4, taper and test. Cut your training volume by about a third in the first half of the week so your shoulders and triceps show up fresh. Run one full two-minute test simulation early in the week to check your number, then rest and keep sessions light until test day.
Most soldiers see their biggest jump in reps not from doing more push-ups, but from cleaning up form so fewer reps get thrown out. A rep that counts is worth more than three that don’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
See Your Real AFT Score
Reps on paper are one thing, your actual event score is another. Plug your HRP number into the AFT Calculator to see exactly how many points you’re scoring right now, and how many more reps you need to hit your next target, whether that’s clearing 60, pushing into the 80s, or maxing the event at 100.
