Press-Up Bleep Test

Protocol

There are a few variants of the press-up bleep test. The common thread is that the audio track sets a pace and you must complete each rep in time with the cues. A practical, widely used structure is a fixed cadence (for example, one rep every few seconds) with strict form standards.

A typical session setup:

• Surface: flat, non-slip floor or mat.
• Start position: hands under shoulders, body in a straight line from head to heels, core braced.
• Movement standard: lower under control to a consistent depth, then press to full extension without sagging hips.
• Finish rule: the test ends when you miss the beep timing, break form, or cannot complete another rep to standard.

Cadence / timing

Cadence is what turns normal press-ups into a “beep test”. Some audio tracks use a simple two-count (“down” / “up”) so everyone moves together, while others change cadence in stages.

Whichever track you use, define these points before testing:

• Rep definition: which beep marks the bottom and which marks the top.
• Allowed pauses: whether rest is allowed in the top position, and for how long.
• Miss rule: whether the test ends on the first miss or after a second miss.

When comparing sessions, the audio file matters. If cadence changes between tests, a “higher rep count” may simply reflect a slower pace rather than improved endurance.

Technique tips

• Hands: place hands slightly wider than shoulder width, fingers forward, spread for stability.
• Body line: keep a rigid plank; avoid dropping hips or piking.
• Depth: choose a repeatable depth standard (for example, upper arm parallel to the floor) and keep it consistent.
• Breathing: inhale on the way down, exhale as you press up.
• Efficiency: keep turns in movement minimal; avoid “worming” or bouncing the chest.

If the test is being used for screening, include a short, standard warm-up (wrist circles, shoulder rotations, and a few slow practice reps). This reduces early failures caused by stiffness rather than endurance, and it helps participants understand the depth and cadence before scoring begins.

Norms

There is no single universal set of “press-up bleep test norms” because organisations use different cadences, depth standards, and stop rules. In practice, norms are usually set in one of two ways:

• Minimum standard: a pass mark (common in recruitment and unit screening).
• Percentiles/bands: your score is compared to your peer group (age, sex, sport, cohort).

Published “push-up norms” often refer to maximum reps in a set time window (for example, 60 seconds or 2 minutes). Those numbers can be useful context, but they should not be treated as equivalent to a beep/cadence protocol unless the cadence and range of motion match.

If you need a meaningful benchmark, use the standards that match your test variant (audio track + technique standard). Otherwise, treat the test primarily as a repeatable within-person measure: compare your score against your own previous scores under the same setup.

Who uses it

Cadence-based press-up testing is common wherever consistent technique matters:

• Schools and youth sport: as a controlled upper-body endurance assessment.
• Teams and gyms: as a standardised conditioning benchmark.
• Recruitment screening: some services use a press-up test (sometimes to cadence, sometimes time-based). If you are preparing for a press up test police requirement, confirm the exact rules for your force: hand position, depth, pacing, and whether it is cadence-based or “max reps in time”.

Related: if you want a cadence-based core test, see the sit-up bleep test.

Quick facts

• Audio-controlled press-up cadence
• Score is reps completed to standard
• Form rules matter more than speed
• Norms depend on protocol and cadence

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