How to use the pushup timer
- Enter Target reps (1 to 500), or tap a quick reps button: 10, 20, 30 or 50.
- Enter Seconds per rep (0.5 to 30), or tap a quick pace: 1.5 s fast, 2 s steady, 3 s slow or 4 s controlled.
- Choose a Get-ready countdown of none, 3, 5 or 10 seconds, and leave Sound on checked for beeps.
- Press Start. You hear low ticks in the last three seconds of the countdown, a Go beep, then one beep per rep and a longer, higher beep on the last one. Press Stop to end early.
Rest between sets with the interval timer, add a core hold on the plank timer, or use the tally counter if you would rather tap each rep yourself.
How the pacing works
The timer cuts the set into equal slots of Seconds per rep. Rep n is counted at the end of slot n, which is n times Seconds per rep after the Go beep. A set takes reps times Seconds per rep, and the pace is 60 divided by Seconds per rep reps per minute: 40 at 1.5 s, 30 at 2 s, 20 at 3 s and 15 at 4 s. Time comes from your device clock, not from counting ticks, so a busy phone cannot stretch the set. Lower yourself as one beep fades and be back at the top on the next.
Worked example with the default settings
The page opens on 20 reps at 3 s per rep with a 5 second countdown and shows "20 reps at 3 s per rep takes 1 min (20 reps per minute)." Press Start and the countdown runs 5 to 1, then the Go beep sounds. Rep 1 is counted at 3 seconds, rep 10 at 30 seconds and rep 20 at 60 seconds, so the display ends on 20 / 20 with "Done!" and "20 pushups in 1 min." If you press Stop after the 7th beep, it shows "Stopped at 7 of 20." and adds 7 reps to the Today line.
Limits and edge cases
- The timer paces you but cannot see you, so it counts beeps, not reps with good form. If you stop early, press Stop right after your last full rep.
- Reps must be a whole number from 1 to 500 and seconds per rep a number from 0.5 to 30. Anything else shows a message under the fields and the set does not start.
- The Today total is saved only in this browser, so clearing site data or switching devices resets it.
Pushup timer FAQ
What is a good pushup tempo?
Most people settle between 2 and 3 seconds per rep. A meta-analysis of resistance training studies found similar muscle growth for rep durations from 0.5 to 8 seconds, so choose the pace at which your form stays clean.
How many pushups can I do in a minute?
The pace you set is the ceiling: 40 reps a minute at 1.5 seconds per rep, 30 at 2 seconds, 20 at 3 seconds and 15 at 4 seconds. If the beeps get ahead of you, press Stop and slow the pace.
How many pushups should I do each day?
There is no single number. The CDC advises muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days a week that works all major muscle groups. End each set a rep or two before your form breaks down and add reps gradually. In a 10-year study of 1,104 active male firefighters, those who managed more than 40 pushups had fewer cardiovascular events than those who managed fewer than 10, but a study like that cannot show that pushups caused the difference.
Will it keep going if I lock my phone or switch tabs?
The count follows the clock, so it stays correct, but some phones pause web pages when the screen locks and browsers can delay beeps in background tabs. Keep the tab in front for reliable beeps.
Sources: CDC, Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults; Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger, Sports Medicine, 2015; Yang et al., JAMA Network Open, 2019. General fitness information, not medical advice.