There will, and always should be, a body fat requirement. As professionals, we should always be concerned with our appearance. To be clear, I am not advocating the removal of standards for physical appearance. However, our physical fitness test has changed we have to allow our body composition standards and testing to change as well. When Soldiers were only required to perform push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run to pass the APFT, it was understandable to expect them to conform to a leaner body type. Culturally, we are still living with the mindset where being skinny automatically equals being fit and having a muscular build equates to being in the height/weight “danger zone.” As it stands right now, muscle mass is not conducive to the current tape test which historically favors the thinner aesthetics you would see in a distance runner’s body. Simply stated, the DoD’s tape test to measure service members body fat composition no longer reflects what we are demanding of our Soldiers’ bodies.īody composition and physical expectations have changed over the decades (especially with the implementation of the ACFT) Soldiers are more focused on strength training than ever before. In the United States Army, one method by which these standards are upheld are physical fitness and body composition tests, but at what expense? These regulations are in place to ensure Soldiers are physically in shape, but also ensure they are presentable as members of the armed forces. Army physical fitness training, pp 10-13.It’s no secret that the Army has a long lasting foundation of standards and regulations. Example calculation and interpretationįor a male aged 34 with 65 push ups, 50 sit ups and 14minutes and 20 seconds at the 2mile run, the result is:ġ) Army Regulation 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development, Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 18 December 2009 Section VI, Army Training Programs, 1–24. The total score to pass APFT is 240 while the maximum possible to be scored is 300. The minimum score needed to pass the APFT is 60 in each of the three events. APFT Scores:Įach of the three events has a maximum of 100 and the scores are listed in databases that are gender and age differentiated. The new test might include a shuttle run event and long jump event. Recently there have been discussions whether this test is actual anymore and whether it should be adapted to more actual demands and even to be made gender neutral. This is a test that has been used for over 30 years and was made to assess the overall fitness without the necessity of extensive training. The three events consist of push ups, sit ups and running 2 miles. It consists of three activities that are assessed separately and which will then add up to form a total score. The APFT is required at least twice a year for all active and reserve component soldiers. Army to test the endurance, strength and general cardiovascular fitness of soldiers. It represents the Army Physical Fitness Test which is a commonly used method in the U.S. You can use the calculator to try as many combinations as you like with the different variables used. You are asked to input your gender, age and the values you obtained in the three events at the test and the result will tell you whether you have passed or failed the standard. Each of the three events is scored ranging from 0 to 100 so the total score will be somewhere between 0 and 300. This APFT calculator uses the common database to analyze the performance in the three events of the test, push ups, sit ups and the time in the 2 mile run. to test the muscular strength and endurance of soldiers. This is a tool designed to help with the Army Physical Fitness Test used in the U.S.
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