Posted on Aug 7, 2016
Are pushups, sit-ups, and a run really the best way to test the fitness level of our troops?
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Should the general fitness of our troops continue to be tested with the standard pushups, sit-ups, and run? Should the PT test be done away with, dynamically changed, or kept the same? What are your thoughts?
Fitness
PRT (Navy)
PRT (Army)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
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I'd like to see it changed to run, pushup, pullup. Tests the major categories without being very complicated. The situps are a garbage test, when the question is "who didn't get 100?" you know you need a different exercise. If you have a different ab exercise that is actually useful, throw it in. The Marine Corps alternates the PFT/CFT to test general physical capabilities with more combat related abilities which is a good mix.
For those talking about job specific tests, yes those are good, but they should be in addition to the force wide standard, not instead of. Every service member should be physically fit, those in combat arms may have to meet additional standards for their daily operations. I'd fully support gender neutral standards as well.
For those talking about job specific tests, yes those are good, but they should be in addition to the force wide standard, not instead of. Every service member should be physically fit, those in combat arms may have to meet additional standards for their daily operations. I'd fully support gender neutral standards as well.
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No. The entire physical fitness testing system needs to be changed across the board for all services. They should not be gender-specific, but rather, JOB specific. Want to be a grunt? Fine, do xxx and xxx and xxx. Want to be a SEAL? That's cool too, I don't care about your plumbing, just do xxx and xxx and xxx. It's really, really going to generally be ok if a truck driver can't march as far as an infantryman, etc.
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ENS (Join to see)
I agree, 100%. There should be absolutely no gender differences. PT requirements should be based on rate/MOS. However, there should still be minimums set for each branch. Just because a YN sits behind a desk all day doesn't mean that they should be exempt from PT. Personally, I'd like to see the run increased to 3 miles, but I'm a runner and may be slightly bias. ;)
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MSgt (Join to see)
The Corps has always done three miles. I agree there should be a minimum that should be meet. Maybe job specific is the way to go. But what do you do if all of a sudden someone who has always made those job specific requirements and now fails? Do you find another job for them or end their career?
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SSgt Paul Esquibel
Also you have to consider the desire of personnel to be in a certain career field, most people go in open general and get whatever is available. Now if you have one career field that has a higher standard then another you risk losing personnel to that needed career field because while their may be some that are willing to stay in that career field and adhere to those standards others will not, they will see that this other career field say intel doesn't have to half of what we do but we are still getting paid the same. So it's either you give personnel in those career fields an incentive to stay ie more pay or you set one standard across the board with additional standard for certain career field or you risk losing personnel to other jobs or separating all together.
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Pushups, sit ups, and run, can be considered the standard test for general troops. Job specific troops may, or should have a different standard.
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