Do we adequately test Physical Fitness?

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:03:56 -0400

A few months back, I posed the question "Do we adequately teach running." This got the cogs turning as well as several discussions regarding fitness for the following question.

Do we adequately TEST Physical Fitness?

As it stands, we generally take a couple hours, toss on the PT gear, and do a three (3) Test Battery to determine if someone is Physically Fit. It's my stance that this is a Health Test, and a very simple one at that.

But it got me to thinking, we most of our other Tests, across the board, they are far more extensive. If you were to take the ASVAB again, it would take a while, and though many of us would consider various sections easier than others, none of us would know the answers in advance. The same would apply to the Language battery.

Why is it that the Physical Fitness Test, is simplified to the point, where if it was academic, we would have no choice but to accuse the participants of "cheating" just because they know the answers in advance?

I realize there is a level of difficulty inherent in the scoring. Especially in "maxing" any of the Services's tests, but moving away from the test itself and looking at the philosophy behind it.

As I said, it's a Health Test. So, does the PFT promote good Health? Do people develop healthy habits in pursuit of maxing the test? I cannot in good faith say yes to that question. Even more so, the (battery of) test(s) doesn't necessarily punish unhealthy habits.

So all that said, would a better battery of tests be more extensive? Rather than 3 tests + Height/Weight (all pass/fail), should would we move to 10+ tests, where height/weight/tape, etc are all components (points instead of pass fail)?

Would that better support the philosophy?

Your thoughts appreciated.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2015 4:30 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:30:24 -0400

I agree that a change would be beneficial and making everything pass/fail would also make sense. The more categories tested the more realistic the assessment actually is.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2015 4:56 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:56:22 -0400

As much as I hate to say anything good about the Marines, I think they test better than the Army does. Two different tests in a year. I'm sure a Marine will expand on it but one test is more of a "traditional" test and the other is more of what may need to happen on a battle field.

I like the idea of two different tests designed to test different aspects of physical readiness.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2015 5:14 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:14:00 -0400

I disagree to be honest. Making it simply pass or fail doesn't drive the few to excel or to push beyond the minimum. It simply engenders a check the box mentality. To use myself as an example a few years ago i simply gave up on the army and maintaining my fitness as I just looked around and realized we weren't enforcing it anymore (I reached 260 lbs). Then the QRB came around and I realized I wasn't ready to call it quits or to have someone call it quits for me. I began to train to PASS the PT test. To pass the 3 events. I began running and doing 100 push-ups and sit ups a day. I really didn't do more than that, BUT as I became committed to it my attitude about myself and about me as a soldier changed. It wasn't enough to pass. I wanted the 290. And then that wasn't enough. I wanted a 300 and even that wasn't enough. I wanted a 300 at the 18 year old standard. Now I weigh 183, max the test at 18 standard and have run several half marathons, tough mudders and my entire outlook towards fitness has changed.

The point I'm making is this. The AFPT's purpose isn't to measure our physical readiness as much as it is to maintain a certain standard and bottom line ability. It's meant to endender a certain mental attitude toward fitness that each individual soldier will hopefully take further. Much in the same way the marksmanship qualification does. Can anyone really say that the rifle qual really is a measure of ability to perform or fire a weapon effectively in combat? No. There is a graduated scale to push those select few to excel and try to be better than everyone else. To separate the wheat from the chaff. To identify those that want to achieve and be more than they are and those that just want to be bare minimum soldiers. A 10 event test will do nothing but be so inconvenient as to make soldiers just want to do what is necessary to get it over. Not to mention the sheer time constraints for commands trying to administer the test to 50, 100, or 200 troopers.

In addition, as stated before, the PT is a minimum standard across the board for the whole service. A standard that everyone from admin to 11 bang bang must maintain. HOWEVER, for certain units in the service, that is simply not enough and they train harder and more rigorously to meet the demands of their MOS. We can lie to ourselves all day long that all soldiers are riflemen but most of us know this is a complete untruth.

The APFT tests upper body, core and lower body strength and endurance. A nice balanced test to keep ALL soldiers on a baseline fitness level. That is all it was designed to do and for that it works perfectly fine. More than that is up to each MOS and their respective commands to dictate based on their specific mission set. I focused solely on the three exercises in order to pass the APFT and I am probably in the best cardiovascular and endurance shape of my life (I'm 45 now) because of it. (Granted, I kept pushing it further, 200 push-ups a day, 2, 5, and 10 mile runs every week etc). It's the attitude we as leaders instill in out troops about fitness that needs to change. Not the simple test to measure the standard.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2015 6:28 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 18:28:31 -0400

I'm still stuck on the "PT should test your ability to do your MOS in combat" approach.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2015 10:33 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 22:33:36 -0400

Sgt Kennedy, this is one of my favorite discussions to have about military fitness training; especially for the Army, as our PT test consists of a round of push-ups, sit-ups, and a run. It's very bare bones. It's not difficult. You don't necessarily have to be athletic to pass the test. But I think that's what the test prescribes! I've heard a few SMs discuss a "job specific PT test", and that just doesn't make sense to me.

The PRT philosophy dictates that "[the test] provides a measure of upper and lower body muscular endurance. It is a performance test that indicates a Soldier’s ability to perform physically and handle his or her own body weight." If it were anything more than a way to gauge one's general level of fitness, that would be a benefit or detriment to certain individuals. For those SMs who work at a desk, they will end up being less defined than artillery personnel loading ammunition on a regularly basis. To me, a general battery to score one's physical fitness is the best way to put every SM on the same playing field. And there's nothing more "general" than push-ups, sit-ups, or running. The APFT works perfectly as a tool to measure performance, from what I see.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 22 at 2016 5:18 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 17:18:18 -0500

ADEQUATE:
ADJECTIVE
1.satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.

quantity, yes
quality, no way

Response by 1stLt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2016 11:19 AM

1stLt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 11:19:33 -0400

I think that the majority of the infantry in the Marine Corps would fail since most either smoke or dip, if you made it it about being healthy.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 20 at 2016 2:34 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 14:34:28 -0400

Everyone in every branch should have to throw a ruck on and carry 65 lbs+the weight of a basic Combat Load worth of ammunition, water, and IBA for 12 miles. The faster the better, but max the time at 8 hours.

Response by SSG Greg Miech made Jan 20 at 2021 2:16 PM

SSG Greg Miech — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 14:16:20 -0500

I think a standard fitness test is needed for all and another one for your MOS. For if you just do a PT test for your MOS what is a computer person's test going to be? Typing speed?