PFT failure vs. Body fat non compliance

There is a difference between being big while fit and big while fat. I know that our method of measuring body mass composition is not the best, but it is the given standard. We must adhere to it.

I have experience working with these individuals who may only be described as HUGE; the gym rats! However they never busy tape. I've seen others that are large in appearance and actually bust tape. Those are the ones who aren't meeting the standard. We should focus and help those.

Don't be fooled by the obese guy that can bench press an impressive amount of weight. Obese is obese! I believe our metrics give a rough or rudimentary method of measuring a portion of fitness level. Don't take me wrong, that same fat guy may be the only one pulling you out of a burning MRAP that rolled over into a pond and is 30 feet under water (it makes sense in my head). Perhaps the only one to muster up the courage to even attempt a rescue! The most frustrating case is the 300 APFT score who ran faster than I and still busted tape... There are flaws in the system, BUT NOT EVERYONE MAY BE CATEGORIZED WITHIN THE SAME FLAW.

Failing to meet the standard doesn't mean he/she is a bad Soldier!

Failing the APFT... Even civilians know we have to take one. What did the individual to IOT prepare? Career Soldiers had their entire career to prepare; why the failure? Our test is fairly simple and straight forward; push ups, sit ups, run. We should be striving for better PERFORMANCE every time. Why not? This is a key way to set yourself apart from your peers, promote competition, and Espirit de Corp.

SFC Gilley,

The one PFT/BMI issue I will always remember was the 0 Day of Air Assault School. Anyone who showed up for Air Assault School without a current, by their standards, APFT was given a test first thing that morning. There were some soldiers who had brought their DA Form 705 (within the last 6 months but not within whatever their time period was) but had to take a record APFT first thing at the start of the course. So there is this soldier who takes his APFT, does the Obstacle Course, to standard (which most people never do…for all of us who have done the Obstacle Course), and then complete the formation run back to the Air Assault School followed by an hour of additional physical training. The Air Assault instructors were trying to weed out as many as they could early…continually…so it was a ‘nice’ pace and distance, with lots of extra fun collapsing into the mud from push-ups, flutter kicks and mountain climbers. Finally we break for lunch and then they do the weight and height, and tape those who need it. I remember some poor…lucky…E-5 who made it through all of this only to be sent home his neck was too small.

Being physically fit is far more than simply passing the tape and PT tests. It is a life style change that each of us has to equally accept. Being physically fit as an abundance of advantages from being able to increase your ability to survive in combat to reducing the chances that you get sick. As a leader it is our duty to teach our Soldiers the in and outs of their chosen profession but also teach them how to eat healthy. To answer the question honestly they are equally important and everyone knows what the standards are and how to stay above them. However, I would rather have someone that is a pt stud and 1% over their body fat. As opposed to someone that was a pt stud and physically fit. The reason that I say this is because they know and understand the value of hard work and can be taught how to eat a little cleaner and lose that 1 percent. I have met some Soldiers who only have physical fitness as their claim to fame and have trouble meeting that standard in other aspects of their profession.