Posted on Feb 18, 2015
Pushups and "Breaking the Plane": Does it set Soldiers up for failure?
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One of my biggest "pet peeves" when I was on active duty was the whole "break the plane" thing. Breaking the plane actually exceeds the standards. The reg clearly states that the Soldier must create a plane, not break it.
I have no issue with Soldiers being told to do that during PT but to require it for an APFT only sets Soldiers up for failure and most certainly reduces the scores for the unit as a whole.
I have no issue with Soldiers being told to do that during PT but to require it for an APFT only sets Soldiers up for failure and most certainly reduces the scores for the unit as a whole.
Posted in these groups: 
APFT
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Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 10
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Straight from FM 7-22 October 2012
"ON THE COMMAND ‘GO’, BEGIN THE PUSH-UP BY BENDING YOUR
ELBOWS AND LOWERING YOUR ENTIRE BODY AS A SINGLE UNIT UNTIL YOUR
UPPER ARMS ARE AT LEAST PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. THEN, RETURN TO THE
STARTING POSITION BY RAISING YOUR ENTIRE BODY UNTIL YOUR ARMS ARE
FULLY EXTENDED."
It says nothing about a plane. The upper arms must at least be parallel to the ground. That is the standard. No interpretation needed.
"ON THE COMMAND ‘GO’, BEGIN THE PUSH-UP BY BENDING YOUR
ELBOWS AND LOWERING YOUR ENTIRE BODY AS A SINGLE UNIT UNTIL YOUR
UPPER ARMS ARE AT LEAST PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. THEN, RETURN TO THE
STARTING POSITION BY RAISING YOUR ENTIRE BODY UNTIL YOUR ARMS ARE
FULLY EXTENDED."
It says nothing about a plane. The upper arms must at least be parallel to the ground. That is the standard. No interpretation needed.
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SSG Robert Quayle III
When your arms are parallel to the ground, you have created a plane. That's where the "break the plane" nonsense comes from. In older regs, it actually does state that the Soldier must create a plane.
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SGT James Mosley
SFC,
That was excatly what I was about the say...
LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS!!! Arms at lease parallel to the ground...
People seem to think that if they bounce their chest off the floor, it will help them conserve energy and they will be able to do more. This is not true, in some points. I myself have no upper body strenth what of ever. So as a grader for an APFT, as long and their arms were parallel to the ground, I counted it.
That was excatly what I was about the say...
LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS!!! Arms at lease parallel to the ground...
People seem to think that if they bounce their chest off the floor, it will help them conserve energy and they will be able to do more. This is not true, in some points. I myself have no upper body strenth what of ever. So as a grader for an APFT, as long and their arms were parallel to the ground, I counted it.
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I always hated the PT test when I was in the Army for this very reason. There is a standard, but too many NCOs like to create their own standard. I had a fellow Specialist grading my graduation PT test when I completed language school. He kept telling me "Go lower." I started going down and bumping my chest on the ground (which should technically be an automatic failure since no part of your body except your hands and feet are allowed to touch the ground) and he still told me to "Go lower." I finally stopped, failed the test, retook it a week later and passed easily with a more reasonable grader.
On another occasion, taking my record test before going to PLDC the Sgt grading my situps kept telling me to "Come up higher." He said the base of my neck was not reaching the point where it was above the base of my spine. I started coming up, spreading my knees out so that my chest was going between my legs and my head was actually going past my knees and he still wouldn't count them. Failed that one too and ended up ETSing before I could get another PLDC slot.
I have no problem with enforcing a standard, but don't try to write your own standard when grading a test that could significantly impact another soldier's (or sailor's, or airman's, or marine's) career.
On another occasion, taking my record test before going to PLDC the Sgt grading my situps kept telling me to "Come up higher." He said the base of my neck was not reaching the point where it was above the base of my spine. I started coming up, spreading my knees out so that my chest was going between my legs and my head was actually going past my knees and he still wouldn't count them. Failed that one too and ended up ETSing before I could get another PLDC slot.
I have no problem with enforcing a standard, but don't try to write your own standard when grading a test that could significantly impact another soldier's (or sailor's, or airman's, or marine's) career.
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In reality you're setting them up for success in the long run. If you consistently break the plane you will break the plane when at schools that grade a little bit harder than most places. A correct rep is up to the perception of the grader. I was gigged for not going low enough at PLDC and even restarted before my first ten even though my chest was hit timing the ground. It's not right but it happens. Try doing "parallel to the ground" at ranger school and see how low the score is. Just like the tape test. I often give soldiers two readings: by the book, and how an a**hole will tape you. It's saved a lot of heartache at NCOES.
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SSG Robert Quayle III
Like I said...having them break the plane during regular PT is not an issue but if you insist on them doing so during an APFT, you're setting them up for failure.
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SFC (Join to see)
The biggest thing is that people need to quit freaking out so much about the pt test. If a guy fails because he was graded too hard he would obviously not be far from failure with an easier grader therefore no sympathy from me. If it was the difference between a 290 and 300, who cares. The pt test is a crap assessment in the first place. 10-15 points due to a hard grader isn't going to affect ones career unless you're the guy failing the test, and that's on you for cutting it that close in the first place just like tape.
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SPC (Join to see)
SSG, with all due respect. The Regulation on it is very clean cut “at least parallel”. It is not your job as a grader to enforce your own standards. I have had graders with ridiculous standards (even stricter than SOCOM) just because they felt like being a dick and they get away with it. It should be the NCOICS Job to make sure that the tests are being graded to standard and not go so low that you are buried in the mattress
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