Comments on: Military Physical Fitness Standards: U.S. Army Requirements

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:04:52 +0000

I am currently on active duty and have been for 9 years now. I am 36 if you are wondering. Sure the standards seem low but remember you are talking minimums here. Most soldiers score right about midway between the min and max. Different internal organizations have a higher standard as the minimum. When speaking of Special forces, Delta, Air Assault, Airborne, etc they hold a higher standard. Not all of the Army is Hooah combat elements though. Many soldiers spend hours a day behind a desk and only get limited field time for training. I will always maintain that every soldier is on the front line these days but not every soldier is confronted with the high physical toll of daily combat. The other poster was correct in stating that it is ultimately the soldier that pays with discomfort during operations for lack of conditioning but you may be surprised what an individual is capable of when their rear is on the line. No better motivation for performance than the crack of a bullet passing by.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:48:03 +0000

These may seem like low standards but remember, not everyone is going to be 11B (Infantryman), some are going to desk jobs and not straight to the front lines.

By: john

john — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:01:56 +0000

When I was in the Marines (12+ years ago) and you were doing anywhere close to the minimum, you would be on a remedial physical training program. That was on a logistics base where most of the marines worked at a desk or in a warehouse. I would imagine the Army is the same. The minimum doesn’t mean it’s ok. It just means they aren’t going to start working on your discharge papers yet.

By: Andrew is getting fit

Andrew is getting fit — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:00:18 +0000

Whooohooo…if I was American I would qualify.

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:52:14 +0000

It’s not really in the government’s best interest to kick a lot of soldiers out. They invest a lot of money training them. The somewhat easy standards don’t surprise me.

By: Sheamus

Sheamus — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:54:10 +0000

The stands are a bit lower than you'd expect though, Blaine. Compare it to the US Marines.

The minimum a male Marine must complete are three pull-ups, 50 crunches, and a 28 minute 3-mile run. The minimum a female Marine must complete are 15 seconds on a flexed arm hang, 44 crunches and a 30 minute 3-mile run. To earn a perfect PFT score for males, one must do 20 pull-ups, 100 crunches in less than two minutes, and complete the three mile run in 18 minutes or less. For females, a perfect score is 70 seconds on the flexed arm hang, 100 crunches, and a 21 minute three mile run. This will earn a 300 point PFT. Marines who score above a 285 receive certifications as an award for their higher than average fitness.

Source: Wikipedia Okay, the minimum here isn't really as high as you'd expect either, but knowing how competitive the USMC is one imagines that nobody logs a minimum. That may be the case for the Army, too, of course. I must admit I'd have thought the minimums would be a lot more severe for both of these. Blaine is right in what he says, but you just assume military folk are always on the cutting edge of fitness. I guess, like everything else, it's just some of them.

By: MizFit

MizFit — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:51:33 +0000

*scurries off to see what the standards are for a 39 yo woman*

By: Blaine Moore

Blaine Moore — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:57:11 +0000

Why should there be high standards? It costs the soldier more than it costs the government if they aren’t in good shape in combat.