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Proposed Army Fitness Test - Your Thoughts

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Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    edited March 2019
    I know what deadlifts are and I know what a 2-mile run is... I don't know what the rest entails. Because of my health issues, I couldn't join anyway - regardless of how many points I could get on this. Yes, I could Google it, but don't really care enough to spend the time. If the experts think these are the needed qualifications, then who am I to argue?

    because at least in my experience the ppl making the tests aren't actually experts...if you ask why do you do X as an assessment they can't tell you...i still laugh at the fact that to be in the Navy (you know, surrounded by water) - the minimal swim qualification is like 5min float and then a 50yd swim, after jumping off a diving board (and then you have to demonstrate that you can make a floatation device out of your pants)...yet they make me run 1.5miles when the longest ship is less than that in distance...

    They are still more knowledgeable than someone like me, but still I would suggest that the most knowledgeable people (the experts) develop the qualifications. Who are the experts?

    On the navy side last time they looked at revamping ours - it was a bunch of master chiefs and a few officers

    They talked abt adding similar stuff but it didn’t get approved
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,257 Member
    The military has been continually challenged with applicants being able to meet the bare minimum physical standards. When you cannot meet your needs, you must either expand your applicants, or lower your standards.

    When I enlisted in 1995 this was a challenge just to work boots up so that they could meet minimal standards and this has gotten progressively worse. I enlisted under the divefarer program and given additional physical training time to prepare for my upcoming schools. After graduating our platoon was selected as part of a "show me" operation and we were the first special operations platoon to allow females in our supporting platoon. Mind you this support is mostly logistical/clerical, but the nature of the position requires a higher level of situational awareness and physical fitness is a core requirement. It also requires a culture of exceptionalism because if things go bad...the risk of poor performance carries far greater impact. From day one our commanding officer made the expectations clear - no one is treated differently. You either meet the standards, or you find a job more suitable to your ability. The bar was set high and people adapted to overcome.

    Every job requires trust. This trust is based upon several factors, but roots in core competency. Trust cannot exist when the person you rely on lacks a core competency.
  • WC1982
    WC1982 Posts: 137 Member
    I think it’s an improvement over the old or current. I deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq as a paratrooper and I had the push-up sit-up and two mile run standard, but that never helped sprinting from cover to cover in full kit. As for rucking if your infantry the standard was, not sure now as I left the army in 2005, 12 miles in under 3 hours.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    Thank you all the current and former military who commented for your service.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I'd fail. I would have failed it when I was 18 too. I went into the USAF. No pull up requirement. :D:D