Can you meet Army standards?

This morning I was chatting with an ex-Army co-worker who’s trying to get back in shape before heading to Washington to represent a veteran’s group in some meetings. He has a month, and 9 more pounds to drop. So we decided to look up what the standards were.

Fitness standard: http://www.la.ngb.army.mil/156BAND/apft.html
Height/weight standard: http://www.usarc.army.mil/naad/height_and_weight_standards.htm

This morning I was chatting with an ex-Army co-worker who’s trying to get back in shape before heading to Washington to represent a veteran’s group in some meetings. He has a month, and 9 more pounds to drop. So we decided to look up what the standards were.

Fitness standard: http://www.la.ngb.army.mil/156BAND/apft.html Height/weight standard: http://www.usarc.army.mil/naad/height_and_weight_standards.htm

As a 6’1″ (73″) male age 34 (for a few more months), here are my requirements to get 100% on the examinations:

205 lbs maximum 24% body fat maximum Able to run 2 miles in 13 minutes, 18 seconds or less Able to do 75 pushups in 2 minutes or less Able to 76 sit-ups in 2 minutes or less

According to my calculations, I’m (scribbling, figuring, calculator time) way the hell off from what I should be if I were in the Army.

So, look yourself up: could you pass the fitness and weight requirements tomorrow?

9 thoughts on “Can you meet Army standards?”

  1. Not any more…

    The Body fat only comes into effect if you are over your weight limit. I was typically 5 pounds over weight when i was in, but always came in under my Body fat %.

    The push ups and sit ups were never really a problem – but that 2 mile run sucks.

    I think it is pretty safe to say that 7 years after i have left I am confident that i would not pass my PT test.

    1. Body fat

      I was typically 5 pounds over weight when i was in, but always came in under my Body fat %.

      Yeah, I wonder about that. I carry around 180lbs of tapes four or five times a day, and it’s tremendously increased my leg and upper-body muscle mass. I think that, when I was younger, if I’d cared to body-build I’d have done OK with it, based on what throwing these 90lb cases of tapes has done to my musculature.

      It will be interesting to see if I can get down to 205. I think I’d like to make that a goal, because today… I just feel fat.

      —
      Matthew P. Barnson

  2. Might Have A Problem With The Run

    I might have a problem with the 2-mile run, as my right knee gave out several years ago, and I can’t run more than a 1/2 mile before the pain is surging.

    1. Might Have A Problem With The Run

      If you can’t fulfill the run due to knee problems, or other physical limitations, they have “alternate” exercises such as bicycle and swimming. But the swim test is really tough.

    2. Knee problem?

      So what happened that injured the knee?

      I have a similar issue with one hip… starting around age 20, while tracting on my mission, I started feeling some pain in my right hip during really long days. Eventually, I reached the point that moving in certain ways resulted in unbearable pain. Doc says I should just live with it until I can’t live with it anymore, and then there’s surgery.

      I figure I can handle that, but it does mean that things like stationary leg-lifts just don’t do it for me anymore.

      —
      Matthew P. Barnson

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