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Other/Mixed What do you suggest for a military fitness Test?

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Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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The Army was working on a new combat readiness test (CRT) to replace/supplement the physical fitness test PFT. These tests are often criticized for their ability to transfer to the job or gauge actual job performance. In my experience, anyone that smokes the fitness tests can do the job just fine. However, being unable to score high on the fitness tests does not equally forecast poor job performance. What would you recommend for the military fitness test(s)?

Army PFT
2min Push-ups
2min Sit-ups
2mi Run

Army CRT
2mi Run
250y Sprint/Drag/Carry
Deadlift
Hanging Leg Tuck
Backwards 10lb Ball Throw
T-Push-up

Navy PRT
2min Push-up
2min Curl-Up/Sit-up
1.5mi Run

Marine Corps PFT
Max Pull-Ups
2min Crunches/Sit-Ups
3mi Run

Marine Corps CFT
880y Run
Ammo Can Lifts
Maneuver Under Fire

Air Force PFT
1.5mi Run
1min Push-ups
1min crunch/sit-up

Additional fitness tests exist for different populations within the services and are also open game to critique but I didn't include them above.
 
There's always one thing missing from armed forces tests that annoys me which is the lack of a loaded walk component - 5-10km is a good distance for testing reasons IMO, and it should be done within 90 minutes with 45-70lbs. If you added that to the TSC, in my opinion it would be damn near close to perfect.

That said, I like this as an approach (it's very Russian Inspired and I used it as a test prior to going out for a month exercise overseas)

(1) Long Cycle Clean and Jerk 10 minutes
(2) Pull Ups
(3) Ruck March 10km
(4) Swim 1km
(5) 4x25m Sprint

You could probably add a 1km run with this to test battery but I don't think its necessary

I would add in buddy carries, but this is very hard to standardize
 
Didnt add the UBRR which if memory serves me you would be familiar with.

Personally I would love to see a test consist of (minimum scores labeled)
With body armor
Pullups 3
Pushups 1min 30
BW squats 1min 30
100m shuttle sprint (4x25m) 24sec
1mile run 15min

Next day
Obstacle course of some nature, similar to "nasty nick" something that covers all athletic movements to be completed in a reasonable timeframe.

Next day
12mile kn 3:15min with 55lb

The multiple day test leans towards true staying power fitness. Problem is how many new recruits could pass or would pass?

Main hindrance is unit level PT. Humans are inherently lazy and section leaders or whomever leads PT stick to what they are good at. Usually running. And when you reach a decent enough level of the pipeline PT as a whole stops and is individual based.

Men live on their past accomplishments.
Had an old Delta guy tell me his strength standards where
Bench press 100lb over BW
Pullup 100lb over BW
Dip 100lb over BW

He never gave any lower body standards but given the nature of the schools and selections he had passed to get where he was I'm sure he felt his legs fine.

My theory is most weigh 180-230lb so be able to lift that (clean and press) anyone who weighs more you can probably put maneuver. Otherwise get comfortable carrying a load over distance and be able to sprint, climb, and jump in the immediate future.
 
I like the idea of a timed ruck with about 40# for 5 miles.
A sandbag drag of bodyweight for 150 yrds.
Jackhammer (literally operate pneumatic jackhammer) for 45 minutes with no more than 60 seconds break every five minutes.
Jump squats for 2 minutes.
Burpees with pushup 3 minutes - must clear 12" per jump.
Pull yourself onto loading dock height platform and jump down w/repeat 10 times/minute for two minutes.
 
Bro Mo said:
Air Force PFT
1.5mi Run
1min Push-ups
1min crunch/sit-up
Click to expand...

I can only speak to this one from experience, but it's a joke. The 1 minute time limit turns the Pushups into High-Speed Rotator Cuff Bounces and the Situps into Hip Flexor Assisted Lumbar Thrashers. Also, I met the minimum run standard on my very first attempt at Basic when I was in the worst shape of my life.

Our big problem is body composition, and I see enough people cheating the abdominal circumference test that even that isn't a barrier for most.

We need exercises that force people to keep a healthy weight; perhaps pullups, climbing, or some kind of loaded march with a percentage of your bodyweight. I'm not an expert, but it feels like every other branch does it at least somewhat better.
 
What I find the most difficult is what to do with a large group that does not require a large logistic considerations or technical skill.

I found the physical components of actually performing the job where:
  1. Carrying load over long distances on my body/back
  2. Dragging heavy things short distances
  3. Getting moderate weight things on shelves overhead
  4. Carry moderate weight things over short distances in my arms
Pull-ups, for example, while great indicators of upper body strength have never been a factor for me like grip strength and leg strength for climbing. Most calisthenics seem to function similarly to me.

I've also never done much running other than fairly short diatances. I have had to do significant finning in strong current for long distances but that isn't as applicable to many.

Mostly, carrying load. Whats the best way to test carrying loads for a large group with the lowest logistic requirement?
 
Dasho said:
I can only speak to this one from experience, but it's a joke. The 1 minute time limit turns the Pushups into High-Speed Rotator Cuff Bounces and the Situps into Hip Flexor Assisted Lumbar Thrashers. Also, I met the minimum run standard on my very first attempt at Basic when I was in the worst shape of my life.

Our big problem is body composition, and I see enough people cheating the abdominal circumference test that even that isn't a barrier for most.

We need exercises that force people to keep a healthy weight; perhaps pullups, climbing, or some kind of loaded march with a percentage of your bodyweight. I'm not an expert, but it feels like every other branch does it at least somewhat better.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. Personally, I think AF should do pull-ups instead of sit-ups. I’m not sure about the run, though. I’d love to ruck instead, but does that carry over to anyone outside the battlefield Airmen AFSCs? Maybe a farmer’s carry for distance, but that would be very grip-intensive if pull-ups were part of the test.

Or we could bin the whole thing and just do a KB snatch test
 
- Combined pull up, push up and air squat test (scaled down Murph).

- 5K timed run.

- 15K timed ruck, wearing full combat equipment.

- 200 meter timed swim.

- 1K timed loaded carry (munition crates).

- 10 minute 3 reps EMOM deadlift, using a significant 1RM percentage.
 
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Dasho said:
https://www.fs.fed.us/fire/safety/wct/2002/pack_test_info_sheet.pdf

This might be a good read if you haven't seen it before. I think it's about as simple as you could get.
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I have not found the work capacity test to be more than a low bar minimum condition of hire for wildland firefighters. If your mentally tough it's not hard. Does it weed out physically and very mentally weak people yes. By no means does it indicate a good level of fitness for the fireline.

To me the test is not near as important as a discipline pt program.

This year is my first year as a fire manager and not a hotshot. I implemented a new pt program for my engine folks. 2 days lsd(run or weighted hike), 2 days bodyweight or weighted circuit, and 1 sprint day every 2 weeks. By mid fire season the impact of loaded carries, and dragging heavy things was very apparent. The captains stopped doing body weight stuff and went to as they called it "picking up heavy stuff and moving it" for their 2 days of cuircuts.

To be honest equipment wise I just went and picked up used tractor tires, made sand bags, and justified buying 3-16kg and 2-24kg kettlebells for 12 people.
 
Karl said:
I have not found the work capacity test to be more than a low bar minimum condition of hire for wildland firefighters. If your mentally tough it's not hard. Does it weed out physically and very mentally weak people yes. By no means does it indicate a good level of fitness for the fireline.
Click to expand...

I agree wholeheartedly with this. I just thought it was a simple test to administer to a group of (insert random people here).
 
Anything bodyweight based doesnt reflect the needs of the job well enough. Ive known plenty that score high because their relative strength is good due to being skinny but they cant load a vehicle with heavy gear.

The 5-10min snatch test might be too technical for week 1 day 1 untrained individual.

Sandbags and tires make a lot of sense. Its something that can stay out on the grinder; the equipment logistics are the toughest constraint for me. Something like a strongman medley with tires, sandbags and maybe a farmer carry implement would be fairly doable. The weights and number of repeats would reflect the time its supposed to take, 10-15min would test strength and conditioning.
 
Ruck
Sprint repeats
Deadlifts
Loaded carry

The weights and distances could be adjusted based on job. Maybe do a tiered system, with desk jockeys on Tier 3, truckers on tier 2, and grunts on Tier 1. I know, it doesn't test pressing or pulling, but I actually think it's safe to assume that, if someone can perform well on these four tests, their arms are probably strong enough.
Equipment-wise, you could use a trap bar for the deadlifts and loaded (farmer's) carry, so while there is some equipment requirement, it's limited enough that a company sized element could make do with one bar and 4-6 plates.
I think the learning requirement needs to be kept to a minimum. The only thing on my list that really needs to be taught is how to pick something off the ground, which we should be teaching people anyways. Not saying that skill and technique don't effect rucking, sprinting, and carrying, but people tend to figure that stuff out with minimal coaching, and with minimal injury along the way.
 
Just a thought - a lot of these tests are supposed to be a measure of "readiness", and part of the concern is having people be ready for the test, but not the job. So - what if the test was random? How about of deck of 52 different tasks, and 4 get drawn at random on test day. Might be pushups, carries, deadlifts, crawling, rope climbing... baking a cake. Who knows.

Logistically, I suppose it would be a nightmare. But something like that could force the candidates to be ready for anything.
 
This is something I have thought about quite a bit. I have also participated in the evaluation of the USMC combat fitness test and have sat at the table at the Navy's Bureau of Naval Personnel to discuss possible changes to the Navy testing (along with the President of the NSCA and ACSM among a few others).

Realistically, most military personnel don't need much physical fitness to do their jobs. The majority are in support roles and spend much time sitting at a desk. The biggest issues for these groups are health and injury prevention. A very simple fitness test could work fine for then.

Those occupations that have significant physical demands should have job specific physical fitness testing. This is already done in a wide variety of communities. I designed the Navy's Rescue Swimmer tests myself for example.

The best solution is a two tier system. The first testing system should be aimed at health and injury prevention. This is for everybody. The second tier is occupational specific and would be for certain communities only.

The second tier is actually much easier to design and implement. It is the first tier that generates the most controversy. Nobody is getting this right currently, but it is not an easy task.

Finally, before you recommend any test, consider that hundreds of thousands of people will have to be tested. Commands of 500 or more will have to test everybody, in a short period of time, wherever they are (including on ships or deployed in some cases). Equipment costs and logistics are important. There often has to be a trade-off between better vs easier or cheaper to implement.
 
Bro Mo said:
What I find the most difficult is what to do with a large group that does not require a large logistic considerations or technical skill.

I found the physical components of actually performing the job where:
  1. Carrying load over long distances on my body/back
  2. Dragging heavy things short distances
  3. Getting moderate weight things on shelves overhead
  4. Carry moderate weight things over short distances in my arms
Pull-ups, for example, while great indicators of upper body strength have never been a factor for me like grip strength and leg strength for climbing. Most calisthenics seem to function similarly to me.

I've also never done much running other than fairly short diatances. I have had to do significant finning in strong current for long distances but that isn't as applicable to many.

Mostly, carrying load. Whats the best way to test carrying loads for a large group with the lowest logistic requirement?
Click to expand...

For a general test could you use something like sandbags - requirement to move X number from A to B in a given time, heft a standard poundage and move a nominal distance, drag a standard poundage across an obstacle course - vary the size and height of some openings and obstacles to disadvantage small/large people equally (eg. smaller person easier time dragging heavy load under low rope or through construction barrel than larger person).
 
Intersting thread. The following come to mind for a First Tier test:
  • “Third World Squat” test (5-10 minutes)
  • Wall-facing handstand hold (max effort)
  • Burpee (100 or 10 minutes)
  • “Suitcase” holds (each side tested)
 
I like the USMC's two part PST.
Day 1: 3 mile run, max pull ups, max sit ups.
Day 2: 800 meter sprint in BDU's followed by ammo can press, buddy carry/drag.
I believe sit ups to be largely useless for showing core strength so I would replace that with ab rolls from the knees, feet elevated push ups instead of the ammo can press as the ammo cans only weigh 50 pounds for males and 30 for females. I do like that the Army is including Hex Bar deadlifts for max strength, but I feel the pull up can cover a decent amount of that.
 
In a book co-authored by Tim Anderson about using Original Strength for tactical athletes, they present the following test:

3 minutes leopard crawl forward

3 minutes front carry of a weight (kettlebell) at 1/3 third of bodyweight.

5 seconds holding the one arm, one legged push up position on each side

All exercises are performed one after another and need minimal equipment and instruction (!), but test a number of attributes.
 
Distance crawling is a great idea! Wonder how they would prevent bear crawling? Combined with a carry that seems very manageable though.
 
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