The Army Fitness Test

Article by Jackson Fyre

The Army Fitness Test – Health – Fitness

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Regardless of your age, all soldiers in the Active Army, Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard have to take the Army Physical Fitness Test, also known as the “APFT.” The Army Physical Fitness Test is a three-part event that will access your physical ability and test your endurance and cardio fitness. The APFT will put your major muscle groups and respiratory system through the ringer to see how you effectively move and maneuver. How you perform in the testing is linked to a soldier’s ability to perform tasks that have some fitness element to them. There are alternate APFT events for soldiers who have permanent profiles or for soldiers who have temporary profiles equaling greater than three-month duration.

Here are the three events that you will perform in the Army Physical Fitness Test. The events are listed in the required order.

-Push-ups-Sit-ups-2-mile run

You perform the events in the order listed above, and you will have to take at least 10 minutes to recover and no more than 20 minutes to recover before moving on to the next event.

Push-up event (2 minutes) – This event will test the endurance of your chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. Depending on your age, there is a specific standard of push-ups you will need to perform in two minutes.

Sit-up event (2 minutes) – Sit-ups will test the endurance of your hip-flexors and abdominal muscles. Again, depending on your age, there is a standard amount of sit-ups you will need to do in that two-minute time frame.

2-mile event – This cardio event will challenge the endurance of your respiratory system and legs, and of course there is a time limit depending on your age.

There are many different exercises you can do to get yourself ready for these fitness tests. Make sure that you continue to do push-ups and sit-ups a few times a week, and always push yourself to the limit when do these workouts. Another great workout to do to get your upper body ready for the push-up test is chin-ups. Begin to do chin-ups and pull-ups, which will build your biceps and back. You can also do some free weight lifting to get your upper body ready for that push-up test.

To train for your sit-ups, you will definitely want to do as many sit-ups as possible, get used to the motion. Start involving extra weight when doing your sit-ups, and make sure that you are timing yourself too. Do not take this event lightly, because you might find it extremely difficult to reach your required amount if you do not prepare.

When preparing for your 2 mile run, make sure you time yourself so you know what pace you will need to run at during the actually testing. Besides running, you can also do interval training and stairs to get your lungs nice and strong. Swimming is another great way to build strength for your lungs, but make sure you get out and run as much as possible.

About the Author

Jackson has been involved with helping people get into shape for about 5 years. If there is a question you have Jackson can answer it. He can help you with fitness related questions like, “How to train for a marathon ?” or certified personal trainer questions.

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Jackson Fyre

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Watch as 11th Regiment, Bravo Troop completes the Army Physical Fitness Test during Operation Warrior Forge held on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test

There are things in life that aren’t easy – and preparing for the Army Physical Fitness Test is one among them. There are very few soldiers who could claim to have maxed out the army physical fitness test. And the reasons why preparation for, and maxing out the army physical fitness test requires meticulous attention and studious efforts, have more to do with the way people tend to approach the test.

Sufficient and Regular Training: For one thing, preparation for the army physical fitness test has a lot to do with training specifically for the test. One should realise that exercising is not to be equated with physical fitness. Training for the test requires just that – training specifically for the tests and for the tasks that one would be expected of in the tests. Further, even if one trained for the tests, there is also the issue of training enough for the test that would take them to their desired destinations.

For instance, if one were to do the specific preparations required but if the preparations were done infrequently or irregularly, it would not translate into performance in the physical fitness test.

Right combination of Exercise, Diet and Rest: And it is not just about exercises, their duration and their frequency alone that matters when it comes to preparation for army physical fitness test. While physical training and exercises are no doubt essential, it is also important that sufficient focus is given on the aspects of diet and rest. Most physical fitness trainers feel that they have not much control over what their trainees eat when being away from the training programmes, which is a major factor that leads to failure in performance.

One should watch out on what one eats, and it has to include a lot of lean proteins, vegetables and a significant proportion of fresh fruits. It is important to realise that any extra weight would respond to the gravitational pull and would have a negative impact on performance. At the same time, continuous and strenuous exercises without adequate rests would also hinder the body’s ability from complete recovery. Proper exercises punctuated with the right rest schedules help the body recuperate and rejuvenate for optimum performance.

For best performance in Army Physical Fitness Tests, training has to be done thrice a week and the focus has to be on the right exercises that would enable you towards excelling at sit-ups, push-ups and the two mile run. Running has to be done for a distance longer than what is required for the tests, while running should be done after the strength training is done with. Concentrating on these steps would get the best out of performance during army physical fitness tests.

How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test

Article by Abigail Turpin

There are things in life that aren’t easy – and preparing for the Army Test is one among them. There are very few soldiers who could claim to have maxed out the army physical fitness test. And the reasons why preparation for, and maxing out the army physical fitness test requires meticulous attention and studious efforts, have more to do with the way people tend to approach the test.

Sufficient and Regular Training: For one thing, preparation for the army test has a lot to do with training specifically for the test. One should realise that exercising is not to be equated with physical fitness. Training for the test requires just that – training specifically for the tests and for the tasks that one would be expected of in the tests. Further, even if one trained for the tests, there is also the issue of training enough for the test that would take them to their desired destinations. For instance, if one were to do the specific preparations required but if the preparations were done infrequently or irregularly, it would not translate into performance in the physical fitness test.

Right combination of Exercise, Diet and Rest: And it is not just about exercises, their duration and their frequency alone that matters when it comes to preparation for army physical fitness test. While physical training and exercises are no doubt essential, it is also important that sufficient focus is given on the aspects of diet and rest. Most physical fitness trainers feel that they have not much control over what their trainees eat when being away from the training programmes, which is a major factor that leads to failure in performance.

One should watch out on what one eats, and it has to include a lot of lean proteins, vegetables and a significant proportion of fresh fruits. It is important to realise that any extra weight would respond to the gravitational pull and would have a negative impact on performance. At the same time, continuous and strenuous exercises without adequate rests would also hinder the body’s ability from complete recovery. Proper exercises punctuated with the right rest schedules help the body recuperate and rejuvenate for optimum performance.

For best performance in Army Physical Fitness Tests, training has to be done thrice a week and the focus has to be on the right exercises that would enable you towards excelling at sit-ups, push-ups and the two mile run. Running has to be done for a distance longer than what is required for the tests, while running should be done after the strength training is done with. Concentrating on these steps would get the best out of performance during army physical fitness tests.

Soldier Recruitment – How American Army Recruits Soldiers

Baby boomers were brought up with a ‘n’ number of problems hanging over their head. A common fear that exists for both youth and childhood is that of the effects of a nuclear catastrophe and the catastrophe that will taking place after the nuclear war. To control and prevent such things, regular checking has to be done.

Another main form of threat that was always present was that of perishing in a war. This was the main drawback of joining the military forces. This type of recruiting soldiers was done through many decades for many wars. This method was considered as a tradition for selecting soldiers.

Constrictive use was not something that the United States government discovered. Conscription dates back to the early Greek and roman civilizations. These types of conscriptions made sure that there was a regular supply of men in the army for war time activities.

Back in the 1960’s, there was a tradition in America that young men should provide their four years of their service to the army between school and college. This instilled the fear of death in young minds and made most of them cowards.

Many cultural assumptions were changed due to the agonizing Vietnam War. The baby boomer generation was the generation which questioned and destroyed the draft in the country. During the sixties all the men lived with a fear of draft, which symbolized a certain injury or may be even death. Thus the men feared for their lives and lived a pathetic life, a life full of fear and pain. After the demolishing of the drafts people lived a peaceful and happy life without any terror of losing lives.

The war draft in Vietnam not only instilled a fear in the youth.

The war went on over for long time that even teenagers started pondering over ideas to avoid the draft. Now, forty years later we forget to find a legitimate way making the draft pass young people was considered as an act of a coward.

All the relatives of the youth including the father who brought him up, the mother who raised him and all the sisters and brothers would do to save the youth from certain death was considered to be a fair game.

After the war at Vietnam ended, the draft which was developed at that time also came to a staggering end. The credit for this unique achievement goes to the army and the millions of young hearts that had kept an excellently trained army that could win in any battlefield even in the absence of a draft. Thus was the coordination between the people in the army. When the draft was destroyed, people were able to lead a peaceful life.

On thinking whether the military draft may return or not, the answer may be yes or no. If thought about in an angle we get the idea that generation of military drafts has died with the great baby boomer generation. But thinking in another angle, America has been a superpower in this world right from after the Vietnam War. They will not lower themselves to any nation. So if this is the case the Americans have got to have an excellent warfare and an excellent army. Not all people will voluntarily enter the army. So that it is clear that in an American citizen’s mind would definitely not want to bow down to any other nation in this world. So can a country have enough war staff and firepower to defend itself without a draft? Let’s wait and see.

How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test

There are things in life that aren’t easy – and preparing for the Army Physical Fitness Test is one among them. There are very few soldiers who could claim to have maxed out the army physical fitness test. And the reasons why preparation for, and maxing out the army physical fitness test requires meticulous attention and studious efforts, have more to do with the way people tend to approach the test.

Sufficient and Regular Training: For one thing, preparation for the army physical fitness test has a lot to do with training specifically for the test. One should realise that exercising is not to be equated with physical fitness. Training for the test requires just that – training specifically for the tests and for the tasks that one would be expected of in the tests. Further, even if one trained for the tests, there is also the issue of training enough for the test that would take them to their desired destinations.

For instance, if one were to do the specific preparations required but if the preparations were done infrequently or irregularly, it would not translate into performance in the physical fitness test.

Right combination of Exercise, Diet and Rest: And it is not just about exercises, their duration and their frequency alone that matters when it comes to preparation for army physical fitness test. While physical training and exercises are no doubt essential, it is also important that sufficient focus is given on the aspects of diet and rest. Most physical fitness trainers feel that they have not much control over what their trainees eat when being away from the training programmes, which is a major factor that leads to failure in performance.

One should watch out on what one eats, and it has to include a lot of lean proteins, vegetables and a significant proportion of fresh fruits. It is important to realise that any extra weight would respond to the gravitational pull and would have a negative impact on performance. At the same time, continuous and strenuous exercises without adequate rests would also hinder the body’s ability from complete recovery. Proper exercises punctuated with the right rest schedules help the body recuperate and rejuvenate for optimum performance.

For best performance in Army Physical Fitness Tests, training has to be done thrice a week and the focus has to be on the right exercises that would enable you towards excelling at sit-ups, push-ups and the two mile run. Running has to be done for a distance longer than what is required for the tests, while running should be done after the strength training is done with. Concentrating on these steps would get the best out of performance during army physical fitness tests.

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) is being overhauled for the first time since 1980. Two new tests, the Physical Readiness Test and the Combat Readiness Test, will be incorporated. The new elements of the Army’s physical training incorporate advances in exercise science and will challenge the body in different ways. To learn more about fitness, check out bit.ly Video courtesy of National Guard Bureau Public Affairs, ng.mil.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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