The physical fitness test used for Army soldiers since the 1980s — two minutes of pushups and two minutes of sit-ups capped by a two-mile run — will be retired by October 2020, military officials say.
In the new test, the two-mile run will still be the final leg of the assessment, but five other events have been added because they are seen as better predictors of combat readiness, Army News Service reported Monday.
The events have to be completed in order and can take anywhere from 45 to 55 minutes to finish, the news service reported.
"The current P.T. test is only a 40 percent predictor of success for performing in combat and executing warrior tasks and battle drills," Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, commander of the Army's Center of Initial Military Training, told the news service. "This test is approximately an 80 percent predictor of performing based on our ability to test the physical components of combat fitness."
The new Army combat fitness test will now include, besides the two-mile run, events involving:
- "Strength deadlift," with a proposed weight range of 120 to 420 pounds.
- "Standing pose throw," in which soldier toss a 10-pound ball backward as far as possible.
- "Hand-release pushups," in which soldiers in the down position release their hands and arms from contact with the ground and reset for another pushup.
- "Sprint/drag/carry," a 25-meter dash that must be performed five times.
- "Leg tuck," in which soldiers lift their legs up and down to touch their knees/thighs to their elbows as many times as they can.
"In 1980, running shoes were relatively a new invention," said Michael McGurk, director of research and analysis at the Army's CIMT. "The Army was still running in boots for the PT test back then. Change is difficult, but we're an Army that adapts well to change."
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