Should The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
Introduction
Physical fitness is an integral part of the army lifestyle and ability of a soldiers to efficiently perform all tasks necessary to be the best soldier they can be. There have been many forms of physical fitness training in the army over the years while the Army is continuously changing and trying to ensure that the programs set for its personnel is the absolute best that they can provide. However, the one aspect that has stayed the same is the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT is not only antiquated and outdated but also a very poor representation of an individual’s physical fitness and ability to do the essential tasks of an Army Soldier. The APFT is the long standing standard in what a fit soldier should look like …show more content…
These studies do not conflict with each other, it is common knowledge and widely agreed upon that the APFT needs to change. The question that no study has effectively answered is how to change it. Looking back over the history of the APFT the early models of a physical fitness test were more concerned with evaluating soldiers on tests that were related to actual tasks they may be doing in battle. In 1906 Army-wide physical training was established and “General Order 44 required weekly infantry 12-mile rucks, and 18-mile movements for horse-mounted artillery and cavalry.” (2015) As you can see this was much more apt to show how a soldier would perform in combat of that time than the current format of the test measures our soldiers today. Over the years the Army strayed away from a true measurement of combat readiness. Though in the early 2000’s Army leaders on a unit level did try to take steps in changing the way that soldiers look at physical fitness. Around this time the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School (USAPFS) rolled out the Physical Readiness Training (PRT) program. It was an attempt to focus on training for combat rather than the APFT. It was swiftly neglected and around 2002 the Army shelved it for another look at it in the future. The only headway made in this area over the last 16 years is the publication of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Physical …show more content…
The concentration of the analysis of the current APFT will be breaking down each exercise by their body action and then deciding if the exercise is primarily associated with strength and endurance and if the exercises use concentric, eccentric or isometric muscle contractions. The Current APFT will be categorized and its characteristics identified on the following
Physical fitness is an integral part of the army lifestyle and ability of a soldiers to efficiently perform all tasks necessary to be the best soldier they can be. There have been many forms of physical fitness training in the army over the years while the Army is continuously changing and trying to ensure that the programs set for its personnel is the absolute best that they can provide. However, the one aspect that has stayed the same is the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT is not only antiquated and outdated but also a very poor representation of an individual’s physical fitness and ability to do the essential tasks of an Army Soldier. The APFT is the long standing standard in what a fit soldier should look like …show more content…
These studies do not conflict with each other, it is common knowledge and widely agreed upon that the APFT needs to change. The question that no study has effectively answered is how to change it. Looking back over the history of the APFT the early models of a physical fitness test were more concerned with evaluating soldiers on tests that were related to actual tasks they may be doing in battle. In 1906 Army-wide physical training was established and “General Order 44 required weekly infantry 12-mile rucks, and 18-mile movements for horse-mounted artillery and cavalry.” (2015) As you can see this was much more apt to show how a soldier would perform in combat of that time than the current format of the test measures our soldiers today. Over the years the Army strayed away from a true measurement of combat readiness. Though in the early 2000’s Army leaders on a unit level did try to take steps in changing the way that soldiers look at physical fitness. Around this time the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School (USAPFS) rolled out the Physical Readiness Training (PRT) program. It was an attempt to focus on training for combat rather than the APFT. It was swiftly neglected and around 2002 the Army shelved it for another look at it in the future. The only headway made in this area over the last 16 years is the publication of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Physical …show more content…
The concentration of the analysis of the current APFT will be breaking down each exercise by their body action and then deciding if the exercise is primarily associated with strength and endurance and if the exercises use concentric, eccentric or isometric muscle contractions. The Current APFT will be categorized and its characteristics identified on the following