physics

United States Army Physical Fitness Test

United States Army Physical Fitness Test is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand United States Army Physical Fitness Test rather than just read about it. In short: The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) was a test designed to measure the muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of soldiers in the United States Army. The test contained three events: push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile (3.2 km) run with a soldier scoring from 0 to 100 points in each event based on performance.

Key takeaways

United States Army Physical Fitness Test belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect United States Army Physical Fitness Test to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of United States Army Physical Fitness Test from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) was a test designed to measure the muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of soldiers in the United States Army. The test contained three events: push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile (3.2 km) run with a soldier scoring from 0 to 100 points in each event based on performance. A minimum score of 60 in each event was required to pass the test. The APFT is timed as follows:

2 minutes of pushups 2 minutes of situps 2-mile run Active component and Active Guard Reserve (AGR) component Soldiers were required to take a "record" (meaning for official records) APFT at least twice each calendar year. Army Reservists (Troop Program Unit - TPU) and National Guard Soldiers were required to take a "record" test once per calendar year. Army Regulation 350–1 stated that record APFTs for TPU Soldiers must be separated by eight months; this does not change, regardless of their duty status, i.e., active duty (under Title 10), annual training, etc. Army reservist and national guardsmen components do not change upon deployment or entering active duty status. FM 7-22 covers the administration of the APFT, as well as ways to conduct individual, squad and unit level physical training sessions If, due to a diagnosed medical condition, a soldier was temporarily unable to conduct one or more of the events in the record APFT, the soldier could have been granted an extension to allow him or her to overcome his or her injury and return to an acceptable level of physical fitness. If a soldier had a permanent medical condition that kept him or her from conducting the two mile run, an alternative aerobic event consisting of either a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) walk, an 800-yard (730 m) swim, or 6.2-mile (10.0 km) cycle ride could have been taken. There were no alternate events for the push-up or sit-up.

History The physical fitness assessments for the U.S. Army were first developed in 1858 at the United States Military Academy. Over the years, the athletics for soldiers have been revised repeatedly. According to a U.S. Army abstract, the calisthenics and events of "push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run was introduced in 1980." In 2020, the APFT was phased out for the Army's new physical fitness test, the ACFT.

Events The testing events are conducted in accordance with standards detailed in Army FM 7–22: Army Physical Readiness Training. Prior to the start of each event, the standard is read aloud, followed by a demonstration in which an individual demonstrates both the correct exercise and any disqualifying behaviors which would make the exercise incorrect. Quoted from Army FM 7–22:

Push-up "The push-up event measures the endurance of the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. On the command 'get set,' assume the front-leaning rest position by placing your hands where they are comfortable for you. Your feet may be together or up to 12 inches apart. When viewed from the side, your body should form a generally straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. On the command 'go,' begin the push-up by bending your elbows and lowering your entire body as a single unit until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground. Then, return to the starting position by raising your entire body until your arms are fully extended. Your body must remain rigid in a generally straight line and move as a unit while performing each repetition. At the end of each repetition, the scorer will state the number of repetitions you have completed correctly. If you fail to keep your body generally straight, to lower your whole body until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground, or to extend your arms completely, that repetition will not count, and the scorer will repeat the number of the last correctly performed repetition. If you fail to perform the first ten push-ups correctly, the scorer will tell you to go to your knees and will explain to you what your mistakes are. You will then be sent to the end of the line to be retested. After the first 10 push-ups have been performed and counted, however, no restarts are allowed. The test will continue, and any incorrectly performed push-ups will not be counted. An altered, front-leaning rest position is the only authorized rest position. That is, you may sag in the middle or flex your back. When flexing your back, you may bend your knees, but not to such an extent that you are supporting most of your body weight with your legs. If this occurs, your performance will be terminated. You must return to, and pause in, the correct starting position before continuing. If you rest on the ground or raise either hand or foot from the ground, your performance will be terminated. You may reposition your hands and/or feet during the event as long as they remain in contact with the ground at all times. Correct performance is important. You will have two minutes in which to do as many pushups as you can."

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with United States Army Physical Fitness Test

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what United States Army Physical Fitness Test claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to United States Army Physical Fitness Test before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about United States Army Physical Fitness Test ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of United States Army Physical Fitness Test

In research: United States Army Physical Fitness Test appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses United States Army Physical Fitness Test in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: United States Army Physical Fitness Test is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fitness tests, United States Army physical fitness, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for United States Army Physical Fitness Test outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “United States Army Physical Fitness Test” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study United States Army Physical Fitness Test in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what United States Army Physical Fitness Test means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain United States Army Physical Fitness Test out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is United States Army Physical Fitness Test in simple terms?

Why does United States Army Physical Fitness Test matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study United States Army Physical Fitness Test?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on United States Army Physical Fitness Test.