"Daily physical training builds morale and unit cohesion," says Army 1st Lt. Eric Lazerow, a veteran with 11 years' military service and one deployment to Afghanistan. "It consists of running, stretching, calisthenics or circuit training and lasts approximately 1.5 hours." Known as PT, these daily workouts help soldiers meet the military's physical fitness requirements.
Army Physical Fitness Test
Soldiers must be fit, and the military branches measure their fitness through PT tests. The Army requires these tests to be administered every six months.
"Currently, PT tests measure the number of push-ups and sit-ups you can do in two minutes and how fast you complete a two-mile run," according to Lazerow. "Points are awarded for the number you finish in each event and how fast you complete the run. To pass, you must earn at least 60 points in all three events."
Requirements
Requirements are based on age and gender. For the push-up event, Lazerow must perform between 39 and 77 push-ups with excellent form --- back flat with upper arms parallel to the ground. For sit-ups, he must complete between 76 and 82. Form is important.
"Your heels must remain on the ground throughout the test," Lazerow says. "You must keep your fingers interlocked behind your head and your neck must break the plane of your spine."
Push-ups
The key to increasing your push-ups is to do them repeatedly. Find your starting number by dividing the number you can do now in half. If you can do six push-ups right now, start with three.
Train three days a week, resting one day between workouts. On day one, perform four sets at your starting number, resting for one minute between each set. If you start with three, perform four sets of three push-ups. For the fifth and final set, do as many push-ups as you can with excellent form. On days two and three, add one additional push-up each day. If you started with three push-ups, do four on day two and five on day three.
Repeat this workout weekly. Increase your push-ups by multiplying your starting number by the number of weeks you've been doing the program. If you started with three, week two would begin with six, week three with nine and so on until you've reached your goal.
Sit-ups
The sit-up workout follows the same format as the push-up program. Find your starting number by dividing the number of sit-ups you can currently do in half. Perform this starting number for four sets, resting for one minute in between. For the fifth set, do as many sit ups as you can. Build gradually by multiplying your starting number by the number of weeks you've done the workout. Repeat weekly until you've reached your goal.
Deck of Cards
"My favorite PT workout uses a deck of cards," says Lazerow. "The type of card tells you what exercise, and the card value is the number you must do."
Get a deck of 52 cards. Hearts are triceps push-ups; Diamonds are traditional push-ups; Spades are sit-ups; Clubs are crunches. Pull a card and perform the exercise. For example, the eight of diamonds means you perform eight push-ups. Face cards are worth 10. The workout is finished when the last card is pulled.
References
- Army 1st Lt. Eric Lazerow
- 2010 Army Physical Fitness Test Standards
- "A Guide to Personal Fitness Training"; Mary Yoke; 2003
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