How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test
Expert advice on preparing for this rigorous test.
Ben Greenfield
Listen
How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test
(correction_with_script)
Listener Mike recently wrote in asking:
“Would you analyze the current Army Fitness Test, point out what it is testing, where it fails, and what soldiers can due to max the test without creating a muscle imbalance or hurting their back, shoulders, and knees, which are all common aliments among our service men and women? I am sure all of the soldiers out there appreciate your advice!”
This one is for all you soldiers (and potential recruits) who want to learn everything you need to know about preparing for the Army Fitness Test.
What is the Army Physical Fitness Test?
The Army Physical Fitness Test, also known as the APFT, is designed to test the fitness of soldiers in the United States Army. A test of your muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness is conducted by scoring you on 3 separate events:
-
a push-up completed with your upper arms at least parallel to the ground
-
a sit-up completed with your upper body rising to a vertical position, with your neck over your spine
-
a two-mile run
You are scored on your performance in the APFT by adding up the total number of points in each of the 3 events. Scoring is based on gender, age category, and number of repetitions you perform for the push-up and sit-up, plus run time.
If you’re an active soldier, you are required to take the APFT at least twice a year, and if you’re a reserve soldier, you must test at least once per year.
How to Prepare for the Army Physical Fitness Test
With proper workouts, you can maximize your ability to succeed at the APFTest. For most males to be optimally prepared, you should be able to do 60-75 push-ups in two minutes, 65-80 sit-ups in two minutes, and clock in at 13 to 14:30 minutes for your two-mile run. For a female, be ready for 30-45 push-ups, 65-80 sit-ups and a 15:30-18:00 time for a two-mile run.
Here are your Quick & Dirty Tips to prepare for each part of the APFT:
Push-Ups
Strength and muscular endurance in your chest and shoulders are just one component of the push-up. For example, if you drop and do 20, and find that your arms don’t get tired, but your low back is sagging or your abs are hurting, you likely have issues with a weak core. If your shoulders sag or drop, you likely have weak scapula and upper back muscles. If your upper body does not get tired during the push-ups, but your legs feel unstable, you likely have weak quadriceps or hip muscles.
So to work yourself up to a high number of push-ups with good form, you should do:
-
Planking exercises (especially side and front plank)
-
Upper back exercises (pull-ups and seated rows)
-
Quadriceps and hip exercises (lunges and squats)
-
Push-ups. There is no better training for your upper body APFT preparation than push-ups. However, rather than simply doing the standard push-up, you can do harder variations of the push-up that will make the standard version seem easy!
Sit-Ups
There are 3 possible areas that can get tired or cramped when you’re completing a high number of sit-ups – your hip flexor muscles on the front of your legs, your neck, and of course, your abdominals.
Because of this, your sit-up preparation routine should include:
-
Hip flexor stretching (lunging hip flexor stretch)
-
Neck strengthening, which can be done by using a towel for resistance and moving your head in all four directions
-
Sit-ups. Similar to push-ups, there is no better training for your sit-up APFT preparation than sit-ups!
Two-Mile Run
Running two miles fast will require you to have a combination of fast leg turnover, hip extension strength, and cardiovascular endurance. Your run preparation should include:
-
Fast treadmill or downhill repeats, which will teach you to move your legs quickly
-
Steep hill repeats, which will build hip extensor and leg strength
-
Tempo running efforts at your goal pace for the two miles, which will build your cardiovascular endurance.
Army Physical Fitness Test Workout Plan
Using the information above, here is a sample APFT Workout Plan:
Monday – Full body resistance training workout
-
10-15 push-ups (add 1-2 per workout) or any of these push-up variations.
-
10-15 pull-ups or seated rows
-
10-15 front plank reaches or side plank rotations
-
10-15 squats or lunges
-
20-25 sit-ups (add 1-2 per workout)
-
30-second lunging hip flexor stretch for each side
-
Repeat steps 1-5, four to five times through with minimal rest, then finish with 15-20 repetitions in each direction of towel resisted neck bends.
Tuesday – Warm-up, then 10×60-second hill repeats, with full recover after each repeat
[[AdMiddle]Wednesday – Same as Monday
Thursday – Warm-up, then 20×30-second treadmill repeats at maximum sustainable pace, with full recovery after each repeat
Friday – Same as Monday and Wednesday
Saturday – Four to eight ¼ mile runs at your goal pace for the two mile run (add one repeat for each workout). Full recovery after each repeat. After 4 weeks, switch to ½ mile repeats.
Sunday – Rest, recovery, or sport of your choice.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Army Physical Fitness Test
The push-up, the sit-up, and the two-mile run are simple, non-complex movements that are very easy to quantify and score. The most functional of these tests is the two- mile run, since an individual who is able to quickly complete two miles of intense running will likely be able to handle the cardiovascular requirements encountered on the battlefield or in day-to-day training.
In addition, because they are body weight exercises that require no extra equipment, the push-up and sit-up can be performed with a large number of individuals and a low risk of weight bearing injuries.
But compared to the push-up and sit-up, there are exercises that may be a better indicator of the functional strength and muscular endurance required in day-to-day military activities, such as the deadlift (picking a heavy weight off the ground), push press (hoisting a heavy weight overhead), and the torso twist (using the core muscles combined with the upper body muscles in a standing position). However, each of these exercises is more difficult to quantify and test.
An example of a more complete (but more complex) test is the Candidate Fitness Assessment used to test applicants to the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Military Academy. This test involves:
-
Kneeling Basketball Throw
-
Cadence Pull-Ups
-
120 ft. Shuttle Run
-
Crunches 1:00
-
Push-Ups 1:00
-
1-Mile Run
As you can imagine, this type of test would involve much more equipment and tracking to implement than the APFT!
If you have more questions about the APFT and how to do well at it, share them below in Comments and on the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page!
Soldier image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.