A Historical Review and Analysis of Army Physical Readiness Training and Assessment

Abstract

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

The Benefits of High-Intensity Functional Training Fitness Programs for Military Personnel

“…Standard military physical training programs and fitness tests for all services focus on cardio-respiratory fitness (e.g., the Army 4-mile unit run and the 2-mile and 1.5 mile runs that make up part of the APFT and the Air Force Fitness test, respectively) and muscular endurance (e.g., push-ups, pull-ups) 27 . Distance running, in particular, has long been a core training and assessment method for the military 28 . In contrast, HIFT programs are designed to produce general physical preparedness (GPP) across multiple fitness domains and general physical skills, including specific tasks required for combat 11,29,30 .…”

Is High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT)/CrossFit Safe for Military Fitness Training?

“…Distance running has long been a core training and assessment method for the military 47 . For instance, all military fitness tests involve distance runs of either 1.5 (Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard), 2 (Army), or 3 miles (Marine Corps).…”

The New Army Combat Fitness Test: An Opportunity to Improve Recruitment and Retainment

“…The US soldiers recently arrived from constabulary duty in Japan, where they had been conducting peacetime service and were not accustomed to Korean mountain combat. The Task Force Smith soldiers became “winded and overwhelmed” as they moved across the hilly terrain , and the Army partly attributed the massive casualties resulting from this action to reduced fitness and increasing obesity. This conclusion was reinforced by a landmark study published in 1954 by Kraus and Hirschland .…”

“…Task Force Smith shed light on a lack of national attention on fitness. Combined with the findings of Kraus and Hirschland and the Army’s need for a physically fit recruiting pool, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness on July 16, 1956 .…”

“…The lessons of military readiness garnered from Task Force Smith are used as an example of how the health and fitness of a nation are integral to fielding and training the force for combat . Childhood obesity and poor physical fitness are attributes directly related to the inability to recruit and train future soldiers for service in the Army . Since the time of Task Force Smith, obesity prevalence has increased, and fitness has declined among draft‐age youth.…”