Emerging Army Physical Readiness
The Standard Army Pushup is often an ugly sight
Critics of today's Army physical training (PT) program often complain that too much time and energy is spent preparing for the three-event Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).
Push-ups, sit-ups and the two-rnile run dominate PT in many units because the APFT is directly linked to promotion and retention. This trend is slowly changing as commanders look for alternative assessments to measure the combat physical readiness of their soldiers.
"As the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School (USAPFS) prepares to revise PT doctrine in the next few years, alternative PT assessments will be a priority," said Frank Palkoska, USAPFS's chief of doctrine. "Literally hundreds of valid, reliable and objective PT tests have been developed over the years and we are evaluating many of them.
"Some already exist in previous PT manuals and could provide us with valuable data as we shape future doctrine. The 1946 APFT is a good example, and it allows us to compare our scores with soldiers from that period," said Palkoska.
Meeting or surpassing World War II physical fitness standards would be reassuring, but falling short would provide valuable information as PT doctrine is reshaped to meet the future, Palkoska said.
Lessons learned during WWII resulted in the 1946 revision of FM 21-20 Physical Training. It describes three kinds of fitness: technical fitness provides the knowledge and skill to fight; emotional fitness develops the incentive and the will to fight; and physical fitness contributes the strength and stamina to fight. The 1946 PT manual also stressed the integral relationship between strength, stamina, agility and coordination to survival, and victory on the battlefield.
The manual states that "Soldiers must still perform most of the arduous tasks which fighting men for thousands of years have had to do. There are always places where mechanized units cannot maneuver, tasks which they cannot accomplish, and situations in which equipment becomes disabled."
The battle-focused orientation of WWII PT doctrine resulted in a variety of exercises, some of which are now considered too difficult and dangerous for many of today's soldiers.
"The current APFT falls short in the area of motor fitness," said USAPFS Instructional Systems Specialist Steve Van Camp. "Motor fitness is simply the ability to move well. It includes a composite of physical readiness factors including speed, agility, endurance, balance, flexibility, strength, power, precision and coordination.
"Motor fitness training and testing were well developed in Army PT doctrine during WWII and we can do much better today," said Van Camp, who added the Army definitely needs to expand its horizons in the motor fitness arena.
The 1946 APFT was comprised of five events.
The pull-up was executed with hands facing away from the body. This exercise measured Soldiers' ability to climb obstacles. Squat jumps predicted a soldier's ability to repeatedly assume a low cover position and quickly return to the upright.
"The push-up is strict by today's standards with hands placed on the ground directly under the shoulders," Palkoska said. "There was no time limit for the pushup event, but the test ended when the soldier stopped to rest, bent the body or moved his hand or foot."
The sit-up event is similar to current doctrine, but Soldiers then had to touch alternate elbows to their knees adding a flexibility dimension to the event.
"The 300-yard shuttle run simulated the short anaerobic burst often, required to accomplish individual movement techniques," Palkoska said. For this event, five laps of 60 yards each were done on a flat, open field.
"More than 150 Soldiers from numerous units have taken the 1946 APFT within the last two years," Van Camp said. "We see a wide variety of scores, with some units doing much better than others. Many Soldiers fall short on the squat jump, pull-ups and 300-yard shuttle run.
"We have also found that the Soldiers do far fewer pushups when held to the WWII standard. However, sit-up scores were comparable," Van Camp said.
Palkoska said in the future, the Army must develop and employ assessments that measure soldiers' ability to complete the most physically demanding mission essential tasks.