Back in the '70s when I first put on a uniform, the Army had a five-event PT Test. It required equipment, and a training area, and it was hard to schedule and to conduct. The Army was "getting over" Vietnam, and trying to simplify things, and one of the things they simplified was the PT Test. The new PT test consisted of sit-ups, push-ups and two-mile run. It took no equipment or specialized training area. A Commander could run it anywhere.
It seems that the Army is considering changing the PT Test. You can read ll about it here. Now, they want a six-event PT test that will require a pull-up bar and deadlift equipment.
Bad idea, Army. You need a PT Test that measures the readiness of soldier, but that does NOT require any specialized equipment. Re-learn the KISS principle (Keep it simple, Stupid) and don't burden Commanders with extraneous nonsense.
4 comments:
Sorry pawpaw. When's the last time a soldier had to make a two mile run in combat? Could be simplified by making them carry ammo cans, or lift a sandbag or even another human. Both of which could be expected of a troop
Mark D
A lot of us old farts from the draft era Army don't recognize how high standards are today, IMO. As I recall, the 2 mile shamble needed to be done in ten minutes.
Our PT test was the six day a week one mile reveille run, combat boots, German winter and a belly full of last nights beer. You didn't want to be in the rear, the methane would gas you.
Somebody looking for a medal... sigh
Well Seasoned Fool: when I retired, the lowest required time to MAX the PT test was 12:30, for, IIRC, the 27-31 year old male group. Minimum to pass for the same group was about 4 minutes slower. That was a change from when I started, and the lowest time to max was 11:54, for 17-21 year old males.
I agree with PawPaw - this thing is going to be a mess. Way too complex, and the addition of the deadlift, especially, is going to lead to a lot of injuries. (Bad deadlift form + heavy weight = lower back muscle pulls. Which suck to try to recover from. Believe me, I know.
And administering this test is going to be an absolute nightmare for Guard and Reserve units. They'll probably have to end up devoting one entire drill every year to just the PT test. If not having it suck up a bunch of time during AT.
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