{"id":810,"date":"2010-09-13T16:20:51","date_gmt":"2010-09-13T23:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leanmeanvirilemachine.com\/?p=810"},"modified":"2011-03-06T09:46:26","modified_gmt":"2011-03-06T17:46:26","slug":"the-low-down-on-the-new-army-pt-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2010\/09\/13\/the-low-down-on-the-new-army-pt-test\/","title":{"rendered":"The Low-Down on the New Army PT Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"new<\/a>I recently ran across this great article<\/a> on the New York Times’ website, explaining the new army PT test and how it differs from the tried-and-true trinity of two-mile runs, push ups, and sit ups.<\/p>\n

First, a Disclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I get going, I just wanted to note that I am not and have never been a member of the military. I am writing this as an “outsider.” Nevertheless, I see a strong military as a crucial element to any successful society, and therefore have nothing but the highest respect for those who choose to defend our country.<\/p>\n

The Bad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, if you read that article, you’ll notice that the author really seems to be pushing one point. Namely, that the result of the changes to the Army’s fitness standards is due to the increasing problem of new recruits being out of shape and\u00a0having more and more difficulty meeting the current standards.<\/p>\n

Well, two-thirds of Americans are now overweight, with half of those obese. People are also reaching these milestones and much younger ages. So it’s unsurprising that new recruits are becoming more and more out of shape. A lot of people may be pooh-poohing the new fitness requirements, but let’s take a closer look at them…<\/p>\n

The Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s a quick look at what the new test looks like:<\/p>\n

Army Combat Readiness Test<\/a> <\/embed><\/object>\t<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In short, here’s what’s getting the axe in the new program:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Sit ups<\/li>\n
  • Long runs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And here’s what getting a bigger emphasis:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Stretching<\/li>\n
    • Isometrics<\/li>\n
    • Agility and balance training<\/li>\n
    • Sprinting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Looking at those changes, I can’t help but notice that, no matter what the reasons behind the changes, the Army has wound up with a more efficient fitness program that will reduce injuries while emphasizing more the functional movements that soldiers will actually need to utilize in the field.<\/p>\n

      Crunches are an unnatural way of strengthening your core, straining your back and neck, when compound movements and isometrics are much more appropriate. And long runs, while they may not be terrible, don’t offer a whole lot of benefits that you don’t get from emphasizing sprints instead.<\/p>\n

      My Take<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Some people may look at the loss of sit ups and de-emphasis on long runs as indicative of a military that is getting more and more out of shape. I, on the other hand, think that the new Army PT test shows an increased interest in the kinds of movements that our bodies are designed to do, helping recruits to become stronger and healthier much more efficiently.<\/p>\n

      What do you think of the change in the Army’s fitness standards? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I recently ran across this great article on the New York Times’ website, explaining the new army PT test and how it differs from the tried-and-true trinity of two-mile runs, push ups, and sit ups. First, a Disclaimer Before I get going, I just wanted to note that I am not and have never been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[127,126],"class_list":["post-810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","tag-functional-fitness","tag-military"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":890,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810\/revisions\/890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}