https://taskandpurpose.com/new...itness-test-walking/

The new Air Force fitness test will feature walking instead of running and modified push-ups

The service is experimenting with a 'choose your own adventure' physical fitness test.

The Air Force raised some eyebrows on Monday when it announced upcoming changes to its physical training test that would allow airmen to choose their own adventure for demonstrating physical prowess.

The new test, which the service will begin to experiment with in January 2022, will allow airmen to choose between running, shuttle run sprints, and walking for the aerobic portion of the test. Shuttle run sprints involve sprinting back and forth between two markers about 25 meters apart. They could then choose between planks and sit-ups for the core strength measure. And for the final portion of the test airmen would be allowed to choose between push-ups and raised-hand push-ups.

Instead of going up and down like a traditional push-up, the raised hand push-ups allow airmen to alternate lifting their hands up while in the push-up ready position, said Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services at Air Force headquarters, when he discussed the upcoming changes to the physical fitness test in a live chat with Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass on Monday.

The new options are supposed to give airmen more flexibility to do the test the way they want to, Kelly explained. The test will begin a six-month trial period starting in January.

“Say you’re not a long-distance runner but you wanted to run fast back and forth, we have a shuttle run back and forth about 25 meters apart,” he said.

There may be more options revealed over the next several months, but the lieutenant general ruled out swimming or rowing as other options for the aerobic portion. Not all Air Force installations have the facilities for those kinds of tests, he explained. The test will still score participants on a 100 point scale, with the aerobic portion being worth 60 points and the other two worth 20 points each.

The announcement stirred up discussion on forums like Facebook and Reddit, where some airmen made the interesting observation that the walking test may be more tricky than it sounds. Previously, airmen could walk instead of run only if they had a medical waiver to do so.

“The walk f**ked my shins,” said one Reddit user. “They burned for days. Poor shins. Don’t walk. Don’t ever walk. Do the damn sprints.”

“It’s only harder if you don’t practice it a couple of times,” said another. “You’ll get really bad shin splints.”

Others were excited to do the shuttle run instead of a 1.5 mile run.

“Us dwarves are quite dangerous over short distances,” said one Reddit user, quoting the dwarf Gimli in Lord of the Rings.

Kelly said the updated test will not include a weight measurement or a waist measurement, which was done away with late last year. However, he said that starting October 1, 2021, there will be a discussion about some kind of required body composition measurement which is yet to be determined. Some kind of body composition measurement is required by federal law, he explained.

“It’s also just about appearance in our uniform,” Kelly said. “People count on us to protect them. They have to see us as credible warfighting people.”

The body composition test will be separate from the physical fitness test and will not count towards that score, though airmen might do it at the same time as a time-saving measure, Kelly said. He also explained that the form of the body composition test is yet to be determined, though he mentioned “abdominal circumference” as an example of what the composition might look like.

It’s unclear if that means the Air Force could effectively bring back the unpopular waist measurement practice. In the past, some airmen went to the point of starving themselves to pass the waist test, former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air force Kaleth Wright said in 2019, according to Military.com.

“And then they try to run or do the other components, and we’ve had airmen who have lost their lives or have become injured,” Wright said.

Given that all of these changes are still up in the air,we wanted to know what you, our readers, think of it. Are you happy about the new options? Does the walk sound awful? How do you think the test measures up to those of other services? And do you think it meets the Air Force’s needs? What other options would you like to see on the test?

So basically some fat kid that sits on the couch eating twinkies could pass. Sad to see that we have to lower the standards because they can't get enough people to pass.

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
Kelly said the updated test will not include a weight measurement or a waist measurement, which was done away with late last year. However, he said that starting October 1, 2021, there will be a discussion about some kind of required body composition measurement which is yet to be determined. Some kind of body composition measurement is required by federal law, he explained.

“It’s also just about appearance in our uniform,” Kelly said. “People count on us to protect them. They have to see us as credible warfighting people.”

The body composition test will be separate from the physical fitness test and will not count towards that score, though airmen might do it at the same time as a time-saving measure, Kelly said. He also explained that the form of the body composition test is yet to be determined, though he mentioned “abdominal circumference” as an example of what the composition might look like.

It’s unclear if that means the Air Force could effectively bring back the unpopular waist measurement practice. In the past, some airmen went to the point of starving themselves to pass the waist test, former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air force Kaleth Wright said in 2019, according to Military.com.

“And then they try to run or do the other components, and we’ve had airmen who have lost their lives or have become injured,” Wright said.

For those currently in the AF - when I read this it seems to say that there are no height/weight requirements? Is that true?

I guess they put off the Amazon.com shopping fitness test for another year.

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
So basically some fat kid that sits on the couch eating twinkies could pass. Sad to see that we have to lower the standards because they can't get enough people to pass.

They'll be flying the drones.

LOL

I'm actually shocked that the USAF who seems to be wanting to morph themselves into Army #2 anymore (see how fast they ditched the blue/gray camo for the Army's new uniform) didn't try to copy the fiasco that is the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Gotta be satire....isn't it?

I can see making running optional, especially if you're older and have sustained a careers worth of back/hip/knee injuries however, substituting it for cycling or, swimming would be a better alternative over 'walking'

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
So basically some fat kid that sits on the couch eating twinkies could pass. Sad to see that we have to lower the standards because they can't get enough people to pass.

They'll be flying the drones.

That's probably true. While the idea bugs me, the reality is that the fat kid that spent years gaming is probably going to be a better drone pilot than a HS football player who is in great shape.

Well shucks. Even the Air Force might not take me now that I’m too old AND can hardly walk. At least I can still guard my yard.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
So basically some fat kid that sits on the couch eating twinkies could pass. Sad to see that we have to lower the standards because they can't get enough people to pass.

They'll be flying the drones.

That's probably true. While the idea bugs me, the reality is that the fat kid that spent years gaming is probably going to be a better drone pilot than a HS football player who is in great shape.

basically -- it's come down to there should be different standards based on Occupational Specialty.

why should the 'standard' be the same for a Infantry Ranger vs. a logistics specialist? the Army has made some effort in this area but the implementation of their 'new' Combat Fitness Test has been a train wreck.

my opinion is -- if you can run 2 miles in 18 mins or so; do 50 push ups in 2 minutes and 50 situps in 2 minutes, hike 6 miles in 90 mins w/ a pack on and have no major disabilities -- you probably have a very good chance at succeeding at the vast majority of soldier tasks. not a Rambo fitness level -- but good enough to start.

the 'standard' has seemingly always been USMC > Army > AF / Navy ... in terms of fitness testing / general requirements. but the job requirements vary of course. not too many people in the Navy are ever asked to hike 15 miles w/ a 40 lb pack on. but in the Army I never once touched a fire hose or had to wear a SCBA. apples / oranges and all that.

bottom line is service-wide they should tailor the requirement to the job specialty.

=====================================

Well it is the Air Force.

The actual job is basically video games now.

The standard fitness test for the USAF has been truncated twice now. No longer does the USAF require the full 18 holes of golf. After reducing it to 9 holes, it's currently in it's final, and permanent form: one must complete the entire miniature golf course, but a challenge has been added which may prove an insurmountable barrier for some.

One must get past the windmill at the end and not lose the ball, before going for cotton candy. Thankfully, do-overs are allowed.

My new next door neighbors were both AF medical officers. He’s a MD, she’s a nurse. They each did a lot of time in Iraq. While they are in decent physical shape they both laughed about the number of waivers that are given to both enlisted and officers.

Beat me to it. I was gonna say well you know there is a lot of walking in golf.

Seriously with drones becoming the norm…..frankly I think I want the hopped up on energy drinks, twitch gamer capable of “playing” for days on end.

Modern problems deserve modern solutions.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:

why should the 'standard' be the same for a Infantry Ranger vs. a logistics specialist? the Army has made some effort in this area but the implementation of their 'new' Combat Fitness Test has been a train wreck.

**SNIP**

the 'standard' has seemingly always been USMC > Army > AF / Navy ... in terms of fitness testing / general requirements. but the job requirements vary of course. not too many people in the Navy are ever asked to hike 15 miles w/ a 40 lb pack on. but in the Army I never once touched a fire hose or had to wear a SCBA. apples / oranges and all that.

bottom line is service-wide they should tailor the requirement to the job specialty.

I agree 100%.

"Back in my day," (I retired from the Air Force in 2014), I think the USAF actually admitted the purpose of the Fitness Test was NOT to ensure 'warfighting capabilities' - it was to reduce medical and retirement benefit payments. The USAF Chief of Staff actually complained to us (in a live assembly) that, in 20 yrs, the USAF would pay out something like a billion $$$ in medical/retirement fees, and they wanted to reduce that.

Basically, the USAF figured that retaining healthy, even super-fit people was better for long-term expenses than chunks and less-healthy people (like me). There is a certain logic to this - it's a reasonable assumption that fitter people need less medical care in retirement than less-fit people.

Of course, my argument to that is to ask people "How many pushups could Jimmy Doolittle do? How fast did Robin Olds run 1.5 miles?" The answer to both questions is, of course, "Nobody cares, because they were great wartime leaders." The USAF had a Darwinist thing going on where the people getting promoted were not necessarily the best leaders or best technicians - but those who were skinny and could run fast.

Perhaps they now realize it's getting harder and harder to find those super-fit people, and they have to lower the standards to bring in the needed number of new troops. . .

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:


Of course, my argument to that is to ask people "How many pushups could Jimmy Doolittle do? How fast did Robin Olds run 1.5 miles?" The answer to both questions is, of course, "Nobody cares, because they were great wartime leaders." The USAF had a Darwinist thing going on where the people getting promoted were not necessarily the best leaders or best technicians - but those who were skinny and could run fast.

I saw this in the Army in the 90's and it always made me angry. You could be the biggest sack of shit and a fuckup who could not do your job, but if you could bang out 100 pushups and run 2 miles in 11 minutes, well then you were who they promoted and loved to keep.

When I was in, there was a height / age / weight standard. If you failed it, they put you on what was referred to as the "fat boy program". If you failed to meet the standard after being on that program, you were booted out.

Re: Doolittle and Olds, I understand the point but they were also tough as nails and I bet neither had issues meeting any physical requirements.

Good leaders also have good self-care and discipline as a foundation (or they burn out…)

Look out boys I'm going back into the military!

When I was active duty USAF, the aerobics test was either a 1.5-mile run or a 2-mile walk (in 18 minutes or less--a pretty fast walk!). I did the walk.

There would be some merit, I guess, in customizing the PT requirements to the AFSC/MOS, but that assumes that no one ever works outside their assigned specialty. USMC asserts that every Marine is a rifleman, even high-ranking officers (and tradition seems to support the idea) so they'd all have to pass the combat level PT.

flashguy