US Army Makes Changes to Physical Fitness Standards

The United States Army will make changes to their Physcial Fitness Standards.

A revolutionary new physical readiness test will shorten your run distance, eliminate sit-ups, change the way you measure push-ups and add three new events.

In addition, a new combat readiness test may replace one of the two PT tests soldiers do each year.

The changes — the first to the PT test since its inception in 1980 — stem from a nearly yearlong effort by Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, deputy commanding general for initial military training, and Frank Palkoska, director of the Army Physical Fitness School. He and a team of 16 fitness and nutrition experts have built a new test centered on five events:

• 60-yard shuttle run

• 1-minute rower

• Standing long jump

• 1-minute push-up

• 1½-mile run

I will have tips on how to past the Army PRT in upcoming blog posts.