You Will Be Required to Take and Pass, a Physical Fitness Assessment

You will be required to take, and pass, a Physical Fitness Assessment prior to going to Initial Active Duty Training. You will take an initial PFA within 1 to 10 days of signing your contract at the MEPS. The Physical Fitness Assessment will measure your upper body strength by having you do push ups, your lower body and abdominal strength with sit ups, and your cardiovascular endurance with a 1 mile run. You will receive additional information about the PFA from your recruiter.

How to Prepare

Physical Fitness is the ability to function effectively in physical work, training, and other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any emergencies which may arise. The components of physical fitness are as follows:

• Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance- the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.
• Muscular strength- the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.
• Muscular endurance- the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.
• Flexibility- the ability to move the joints (for example, elbow, knee) or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.
• Body composition- the amount of body fat a soldier has in comparison to his total body mass.

PT Pocket Guide