Welcome to the Get Fit Guys quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

My name is Ben Greenfield and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Listener Mike recently wrote in asking,

Would you analyze the current Army fitness test, point out what it is testing,

where it fails, and what soldiers can do to max the

test without creating a muscle imbalance or hurting their back, shoulders, and knees, which are all

common ailments among our servicemen and women. I'm sure all of the soldiers out there would

appreciate your advice. So, this one is for all you soldiers and potential recruits who want to learn everything

you need to know about preparing for the Army Physical Fitness Test.

The Army Physical Fitness Test is also known as the APFT, and it's designed to test the fitness

of soldiers in the United States Army.

It's a test of your muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness, and is conducted

by scoring you on three separate events.

The first is a push-up, which you need to complete with your upper arms at least parallel

to the ground at the bottom point of the push-up.

Number two is a sit-up, which is completed with your upper body rising to a

vertical position with your neck at least over your spine. And number three is a two-mile run.

So you are scored on your performance in the APFT by adding up the total number of points in each

of the three events, the push-up, the sit-up, and the two-mile run. Scoring is based on your gender,

age category, and number of repetitions you performed for the push-up and the setup, plus

your runtime. If you're an active soldier, you need to take the APFT at least twice a year,

and if you're a reserve soldier, you need to test at least once per year. Now, with proper workouts, you can maximize your

...