New U.S. Army PT test and standards

[Deuce Gunner]

The U.S. Army recently released news about their new PT test and standards. 


www.army.mil/article/208189/army_combat_fitness_test_set_to_become_new_pt_test_of_record_in_late_2020


They are keeping the 2 mile run, but hand release push ups are replacing standard military push ups. Hanging (elbow supported) leg lifts are replacing sit ups. In addition, sled drags, kettlebell carries, backward medicine ball throws, and trap bar deadlifts are part of the program.

The Army conducted a study some time ago where they reviewed the job requirements of all their MOSs (Military Occupational Specialty) to see what physical tasks were required in each of them. Fully 71% of the tasks across all MOSs involved lifting/lowering and carrying. Pulling was a distant 4th at 6% and pushing was 5th at 5%. 16 other physical tasks came in well below those.

www.artofmanliness.com/articles/history-of-the-armys-pt-test/

There are a broad enough amount of jobs in the U.S. Army that many of the MOSs mirror the jobs (barring combat arms specialties of course) that civilians do everyday. Now, bodyweight exercises are free, effective, take great skill and ability at their higher levels and can be  a neat looking trick to get you followers on Instagram and such. If those are things that appeal to you, go for it. What irks me is when bodyweight enthusiasts argue that it's a more "natural" thing for the human body to do over working with external objects.  Jumping, leaping, pulling ourselves through trees, and springing from the ground were not what made us the dominant species on this planet because if we were evaluated on that we would be well behind most other species. Figuring out how to do things via concentration and cooperation is what separates us from other species. That was accomplished by a lot of lifting, carrying, and lowering of light to medium weight external objects over extended spaces of time. That's where we excel and what is "natural" for us.


On another note I'm sure some fitness equipment manufacturers of trap bars, kettlebells, and medicine balls will be making quite a bit of money on this change.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Well...

Agriculture is what made us the dominant species. Specifically, growing grains, first and foremost. So, by your logic, bending over and planting hundreds or thousands of grain seeds in a day should be mimicked by our exercise. Then, about a thousand years later, we learned to domesticate some animals, which was really about walking with them to grazing areas. So we should do a lot of walking.

Fact is, if we can do it, it's "natural." There probably isn't one type of exercise "more natural" than any other. In fact, I think it's likely that we were much stronger, more agile animals prior to agriculture, which required less athleticism for our survival (in many ways it was tougher work than Hunting/Gathering, but it's almost certainly less "athletic" work). We were still a weaker species, no doubt, but I have a feeling we have devolved, strength/athletically-wise.

Regardless, our brains are what made us the dominant species. Not anything we did physically. And I get what you're saying about teamwork and what kind of work that entailed, but it's a fact that our bodies haven't actually adjusted to our evolution. For example, many people have back problems because our spines still haven't adjusted to a life of standing on two legs. So it's kind of mistaken to talk about what is "natural" for our bodies.

[Deuce Gunner]

That was my argument against the bodyweight gurus writings.

[Michael]

Thanks for posting that Deuce. Interesting stuff from both You guys. Deuce if You don't mind me asking, what kind of training do You do? Just curious because I find it interesting how others train, Thanks.

[Alan OldStudent]

Jul 16, 2018 20:54:03 GMT DrunkenMonkey said:

Agriculture is what made us the dominant species. Specifically, growing grains, first and foremost. So, by your logic, bending over and planting hundreds or thousands of grain seeds in a day should be mimicked by our exercise.

Maybe they hinged at the hips and then squatted???

---

Jul 16, 2018 20:54:03 GMT DrunkenMonkey said:

Then, about a thousand years later, we learned to domesticate some animals, which was really about walking with them to grazing areas. So we should do a lot of walking.

They maybe built fences to keep the wolves and the other buggers out of the pastures.

[mr potatohead]

..... Fully 71% of the tasks across all MOSs involved lifting/lowering and carrying. ....

.... There are a broad enough amount of jobs in the U.S. Army that many of the MOSs mirror the jobs .... that civilians do everyday. ....

This is reassuring to me. Thanks for posting Deuce.

[trog]

I assume "hand release pushups" are pushups with a clap. Why give an exercise a nonsense name? I don't think you release your hands when doing pushups with a clap - you don't hold the floor. Hand release pull ups makes more sense - I've never managed to do those.

[Deuce Gunner]

Jul 17, 2018 8:40:16 GMT trog said:

I assume "hand release pushups" are pushups with a clap. Why give an exercise a nonsense name? I don't think you release your hands when doing pushups with a clap - you don't hold the floor. Hand release pull ups makes more sense - I've never managed to do those.

Hand release pushups are pushups where the person lowers themselves all the way to the ground so their chest is resting on it and spreads their arms out to the sides, then brings them back to underneath their shoulders to lift themselves for the next rep. This differs from the standard military pushup where normally the chest had to touch the fist of the person who was counting your reps for the test. The hand release push up totally does away with momentum and more realistically simulates the skills and physical abilities needed for a soldier to get down on the ground and push himself back up which is most definitely a useful skill in combat. Much more realistic than the burpee (a fine conditioning exercise nonetheless) which not all that long ago one of the "experts" out there said was originally devised as a way to test how well soldiers could dodge hostile fire. 

A clapping push up is a plyometric exercise and somewhat the opposite of what the U.S. Army was trying to achieve. All explained if you click on the first link I provided.

[TexasRanger]

Hi DG - 

I'd posted information on the "switch" on the New Push Ups and AMM2 boards around 18 months ago after sharing a beer with four Green Berets and their nutritionist in an old haunt where I grab a brewski and some food near the base.  Unfortunately, it got pulled down from the Push Up board (...sigh...).

We were talking about military fitness methods and I asked how many push ups the Army required for qualification along with the other qualifications (eg the night navigation requirements, the team and leadership tests, etc.)...they smiled and explained that push ups are "old school" and the SpecOps teams had already adopted something closer to CF.  There was also an article in Men's Health on the Rangers and how they made the switch: www.menshealth.com/fitness/a18926146/army-ranger-workout-training/

I know the Marines have never emphasized push ups during the training and PT tests, either.  Also, the SEALs have incorporated Yoga as part of their fitness regime along with weights, running, chins, etc.  

[Deuce Gunner]

The elites are normally on the cutting edge and close to 17 years now of ground fighting and counter insurgency teaches valuable lessons.

[TexasRanger]

Jul 17, 2018 21:58:55 GMT Deuce Gunner said:

The elites are normally on the cutting edge and close to 17 years now of ground fighting and counter insurgency teaches valuable lessons.

I think most of the military knew that push ups and sit ups were vastly over-rated years ago...not dissing push ups, but, as the articles mention they don't apply to real world.  They won't help your shooting (whole different set of muscles and gross/fine motor skills), carrying a heavy pack and weapon, etc.