United States Army Physical Fitness Test
Army Reservists (Troop Program Unit - TPU) and National Guard Soldiers were required to take a "record" test once per calendar year.
Army reservist and national guardsmen components do not change upon deployment or entering active duty status.
[1] FM 7-22 covers the administration of the APFT, as well as ways to conduct individual, squad and unit level physical training sessions If, due to a diagnosed medical condition, a soldier was temporarily unable to conduct one or more of the events in the record APFT, the soldier could have been granted an extension to allow him or her to overcome his or her injury and return to an acceptable level of physical fitness.
If a soldier had a permanent medical condition that kept him or her from conducting the two mile run, an alternative aerobic event consisting of either a 2.5-mile walk, an 800-yard swim, or 6.2-mile cycle ride could have been taken.
Quoted from Army FM 7–22: "The push-up event measures the endurance of the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles.
On the command 'go,' begin the push-up by bending your elbows and lowering your entire body as a single unit until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground.
Your body must remain rigid in a generally straight line and move as a unit while performing each repetition.
You may reposition your hands and/or feet during the event as long as they remain in contact with the ground at all times.
On the command 'get set,' assume the starting position by lying on your back with your knees bent at a 90- degree angle.
After you have reached or surpassed the vertical position, lower your body until the bottom of your shoulder blades touch the ground.
A repetition will not count if you fail to reach the vertical position, fail to keep your fingers interlocked behind your head, arch or bow your back and raise your buttocks off the ground to raise your upper body, or let your knees exceed a 90-degree angle.
If you are physically helped in any way (for example, pulled, pushed, picked up, and/or carried) or leave the designated running course for any reason, you will be disqualified.
Scoring on the APFT is based on gender, age category, number of repetitions performed of the push-up and sit-up, and run time.
Prior to May 2013, the scoring algorithm also included an extended scale, by which soldiers could earn more than 100 points in an event by performing better than the 100-point standard.
For soldiers who have a medical or physical condition which prevents them from being able to successfully participate in the two-mile run, alternate aerobic events are authorized.
Scoring for alternate aerobic events is either GO or NO-GO (pass or fail) and is based on the gender and age of the individual.
[7] Restrictions applicable to the APFT for soldiers with medical conditions (including pregnancy) or on physical profiles are stipulated in Army Regulation 40-501.
[9] Failure to pass two or more consecutive record APFTs can lead to separation from the Army, although this is not always the case.
Soldiers who have failed an APFT are often put into a "remedial program" first, which includes additional physical training.
An APFT failure also results in the soldier being "flagged" which make them ineligible for promotion and attendance to military training and/or schools.
source: APFT Standards In rare occurrences, soldiers have died during or right after the physical fitness test.
