Could you pass the Army's new physical fitness test?
The U.S. Army is rolling out a new fitness test from June 1 that will adopt new standards for all soldiers in combat roles.
In a significant shift, the new fitness standards will be the same for men and women, said Army officials.
The Army Fitness test is 'sex-neutral and age-normed,' and is 'designed to enhance soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force,' according to a news release.
In a Frequently Asked Questions section about the new test, the Army said it is moving to a sex-neutral scoring standard for combat military occupational specialties because 'higher fitness standards are strictly aligned with the unique physical demands of specific roles, maintaining readiness, and mission effectiveness.'
It noted that 'no administrative action will be taken regarding the AFT [Army Fitness Test] until January 1, 2026.'
The Army FAQ also refers to President Donald Trump's executive order that states the federal government will only recognize two sexes — male and female — which campaigners say discriminates against transgender and non-binary people.
It comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to eliminate 'wokeness' from the Pentagon. 'No More Trans @ DoD,' Hegseth wrote in a post on X earlier this month.
The Supreme Court has cleared the path for the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender people from serving in the military. Transgender active service members can 'separate voluntarily' until June 6 and could be eligible for voluntary separation pay. The deadline is July 7 for reserve members.
Some transgender service members are challenging the policy in the courts by arguing that the new policy is a violation of their constitutional rights and is discriminatory.
Dr. Jason Perry, a Florida primary care sports medicine physician with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, told Fox News that the challenge is 'not impossible for the average person with a basic fitness foundation.'
'Generally speaking, the AFT is challenging,' he said. 'But [it's] not impossible for the average person with a basic fitness foundation. It's designed to test full-body strength, muscular endurance, speed, agility and cardiovascular stamina — all elements essential for combat readiness, but also relevant to functional fitness for civilians.'
There are five exercises in the test: Three-repetition maximum deadlifts, hand-release push-ups with arm extensions, a sprint-drag-carry exercise, holding the plank position, and finally, a two-mile run.
In the first exercise, soldiers are required to deadlift the maximum weight possible three times, using a 60-pound hex bar and plates.
Then, they must complete as many hand-release push-ups as possible in two minutes, completely lowering the body to the ground and extending the arms to the side before starting the next push-up.
For the sprint-drag-carry exercise, they must perform 5 x 50-meter shuttles as quickly as possible with a 2 x 40-pound kettlebell and a 90-pound sled.
Soldiers must then hold the plank position for as long as possible to assess muscular endurance, before finishing off with a two-mile run on a 'generally flat outdoor course.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump suggests terminating Musk's US government contracts, subsidies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he may terminate U.S. government contracts and subsidies given to Elon Musk's companies, as the public feud between the two men escalates over a tax and spending bill. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump said in a Truth Social post. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Skift
15 minutes ago
- Skift
Junk Fees, Airport Security, No Tax on Tips: 7 Travel Bills in Congress We're Tracking
Although travel isn't at the top of Congress' agenda, lawmakers in Washington are discussing several bills that would impact the industry. Travel and tourism isn't at the top of Congress' agenda, which this month is dominated by debate over the President Donald Trump-backed 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill. But that doesn't mean that lawmakers aren't attempting to make laws that would directly affect the hotel, lodging, air travel, and cruise industries. Here are seven such federal bills to watch heading into the summer: 1: Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025 Introduced by Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), this bipartisan bill targets 'unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other places of short-term lodging.' Bill co-sponsors include Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Russell Fry (R-S.C.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Craig Goldman (R-Texas), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) and André Carson (D-Ind.). The bill mandates that hotels and short-term rental providers must: Display the 'total services price, if a price is displayed, in any advertisement, marketing, or price list wherever the covered services are displayed, advertised, marketed, or offered for sale.' Disclose 'the total services price at the time the covered services are first displayed to [an] individual and anytime thereafter throughout the covered services purchasing process.' Disclose before a final purchase 'any tax, fee, or assessment imposed by any government entity, quasi-government entity, or government-created special district or program on the sale of covered services.' The bill passed the U.S. House on a voice vote in April. The U.S. Senate is now considering the measure. There, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has introduced a Senate version of the Hotel Fees and Transparency Act of 2025, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Shelley Moo
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump budget bill would kill subsidies that made home solar mainstream
By Nichola Groom (Reuters) -A last-minute tweak to the Republican budget bill passed by Congress last month would immediately end subsidies for solar leasing companies that help make rooftop systems affordable to homeowners, likely leading to a massive drop in the pace of installations, according to industry representatives. President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," now being taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate, would eliminate a 30% tax credit for solar leasing companies that charge homeowners a monthly fee for panels - one of numerous cuts directed at clean energy subsidies passed by former President Joe Biden. That provision, inserted shortly before the bill passed the House of Representatives on May 22, risks stifling a sector that buys American-made equipment, employs thousands of people and relieves strain on the grid, according to industry backers. "That's one of the harsher components of the one big, beautiful bill currently," said Gabe Rubio, a principal in the business incentives and tax credits practice at professional services firm BDO. Tax credits for homeowners who own their own rooftop systems would also be eliminated. The changes could result in as much as 40% less residential solar capacity being installed over the next five years, according to energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. Solar companies are lobbying the Senate to make changes to the bill before it becomes law. "America's home solar and storage industry is a powerful economic growth engine," Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said in a statement. "Senate Republicans now have an opportunity to advance the administration's energy independence agenda by amending this bill to keep American energy prices low and create well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs." Trump campaigned on a promise to repeal the clean energy tax credits in Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, arguing they are expensive, unnecessary and harmful to business. Republican backers of the bill say the subsidy cuts would free up billions of dollars for other priorities. More than 5 million U.S. homes have solar panels, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. LAST MINUTE CHANGE An earlier version of the bill had protected the credit for leased solar systems, but fiscal hawks including Representative Chip Roy of Texas have said publicly that they pressed for deeper cuts to clean energy credits at the eleventh hour. Roy's office did not respond to a request for comment. Solar leasing was pioneered two decades ago by companies including Sunrun and SolarCity, which is now owned by Elon Musk's company Tesla, and quickly became the primary way home solar panels were financed. Under the model, solar installers partner with financiers that own the rooftop panels and offset their federal tax bills by claiming the credit. Homeowners either pay a monthly fixed fee to lease the equipment or pay for the electricity the system generates under a power purchase agreement (PPA). In what some analysts have said could be a loophole, the House bill directly references leased systems but does not mention PPAs. About 44% of residential systems sold today are under such arrangements, according to EnergySage, an online solar marketplace. Solar installers say undermining the subsidies could have a ripple effect on U.S. manufacturers that supply them. Freedom Forever, a top privately-held installer based in Temecula, California, said in two years it has gone from using no U.S.-made equipment to now sourcing 85% of it from American facilities. That is thanks to another IRA subsidy that provides bonus 10% tax credits for using American-made equipment. "The administration wants to bring manufacturing back to the United States, and that's what our industry has been doing for the last two to three years," Freedom Forever CEO Brett Bouchy said.
