Latest news with #ArmyPhysicalFitnessTest
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ranger School's new fitness test is tougher than ever, but nixes sit-ups
The first test a soldier has to take to earn a Ranger tab just got harder — unless you really hate sit-ups. The Army announced Thursday a completely revamped physical fitness test for Ranger School, which all candidates must pass before reporting and then again on the course's first day. The test runs soldiers through a multitude of 'functional fitness' events, all of which they must complete in a set time period, a major change from the individually graded repetitions of exercises in the old test. One thing soldiers might be glad to see: no more sit-ups, and only 30 modified push-ups. 'Push-ups and sit-ups are no longer the Army standard,' said Brig. Gen. Phil Kiniery, commandant of the Army Infantry School, which is responsible for the Ranger course. The previous Ranger test, he said, was based on the now-defunct Army Physical Fitness Test, and required Ranger School candidates to be at the same level as the 70% percentile of 18-to-20-year-olds, regardless of age. The new test is completed wearing combat uniforms and boots. In 14 minutes, soldiers must complete: An 800-meter run. 30 dead-stop push-ups. a 100-meter sprint. 16 lifts of 40-pound sandbags onto a 68-inch platform. 50-meter 'farmers' carry' of two 40-pound water cans. A 25-meter high crawl, 25-meter three-to-five second rush. A final 800-meter run. After that, soldiers will change into their physical fitness uniform and run four miles within 32 minutes followed by six chin-ups. The old Ranger course assessment consisted of 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, a 5-mile run within 40 minutes, and six chin-ups. The new version is a modified version of the Expert Infantry Badge Physical Fitness Assessment, another test that was updated to focus on functional movements. Kiniery said that the test was re-designed to match the Army's newer focus on functional fitness, a style of training focused on large, dynamic, full-body movements, akin to actions in combat. The test is meant to collectively challenge a soldier's stamina, muscular strength, endurance, agility, and coordination, the Army said. 'Our new assessment is better aligned with the Army's focus on training functional fitness and is tailored to help our cadre better assess student potential to successfully complete the Ranger Course safely,' he said. Ranger School is considered one of the Army's toughest training programs, combining leadership challenges and rigorous field training. Soldiers earn their black-and-yellow tab after completing the 61-day course's three phases at Fort Benning, Georgia, in the mountains of North Georgia and in the swampy ranges of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Beginning April 21, soldiers will have to take the new Ranger Physical Fitness Assessment, RPFA, on the school's first day. The new Ranger test mirrors the evolution of the annual service-wide Army Combat Fitness Test. The ACFT — which includes eight functional fitness events — was adopted in 2022 with the goal of preparing soldiers for the physical demands of battle and reducing musculoskeletal injuries. Fitness injuries have long been among the more common injuries suffered by soldiers. In 2021, musculoskeletal injuries made up 81% of all soldier injuries recorded that year, according to the Defense Health Agency. The Marine Corps' Combat Fitness Test, which was introduced in 2008, was also designed as a functional fitness test aimed at testing Marines' physical preparedness for combat operations. Taken every year by all Marines, the test is an 880-yard sprint, 30-pound ammo lift, and a 300-yard 'Maneuver Under Fire' course consisting of a crawl, ammunition resupply, grenade throw, agility run, and a drag and fireman's carry of a simulated casualty. In 2015, the Army opened up Ranger school to women. Over the last decade, women on active duty, and in the National Guard and Reserve have earned their tabs by meeting the grueling fitness requirements — which are the same for all soldiers who go through the school. Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told Task & Purpose in December that more than 150 women had graduated from Ranger school. The Army's Master Combat Badges will be coming to soldiers this month Air Force shoots down Houthi drones launched at Navy carrier strike group Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie 'Glory' erased from Pentagon website 'Saving Private Ryan' didn't make the Army's list of most accurate movie portrayals Army reveals designs for Mountaineering and Mariner Badges
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ranger School Is Getting a New Fitness Assessment
The Army's elite Ranger School, long regarded as one of the most grueling leadership courses in the military, is rolling out a new physical fitness assessment designed to better measure the endurance and strength required to complete the course. The revised standards will debut with Ranger School class 06-25, beginning April 21, marking the culmination of years of development and refinement. Students will be assessed the first day of the course. While the previous assessment focused on individual graded events, the new version is structured as a continuous evaluation of a candidate's ability to sustain high-intensity physical exertion. Instead of isolated graded events, Ranger School students will have a short time to execute two runs and various movement drills generally aligned with the physical fitness test for expert badges. The assessment concludes with a longer run and chin-ups. Read Next: Senate Confirms Investment Banker John Phelan as Navy Secretary "The new [assessment] will allow Ranger course cadre to assess a potential Ranger candidate's ability to endure the physical intensity involved in the Ranger Course, thus reducing risk during the course," Jennifer Gunn, an Army spokesperson, told in a statement. The new measurement of fitness will comprise the following events, with students wearing the standard Army Combat Uniform and boots, within 14 minutes: 800-meter run 30 dead-stop push-ups 100-meter sprint An event in which students lift 16 40-pound sandbags onto a 68-inch platform 50-meter farmer's carry consisting of two five-gallon water cans weighing 40 pounds each 50-meter movement drill consisting of a 25-meter high crawl and 25-meter 3-5 second rush Another 800-meter run Once those events are complete, students will change into their physical fitness uniform and run four miles within 32 minutes. After the run, soldiers will perform six chin-ups. Previously, Ranger School students went through a special fitness test that consisted of at least 49 push-ups in two minutes, 59 sit-ups in two minutes, six chin-ups, and a 5-mile run within 40 minutes -- effectively a more demanding version of the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT, the service's old universal fitness test that is now obsolete. Meanwhile, the service is in the midst of revamping the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT -- the universal fitness assessment all soldiers are graded on. The Army faces a congressionally mandated deadline to adjust the standards for the test for combat-arms soldiers by June. Service planners are currently mulling various ways of shifting scoring standards and whether to add or take away events, multiple Army officials with direct knowledge of the planning have told Ranger School is a 62-day infantry leadership course based out of Fort Benning, Georgia, open to troops from each of the services. Related: How Do You Measure Up? Here's How Soldiers Are Scoring on the Army Combat Fitness Test.
