Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) FM 21-20 / TC 3-22.20 Training Info

Setting the bar for APRT

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:11:09 +0000

Soldiers across the 3rd Infantry Division participated in a new type of physical training test this month that will change the fitness standards for the entire U.S. Army.

The test is part of the Army Physical Fitness School’s pilot program, launched at multiple installations, including Fort Jackson, S.C., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Fort Sill, Okla., Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Stewart to establish the scoring systems for the new Army Physical Readiness Test and Army Combat Readiness Test.

This is the first major change to the current Army Physical Fitness Test in nearly 31 years.
“Our goal is to focus on preparing Soldiers to train using warrior tasks and battle drills,” said Frank Palkoska, director for the U.S. Army Physical Readiness Division. “You should train like you fight.”

The pilot program, which included Soldiers of varying age, rank and gender from multiple units at each installation, is the final step in the Army-wide transition from the Army Physical Fitness Test to the new APRT, which coincides with the Physical Readiness Training that was implemented August of last year.

“I volunteered just to be a part of something new,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer L. Atherton, force protection noncommissioned officer-in-charge for the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, one of many Soldiers that volunteered to take part in the APRT/ACRT pilot program. “It’s always exciting to be a part of a test program.”

The new APRT, which is designed to get a better assessment of a Soldiers physical endurance while curbing the number of injuries associated with the APFT, consists of five events: a 60-yard shuttle run, the standing long jump, one minute of the rower (or atomic sit-up), one and a half mile run and a minute for the push-up with no resting position.

“Overall these events will give commanders a better snapshot at the Soldier’s physical readiness at the point the test is given,” said Palkoska.” The current APFT is too limited on what it assesses.”

Some of the events, such as the sit-up, Soldiers are glad to see go, but other changes, like the no-rest push-up, has led them to feel a bit apprehensive.

“I was a little concerned with the push-up portion, being there is no resting position and over the years I’ve developed a technique that involves resting and pushing out more reps as time runs down,” said Sgt. 1st Class Atherton. “It turned out ok though, I actually did very well.”

A majority of the Soldiers who participated in the program agree that the APRT will serve to better assess their overall endurance.

“The events seem more rounded and the fact that there are more of them to do feels like a better evaluation of how physically fit we are,” said Spc. Adrian B. Turner, an electrician assigned to 554th Company, 92nd Engineers Battalion, who is attached to the Third Infantry Division. “The only event I could see causing an injury would be the shuttle run, depending on the surface that it is held on.”

Soldiers do not appear to have any problems with the physical demands of the new APRT but instead, after years of training and mastering the events of the APFT, worry about the difficulties associated with becoming proficient at the new events that are more technically challenging.

“I think it was time for change and Soldiers should embrace it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Atherton. “I think Soldiers are so comfortable with the APFT that this will take a little bit of time for them to adjust to.”

Palkoska understands the difficulties of acceptance that come with change, but is confident that once Soldiers give the program a chance they will see that it will help them better prepare for the physical challenges they will face in combat.

“We developed the APFT 31 years ago and now we’re the guys saying it’s time for a change,” said Palkoska. “Training has changed therefore the tests themselves must change.”

Though it may take some time before Soldiers are comfortable enough to fully embrace the new APRT, the new scoring standards, which expands the age categories and will be the same regardless of gender, is widely accepted.

“I think the exercises involved will determine if a Soldier is fit regardless of their gender,” said Sgt. Brandi N. Chambers, a brigade S1 noncommissioned officer assigned to 3rd Sustainment Bde., 3rd Infantry Division. “The new scoring system will leave no room for discrimination. Either you’re fit to fight or you should just go home.

Soldiers began the second part of the pilot program, the ACRT, here July 21 and will continue until July 28.

The ACRT is a timed course consisting of several events including a 400-meter run, a casualty drag, a high crawl, hurdles, walking a balance beam while carrying two ammo cans and several other obstacles the Soldier must navigate, all done while wearing the Army Combat Uniform and Advanced Combat Helmet and carrying a weapon.

“This course is no joke,” said Staff Sgt. Mitchel Beauchamp, a section chief assigned to Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “It may have only lasted seven minutes, but those seven minutes are non-stop.”

The ACRT is projected to be given annually and will be used as a pre-deployment assessment of how physically ready a Soldier is to perform in a combat situation.

“It seems like a better test of physical endurance in a combat situation,” said Staff Sgt. Beauchamp. “The activities even test the duties we perform on a daily basis and we’ve never tested like that before.”

Like the APRT, the events that make up the ACRT require greater coordination and timing than the APFT, but even seasoned Soldiers appear to be more ready to accept the ACRT as the new standard.

“I’ve been in since 1987 and this is truly a big change,” said Staff Sgt. Beauchamp. “I believe we’re heading in the right direction. I definitely see this as a change for the good.”

When the pilot program is completed and the data has been compiled, a scoring system will be established and the new APRT and ACRT are slated to be implemented Army-wide as the new standard approximately October of 2012.

U.S. Army Physical Training to Change

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:27:28 +0000

Soldiers around the Army are taking a fresh approach to PT, following a formal overhaul earlier this year of the service’s physical fitness program.

Field Manual 21-20 has been replaced by Training Circular 3-22.20, known as Physical Readiness Training, which features techniques designed to improve conditioning and help prevent injuries. The new standardized model is based on lessons learned in eight years of war.

“It’s a big transition, due to the fact that the older Army – we were all about doing PT just to pass the (Army physical fitness) test, rather than to train as we would fight in combat,” said SSG Darius Andrus, a drill sergeant with A Company, 1st Battalion, 378th Infantry Regiment. “That’s the major change.”

He’s among 10 drill sergeants at Fort Benning who are part of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s PRT transformation committee. As the program takes shape, the group coordinates any modifications or improvements with the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Under FM 21-20, Soldiers only worked muscles used for sit-ups, push-ups and running, SSG Andrus said. PRT builds strength, endurance and mobility through activities such as crawling, climbing, sprinting, circuit training and combatives. He said other examples include preparing for foot patrols in full combat packs and equipment or hauling an injured buddy out of harm’s way.

“It stimulates all types of muscles,” he said. “The purpose of the PRT program is to develop a more agile, versatile, lethal and survivable force – while preparing Soldiers and units for the physical challenges of fulfilling the mission in the face of a wide range of threats, in complex operational environments, and with emerging technologies.”

Most civilians coming into the Army are increasingly out of shape, said LTG Mark Hertling, TRADOC’s deputy commanding general for initial military training. He discussed obesity and the poor physical shape of an average 18-year-old during the Infantry Warfighting Conference in mid-September.

“It’s not an Army problem. It’s a national problem,” he said.

The PT changes were necessary to reduce preventable training and sports injuries in Soldiers and boost mission readiness, SSG Andrus said. PRT was created in 2005 but didn’t become the Army’s primary PT program until March. The revisions in basic training were fully implemented at initial military training installations in July.

The drill sergeant said the PRT program has significantly lowered the number of PT-related injuries across TRADOC. In the Army alone, musculoskeletal conditions account for more than half of all disabilities, creating compensation of about $125 million annually, he said.

“Knee and back injuries constitute a significant proportion of disability and limited duty,” he said. “PRT decreases injuries, which will in turn decrease the amount of patients seen by medical providers

The youngest generation has grown up with energy drinks and soda while playing video games on the couch, instead of drinking milk and taking physical education classes in school, LTG Hertling said. The Army has seen a major increase in dental problems and bone injuries during basic training. In the last 15 years, average body fat has also increased to 30 percent in the South., lowering the compensation amount while increasing mission readiness.”

The general said the challenge is taking young Soldiers entering the Army under these conditions and getting them ready to hump the Hindu Kush, a 500-mile mountain range between northwest Pakistan and eastern and central Afghanistan.

“Obesity is a national problem,” LTG Hertling said, “but the Army will fix it – one Soldier at a time.”

WHAT IS PRT’

The Army’s Physical Readiness Training program consists of three conditioning phases:

Initial phase – establishes a safe starting point for people considering entering the Army.

Toughening phase – develops foundational fitness and fundamental movement skills.

Sustaining phase – continues physical development and maintains a high level of physical readiness appropriate to a Soldier’s job and unit requirements.

* Reconditioning is used to restore physical fitness levels that enable Soldiers to re-enter the toughening or sustaining phases safely, and then progress to their previous levels of conditioning.

* Soldiers in basic combat training, one station unit training and Basic Officer Leader Course A participate in the toughening phase. Advanced individual training, the latter phases of OSUT, BOLC B and a Soldier’s first unit of assignment take part in the sustaining phase.

APRT to resemble Soldiering skills

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:07:25 +0000

I feel as though we’re putting the cart ahead of the horse when I hear talk about whether a Soldier can pass the new PT test. The experts at the Physical Readiness Division will tell you that they are still in a data collection mode and only one-third of the way there — all of which means that the events of the test themselves are not yet set in stone.

Rather than worry about a test that is still in the works, Soldiers should be thinking about how much better the new test will be to measure overall fitness, now that physical training has become more relevant for them. Remember that we are developing a system of training that relates to performance, particularly as it relates to combat.

Think back a few years, when we first began an intensive review of our initial military training. We determined that we wanted to develop a physical training program geared to increase the fitness of new Soldiers so that they would be ready for a more rigorous PT routine once they reached the operational force.

We wanted PT that was relevant and at the same time sought to balance the goal of increasing capabilities while limiting the number of injuries that occur. It was also important to take a positive approach and make the PT portable in a sense that we want Soldiers to improve and maintain the established level of fitness once they depart to their new duty stations.

It’s a system of training in phases, all the while ensuring that Soldiers are always prepared for a wartime mission.

In a few words, PT would become relevant and something to which Soldiers could relate. For example, in the past, when a Soldier did plain-old sit-ups and push-ups, he or she didn’t associate that particular exercise with anything that fell within his or her duties as a Soldier. Now when a Soldier does, for example, climbing drills or runs short sprints, the connection may not be made right away, but eventually he or she will recognize that the new regimen fits in with Soldiering when in combat or competing for an expert badge.

The rationale behind the new Physical Readiness Training program is consistent with the initial military training objective that Army leadership has in mind with core Soldiering skills. This is a quantum leap forward and bears little resemblance to how we viewed repetitions of various exercises in the past — although some of the same exercises, such as the push-up, are part of the new regimen but with modified times and restrictions.

Let me explain further. A Soldier who currently does 60 or 70 push-ups in two minutes the old way we did things, might find him or herself struggling to do 30 in one minute the new way with not being able to adjust the hands or take a short break to re-energize.

Perhaps that’s why there has been some stressing over what it will take to pass the new Army Physical Readiness Test and specifically what scores a Soldier will need in every event. The new APRT is made up of five events: A 60-yard shuttle run, one minute of the rower, standing long jump, push-ups for one minute and a 1.5 mile run. But, again, the events are subject to change once the piloting is done in September and the data is processed.

Let me let you in on a little secret and also offer you a bit of advice: Never sweat a test if you have correctly prepared. If you studied the training circular (TC3-22.20 that replaced FM 21-20) — which has been out for a year — and you have your head in the game and have applied yourself, it’s not a question of passing, but rather how well you will do.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to take some work and concentration to pass the new test or any other test. You will need to get in shape and familiarize yourself with the new components of the test, and then practice.

The new test is a more accurate muscular strength, endurance and mobility assessment, particularly as it relates to those skills necessary to survive in combat. But in the end, the new test, which — I repeat again — is still in the trial phase and subject to some tweaking before anything is finalized and implemented, will give unit leaders a better idea of a Soldier’s physical readiness, to a much greater extent than the old test, developed way back in the late 1970s and implemented Army-wide in 1980.

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