Airmen prepare for harder fitness standards

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Valerie Hosea
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In 2009, the Air Force set new physical fitness standards, which were designed to be more difficult than the current standards and will be effective July 1.

With the date quickly approaching, Airmen should be aware of the changes and how to properly train to meet the standards.

82nd Aerospace Medical Squadron Exercise Physiologist John Martin said the new standards require Airmen to test every six months. He said the standards aren't the only thing that will change, but that the fitness program oversight will also change.

"Starting July 1, everyone would test under the new standards using AFI 36-2905," he said. "The program is leaving the medical side of the house and will be picked up by manpower and personnel. That means that at Sheppard, the 82nd Force Support Squadron will have oversight of the program."

The new standards will also affect fitness improvement tracking. With the new standards in place the Fitness Improvement Activity Log, Air Force Form 1975, and body composition improvement program will not be used, Mr. Martin said. He said the new standards will be tougher, more frequent and less forgiving.

"With no FIP tracking, there won't be too much room for maneuvering once you've failed," he said. "My advice would be to not wait until your test is a month to two months away because that doesn't leave a lot of time for improvement. To maintain a passing level of fitness, you've got to train for 12 months a year. You've got to be a military athlete."

Airmen can also expect changes to the age-group intervals. The new standards score individuals at 10-year intervals, instead the five-year intervals from AFI 10-248, starting with people under age 30 and then 30-39 and so on.

Under the new standards, each component will have a mandatory minimum standard that each person has to achieve to pass.

"With the current standards, someone could struggle with one of the components and still pass the entire test. After July 1, that will not be the case," Mr. Martin said. "If you don't achieve at least the minimum in each component, that will count as a failure, no matter how high the overall score is."

The Air Force will switch to a heart-rate monitored 1-mile walk test as an alternative to the 1.5-mile run test. Points will be calculated with a formula associated with the VO2 to yield a certain numerical value.

Mr. Martin said the cardio-respiratory component is tougher and the abdominal circumference will be more difficult because there will not be a body mass index. The reduction of points will change from starting at 29.5 inches to 32 for females and go from 32.5 to 35.5 inches for males. Females won't start losing points until they reach 32.5 inches, and males won't lose points until they reach 35.5 inches.

AFI 36-2905 also changes the point distribution to include, raising the point value for the 1.5-mile run from 50 points to 60 points and decreasing the abdominal circumference from 30 points to 20 points, with the value of pushups and sit-ups remaining the same.

Mr. Martin said while the test will now give more points to the 1.5-mile run, Airmen should not place their sole focus for training on running.

"You can't just drop all of your other elements in your exercise program to focus on the run," Mr. Martin said. "You still need the primary elements in your training which are strength, cardio-respiratory activity and flexibility. But you also need to address the sub-components of fitness training which are power, speed, agility, balance and coordination.

"Exercises such as footwork drills, jumping rope, box jumps and side and front planks will help with this. Another major part of fitness is diet and nutrition. All of these elements are necessary for good performance. I highly recommend that Airmen do not solely focus on running because it can result in overuse injuries," he said.

Mr. Martin said military members' physical fitness is not only important to maintain good health, but also to maintain combat capability.

"In general, fitness helps you stay healthy and recover from sickness and injuries faster," he said. "For example, someone with a knee injury will recover quicker if they do the physical therapy instead of simply waiting on the injury to fix itself."

"From my experiences in the military, fitness is important to maintain combat capability," Mr. Martin said. "You have to be ready to deploy at a moment's notice and handle any physical tasking that's thrown your way."