The Strategypage is a comprehensive summary of military news and affairs.
 News As History - February 9, 2010




New Strategy - Wargames at Discount Prices
1.Modern Air Power: War Over the Middle East
2.Commander: Napoleon at War
3.Close Combat: Watch am Rhein
4.Gallic Wars
5.Fast Action Battle: The Bulge

100+ Computer and Board games all with free shipping.
 
 
 
Military History | How To Make War | Wars Around the World Rules of Use
How to Behave on an Internet Forum
Infantry Discussion Board
Sign In   Return to Topic Page
Subject: US Army Basic training physical requirements
GOP    9/15/2005 10:43:04 PM
How many pushups, situps, and chinups should I be able to do (as in, maxing out) to get through basic training? I am a strong guy, but I have never really done pushups or situps. I can do 12 chins and a little over 200 situps at a time, but no idea about pushups. How many do they ask you to do every time you drop (25 or so)?

Is Army basic training hard, or is it pretty easy?
 
Quote    Reply

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title     Sort in Reverse Order Posted
shek    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   9/16/2005 7:13:28 AM
GOP, It will depend upon your age. Assuming that you'll be 18-21, the minimum number of pushups is 42 (two minute test), situps is 53 (two minute test), and the 2 mile run is 15:54. The test is given in that order, and you must complete it all within an hour from beginning. Chinups is not a tested event. Whether that is hard or not depends on who you are. Remember, those are the bare minimums, and the standards for a "correct" pushup and situp are strictly enforced. Do a google for FM 21-20 to read the standards and find out more about Army fitness training. As far as whether Army basic training is hard, I'll let someone who has actually gone through it speak to it. By themselves, the tasks are actually all pretty simple, but throw everything together and add the stress of Drill Sergeants, it is a formative experience for the large majority of soldiers that go through it.
 
Quote    Reply

AlbanyRifles    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   9/16/2005 10:24:31 AM
Agree with Shek on standards. Infantry basic was not mentally demanding but it was physically demanding.....but I did it 30 years ago (Oh dear God!!!!! I am SO old)!
 
Quote    Reply

Thomas    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   9/16/2005 10:32:19 AM
Lets be frank: Basic training is not really about learning to be a soldier - it is getting into shape, as the real job is hard physical labour. all the other stuff rifletraining, lectures and so on is just to while away time, as you can only train that much at a beginners level - if you push people to hard, damage will occur.
 
Quote    Reply

GOP    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements - Shek   9/16/2005 11:04:16 PM
That is seriously not 'too' bad. I would have trouble with the running part, though. I thought you were army
 
Quote    Reply

ChdNorm    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   9/17/2005 1:28:39 AM
"How many do they ask you to do every time you drop (25 or so)?" GOP Very seldom do I feel I can proclaim to be an expert. This however, is not the case this time. You will find no one on Strategypage more capable to answer this question than myself. Being dropped for 25 is common. 50 is routine for repeating the same mistakes. Theoretically, if someone were to be caught kicked back in the Company Commander's chair, eating candy from his personal stash, while wearing one of the drill Sgt.'s hats ... while you're supposed to be stripping and buffing. If something like that were to happen, the offender could look forward to spending the rest of the night out in the parking lot in what could only be called "vigorous physical activity".
 
Quote    Reply

Horsesoldier    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements - Shek   9/17/2005 10:02:25 AM
>>That is seriously not 'too' bad. I would have trouble with the running part, though. I thought you were army << I wouldn't worry about the run -- Shek mentioned the passing scores for the Army PT test, but when I went through basic training in 1993, the only requirement to get into basic training was that you could be a token number of push-ups (it was 11 or 13, or something like that). On our diagnostic PT test at the start of basic training, my platoon did pretty poorly on the run, but after eight weeks we had just about everyone passing the run (and the other two events) except for our one PT problem child (who was also the only guy in my platoon who seemed to have gained % body fat during training . . .).
 
Quote    Reply

GOP    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements - ChdNorm   9/19/2005 6:02:43 PM
How many times a day will you be asked to drop for 25? I am in very good shape as far as strength, but not sure about muscular endurance (My excerise routine focuses alot more on gaining strength than muscluar endurance or cardio). I did try to 'max out' on pushups 3 days ago, I got to 87 and went to failure :(
 
Quote    Reply

Horsesoldier    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements - ChdNorm   9/20/2005 10:42:02 AM
I, personally, got dropped exactly once in basic training for an individual error -- do what you're told, don't be a smart a**, etc., and you're not likely to spend tons of time in basic knocking out extra push ups. My platoon would, collectively, get smoked maybe once daily, or every couple of days (more so towards the beginning than towards the end), for something we had either all forgotten to do/messed up, or that someone in particular had done badly enough that the drill sergeants dropped everyone. My first AIT was similar -- my platoon drill sergeant smoked the entire platoon every evening for the first month we were there. After that, I think we collectively got dropped or otherwise harassed maybe twice that I can recall (once my squad, and once the entire company . . .).
 
Quote    Reply

Horsesoldier    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements - ChdNorm   9/20/2005 10:42:36 AM
I, personally, got dropped exactly once in basic training for an individual error -- do what you're told, don't be a smart a**, etc., and you're not likely to spend tons of time in basic knocking out extra push ups. A lot of it will also depend on the MOS you are going into and the drill sergeants you get -- some are more into dropping trainees for pushups than others, etc. My platoon would, collectively, get smoked maybe once daily, or every couple of days (more so towards the beginning than towards the end), for something we had either all forgotten to do/messed up, or that someone in particular had done badly enough that the drill sergeants dropped everyone. My first AIT was similar -- my platoon drill sergeant smoked the entire platoon every evening for the first month we were there. After that, I think we collectively got dropped or otherwise harassed maybe twice that I can recall (once my squad, and once the entire company . . .).
 
Quote    Reply

shek    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   9/20/2005 11:31:46 AM
GOP, I never did basic training (Cadet Basic Training at USMA has a different focus - you will do some basic soldier skills, but is also geared at teaching you things that will allow you to succeed as a cadet, but aren't necessarily directly applicable in the Army - also, the use of pushups and situps as "punishment" isn't allowed - these are leadership tools that are more appropriate for NCOs, who are the primary enforcers of discipline in the US military), but I can tell you that no matter what shape you are in, the drills will push you to the point of muscle failure and beyond. If you are doing 87 pushups, then in that area you will be in the top 5% of your basic training class. Don't neglect your trunk, as abs and hip flexors will also be taxed during physical training and "smoke" sessions. Flutter kicks are a good exercise to bring the heat on soldiers, so do them. Every drill sergeant will have his/her specialty exercise that will expose weaknesses - I'm sure all the guys on this board can still remember the specialty exercises of each of their drills. If you do have an area where you are not as strong in, remember that it is not always necessary to be the fastest/strongest, just don't be the slowest/weakest, as they will get "special" attention. If you are in the top half of your class and have a "can do" attitude, you will still feel the heat from the drills from time to time, but you will also gain their respect and become a member of the team.
 
Quote    Reply

mortarman    RE:US Army Basic training physical requirements   1/18/2006 8:37:03 PM
dont worry about the chin ups drill sgt just uses those so you can get in the chow hall faster.(pushups 17-21 42 min 71 max)(situps 17-21 53 minimum 78 max) (2mile run17-21 15:54 min 13:00max) you have 2min to do pushups and situps its easy.basic is what you make of it be squared away and a leader and you can be the infantry soldier the army whats. LEAD THE WAY.
 
Quote    Reply



StrategyWorld.com© 1998 - 2010StrategyWorld.com. All rights Reserved. StrategyWorld.com, StrategyPage.com, FYEO, For Your Eyes Only and Al Nofi's CIC are all trademarks of StrategyWorld.com Privacy Policy