Air Force PT test requirements

This is arguably one of the most important parts of BMT prep! It's also the one that can be the most daunting. I know when I first started, I was mortified because I was absolutely, pitifully out of shape. I have turned that all around! Here is my method of preparing for a fit life in the Air Force.

Remember, fitness is an incredibly important part of your career. You will be expected to maintain your fitness for the rest of the time you are in the military. Your goal shouldn't be to "get by". Seek to exceed the minimums and do your absolute best!

(There are some slight variations on what I can find about the current BMT requirements, so be aware that the actual requirements may differ slightly. This is what I found on Military.com , please also see About Careers for another version of the current requirements. I will be seeking clarification on this.)

Once you're in the Air Force, PT requirements will be based on your gender and age, but preparing for BMT is the same across the board regardless of your age!!!!

Here is a training challenge to help you build up your sit-ups and push-ups steadily in a short amount of time. This is just intended to give you a starting point. Don't just aim to pass, aim to exceed!!! A friend of mine who is active duty suggested the 100 push-up program and 200 sit-up program for intermediate training, so if you are able to pass minimums, try something more challenging!

30 Days to Passing Sit-ups and Push-ups! (for women!!!! This is not a sufficient amount for men to pass!)
	Sit-ups	Push-ups
Day 1	10	5
Day 2	12	6
Day 3	14	7
Day 4	16	8
Day 5	18	9
Day 6	20	10
Day 7	rest	rest
Day 8	22	10
Day 9	24	11
Day 10	26	12
Day 11	28	13
Day 12	30	14
Day 13	32	15
Day 14	rest	rest
Day 15	34	15
Day 16	36	16
Day 17	38	17
Day 18	40	18
Day 19	42	19
Day 20	44	20
Day 21	rest	rest
day 22	46	20
Day 23	48	21
Day 24	50	22
Day 25	52	23
Day 26	54	24
Day 27	56	25
Day 28	rest	rest
Day 29	58	26
Day 30	60	27

In addition to the PT components, I recommend the following Beachbody programs to help supplement your fitness abilities.

- Insanity- fast-paced cardio workouts that challenge both your strength and your cardio ability
- Hammer and Chisel- strength workouts that will build your strength throughout your entire body
- 22 Minute Hard Corp- boot-camp style workouts that are short yet intense and mimic some of the types of workouts you might see at BMT

************ Purchase these programs HERE! ***************

An App I use that has been enormously helpful in calculating my PT score is the "PFA Calculator". I highly recommend downloading this app. You plug in your gender, age, waist circumference, push-ups, sit-ups, and run time and it calculates your score for you.

You will hear people say, "You don't have to be fit beforehand, you'll get fit at BMT." I personally believe that if you've got the fitness aspect down, it's one less thing to be stressed about. You won't have control over much at BMT, but this is one thing you DO have control over now. Take advantage.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."


Running 

The component that has the most "weight" in your PT test is your run. 50% of your score comes from the run! If you do poorly in the run, it doesn't matter if you max out (get the highest) points for everything else. Make sure that you are comfortable with running 1.5 miles or ideally more before you go to BMT.

My advice is to start small and slow. If you haven't run before, start out with some intervals. Warm up, run for a minute and walk for a minute or two, and do this about 20-30 minutes max if you're not used to running. Slowly work up to running more and walking less. I have never followed a strict schedule. I just listen to my body. Eventually you want to be able to run 30-40 minutes at a time, and you want to run 1.5 to 2 miles without stopping.

A fun way to help prepare for BMT would be to sign up for a 5K and train for it. That way you're training for something really fun. Try a color run or a mud run, especially if you're not that keen on running. It will help motivate you when you're feeling a little blah.

DO NOT OVERDO! If you go out and run like crazy from the get-go, you risk injury. Believe me, it is NOT worth it. Shin Splints are one of the common running injuries from doing too much too soon. They hurt, and they take a while to heal. Be smart and start off slow if you're new to running. I promise that you'll get there!

Sit-ups 

Lay on your back with your arms crossed over your chest and your feet firmly fixed under something heavy or under a friends knees. Sit up fully until your elbows touch your thighs, and then "fall" back down. Try not to expend energy or waste time laying down carefully. Practice on a soft mat or carpet if you can so you can get the full effect.

Start out with just seeing how many you can do in the time limit and then continue doing them until "failure", meaning you can't do any more. Every day, work on doing more than you did before, timing yourself first and then going beyond the time limit to do more. It's a long process, and you're not going to see progress overnight.

Push-ups 

You must do push-ups on your toes/feet. No knees! Butt down, back straight, core tight! Lower yourself until your arms are bent at 90 degree angles. Push back up all the way. Try to do them relatively fast because if you pause every time it's going to feel harder and you'll struggle to get enough done in the time limit.

Use the same principles in the Sit-ups section. Start out seeing how many push-ups you can do in the minute time limit. Then keep going. If you have to break and go down to your knees, go for it. Just remember you won't be allowed to do that at BMT, so make it your goal to do more and more on your feed and less on your knees.