This is something that’s been on my mind a lot. One of the guiding principles of The Everyday Marksman is that fitness matters and is a vital part of becoming a well-rounded (figuratively, not literally) marksman.
As I started thinking about this article, I couldn’t help go but go back into the many complaints I had about the Air Force’s fitness assessment that I did for years. I’ll reserve the details of my complaints, but they boil down to a phase I remember from long ago, “you are what you measure.”
The Air Force assessment, which was similar to the classic Army APFT at the time, is a one-size-fits-all approach designed to be administered on any patch of dirt in the world, by anyone, without any equipment. The problem, to me at least, was that it encouraged poor form and rewarded certain body types more than capability. It was more of a health assessment than an test of capability.
Why Produce a Fitness Test?
So why would a gun blog worry about producing a fitness test? That’s a valid question, for sure, and I talked about it in a podcast episode. But let me touch on this real quick and give you a glimpse of my “Why.”
It’s no secret that I think building a solid base of fitness is an important part of becoming a well-rounded citizen and marksman. It’s also something. I believe too many people in the shooting and preparedness communities neglect their fitness. Instead, they choose to spend money on new gear in an effort to make up for (or at least feel better about) their physical shortcomings.
I also like specific and measurable targets to aim for. While holding myself to the same standards as a military fitness test like the ones I did every year in the Air Force have a degree of validity to them, I’m simply not bound by the same rules and limitations that they are. So I decided to come up with my own test based on my own research and what seemed “right.”
Designing a Better Test
One of my earlier interviews for the podcast was with Dr. Whitfield East, one of the key people responsible for the Army’s ACFT. One of the things that stood out to me while researching for that interview, and his answers during our conversation, was how there are several realms of fitness.
With that in mind, I started thinking about fitness assessments in terms of levels and realms rather than raw scores. So rather than a single “do-all” test, I decided to create three of them with increasing difficulty and specificity.
- Level 1: General physical condition
- Level 2: Strength and work capacity
- Level 3: High-stress situational preparedness
You should not progress to working on the next level until you’ve at least met the par score on the preceding level. In other words, don’t go for Level 2 until you pass Level 1.
Also, remember that these assessments should not be workouts in of themselves. You don’t prepare for a test by taking the test. Rather, you should perform exercises and drills specifically designed to train for each event, and then validate that you’ve done a good job preparing using the test.
The Level 1 Fitness Assessment
Level 1 is about basic physical conditioning and health. None of these events should be particularly strenuous. But if you are out of shape, then you might find them difficult.
Each event scores on a scale. The combined points of all events is used as the final score. Failing any single event is not enough to fail the entire assessment, but scoring very low in any one area does make it more difficult to pass overall.
The goal is ensuring a spectrum of capability rather than specialization. This assessment does not distinguish between male, female, young, old, or disabled. The standard is the standard.
I know there will be pushback against holding someone in their 50’s or 60’s to the same standard as someone in their 20’s. Keep in mind that this isn’t a job interview, and nobody is going to care how well you do. The reality of life is that being older puts you at a physical disadvantage compared to someone younger. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still be capable.
That said, I scaled this test so that passing it is relatively easy, but doing extremely well on it is difficult. The maximum possible score is 500. The minimum score to pass is 300 points.
Earning between 300 points and 349 points equates to a “marginal” rating. It’s a pass, but you should note your weak areas and improve on them.
Between 350 points and 449 points is a “good” rating, and between 450 and 500 points is “excellent.”
Before moving on to Level 2, you should make it a goal to achieve at least a rating of “good.” Getting “excellent” would be even better.
Do not cheat yourself. Unlike my time in the military, passing or failing this assessment has no impact on your career and nobody is going to treat you differently regardless of how you do on it. Use proper form at all times to complete each exercise. This will become even more important at the Level 2 assessment where failure to use proper form could result in injury.
Remember, when you cheat in training you’re only stealing from yourself.
The Events
The Level 1 assessment utilizes the following events:
- Hand release push-ups
- Bodyweight air squat
- Plank
- 1.5 mile run
- Four-mile ruck
Disclaimer
I am not a medical professional, nor am I certified as a personal trainer or anything like that. I’m simply an enthusiast who has read a bunch of stuff and written down what I think makes sense. Before engaging in any of these assessments, you should consult with a medical professional.
Body Composition Notes
I am not including an assessment of body composition as a graded part of the fitness test. It’s a little too subjective from person to person without paying a good amount of money to do it professionally. That said, I absolutely think it’s an important factor to monitor.
As a quick and dirty assessment, I suggest using the waist to height ratio. Determine this by measuring the circumference around waist at belly button level and dividing it by your height.
Your goal is keeping this ratio at less than 0.5, meaning your waist measurement is less than half of your height. If your ratio is between 0.5 and 0.59, then you should put effort into cleaning up your diet.
If your ratio is greater than 0.6, then you should consider your fitness assessment an automatic failure. You need to fix this issue immediately.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but having too much body fat (especially visceral fat amongst your organs) has an extremely strong correlation with severe health risks. The waist to height ratio is a good proxy for determining your level of fattiness. To become a well-rounded marksman, especially in an emergency situation, you must minimize your chances of becoming a liability because of poor health.
Administrative Set-Up
You should complete all events within a 72-hour period. Ideally, you could do them all in one go on the same day, but I know life gets in the way and it’s not like you’re having to work around an NCO or officer’s schedule to make your PT test appointment.
I’m not setting hard rules about how much rest you’re allowed to have between each exercise, but if you’re going to do this as quickly as possible then I would say you should give yourself at least 5-10 minutes between each event.
The complete score chart is at the bottom of the article. You can jump straight there if you would like, but if you aren’t intimately with each exercise, let’s break it down.
Hand Release Push-up
The simple push-up is one of the easiest ways to measure general upper body strength. I first came across the hand release (HR) push-up variant while learning about the Army ACFT. In my interview with Dr. East, he relayed that it has a larger range of motion than the typical military pushup and involves more muscle groups.
To perform the exercise, begin in the prone position with your chest flat on the floor. Your feet should be flexed with toes pointing into the ground. Place your hands just outside of your chest and roughly even with your nipples. For proper width, consider placing your index fingers so they are just below the fronts of your shoulders as you lay on the ground.
Your arms should angle back about 45 degrees from your shoulders. Do not not flare them out. Press and raise your body off of the floor while keeping your back rigid. After reaching the maximum height, return to the floor and then lift your hands slightly while squeezing your shoulder blades together.
That is one repetition. Here’s a video demonstration of the movement.
Administering the Push-Up Exercise
You have two minutes to complete as many correct repetitions as you can. The maximum amount of points is 100, which you can achieve with 60 repetitions. The scoring scale changes as you do more repetitions.
Rest as much as you need during the event, but time will not exceed two minutes.
Bodyweight Air Squat
While the push-up is a good test of upper body strength, the classic squat is a good measure of lower body strength. As the Level 1 assessment is about general conditioning rather than strength, this particular version is performed without any additional weight.
The squat is an easy movement to mess up, especially when we put the priority on speed over quality. I want to you to focus on correct form now, because squats with weight become more important in later levels and improper loaded squat form is a recipe for injury. I’m including two videos here. The first shows you good instructions for a solid bodyweight squat, the second demonstrates a good drill for developing proper form.
Administering the Squat Exercise
You have two minutes to complete as many proper repetitions as you can. You must start in the standing position with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed slightly outward. Lower yourself until your hips are below your knees and your thighs just pass below parallel to the ground.
You do not need to go all the way down (so-called “ass to grass”). Return to the standing position. Your back should remain as straight a possible the entire time, and that means you’re going to have to “sit back” into the squat- otherwise known as the proper squat form.
The Plank
Up until very recently, the military loved to test abdominal strength by using the classic sit-up. I was actually quite good at this during my active duty PT tests. That wasn’t because I had particularly strong abs, but because the form they made us used allowed me to “cheat” and use my hip flexors to assist. At the same time, many people had back problems and other issues that got them out of doing sit-ups all together.
I’ve noticed a shift away from sit-ups, and that’s a good thing. The Army uses knee-tucks, which is a more complicated movement, and the USMC starting allowing planks in 2019. I prefer planks for this assessment because it tests the deep core muscles responsible for stabilizing your torso and lower back.
Performing the exercise is relatively simple, but here is a video showing pointers on the correct form.
Performing the Plank Assessment
The starting position is on the ground but resting. When the timer starts, you must assume the position and hold it for as long as possible while maintaining the correct form. If any other part of your body (i.e. hips or chest) touches the ground, then the timer stops and the assessment is over.
If the back arches up or sags down (without touching), then a spotter will remind you to assume the correct form. If the correction does not immediately happen, then the timer stops and the assessment is over. The spotter may give up to three reminders, but upon the fourth occurrence of bad form, the timer stops and the assessment ends.
1.5 Mile Run
Find a level area to run 1.5 miles without stopping. A local school track works well, it also lets you perform the previous three events all in one go. Otherwise, use a mapping tool to find a 1.5 mile route around a neighborhood. Minimize the number of hills.
Begin running when the time starts, and stop the time when you’ve reached 1.5 miles. You may walk if you need to, but running or walking doesn’t change the score.
For some goals to keep in mind:
- “Marginal” starts at 15:00
- “Good” means beating 12:00
- “Excellent” is better than 10:23
Four-Mile Ruck
Unlike the other components of this assessment, this one requires you to use some equipment. It could be a ruck, weighted vest, or something else, but you need a way to carry weight as you walk.
For this test, you must carry 35 lbs of dry weight, so that does not include any water or something that you might consume during the test.
I’ve written a lot about rucking in the past, and even have a challenge or two about it. Moving distance under load is a foundational human skill, and so it appears at every level of Everyday Marksman fitness standards.
Performing the Ruck Assessment
As with the run, you will need a relatively flat path to walk four miles. This could be a loop that you perform multiple times, a single route, or an “out and back” to a set point. No matter the method, it must be four miles.
You must already be wearing your weight before the timer begins. When the timer starts, begin the route and stop the timer when you reach four miles. I suggest a GPS monitor or some other method to help you keep an established pace.
You earn maximum points by maintaining a 13 minute per mile pace for all four miles. This is difficult and I do not suggest you try this unless you are well-conditioned and practiced at rucking. For a target, a solid rucking pace to shoot for is 15 minutes per mile, which will earn you 84 points in this portion.
Wrapping Up and Score Chart
This concludes the details for the Level 1 Everyday Marksman fitness assessment.
Again, once you’ve achieved a good combined score on this assessment, step up to the Level 2 fitness assessment and see how well you do there!
As promised, here’s the complete scoring chart. With this format, you can target a certain score range and see what it would take from each event to get there. For example, shooting for a score of 70 on each event (the minimum to be considered in the “good” range) requires 30 push ups, 50 squats, a 1:30 plank time, a 12:00 1.5 mile run time, and a 4-mile ruck time of 1 hour 4 minutes and 40 seconds.
| Points | Push-Up Ct. | Squat Ct. | Plank Time | Run Time | Ruck Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 60 | 80 | 4:00 | 9:34 | 0:52:00 |
| 99 | 59 | 79 | 3:54 | 9:39 | 0:52:30 |
| 98 | 58 | 78 | 3:48 | 9:44 | 0:53:00 |
| 97 | 57 | 77 | 3:42 | 9:49 | 0:53:30 |
| 96 | 56 | 76 | 3:36 | 9:54 | 0:54:00 |
| 95 | 55 | 75 | 3:30 | 9:59 | 0:54:30 |
| 94 | 54 | 74 | 3:24 | 10:03 | 0:55:00 |
| 93 | 53 | 73 | 3:18 | 10:08 | 0:55:30 |
| 92 | 52 | 72 | 3:12 | 10:13 | 0:56:00 |
| 91 | 51 | 71 | 3:06 | 10:18 | 0:56:30 |
| 90 | 50 | 70 | 3:00 | 10:23 | 0:57:00 |
| 89 | 49 | 69 | 2:52 | 10:28 | 0:57:30 |
| 88 | 48 | 68 | 2:48 | 10:33 | 0:58:00 |
| 87 | 47 | 67 | 2:42 | 10:38 | 0:58:30 |
| 86 | 46 | 66 | 2:36 | 10:43 | 0:59:00 |
| 85 | 45 | 65 | 2:30 | 10:48 | 0:59:30 |
| 84 | 44 | 64 | 2:24 | 10:53 | 1:00:00 |
| 83 | 43 | 63 | 2:18 | 10:58 | 1:00:20 |
| 82 | 42 | 62 | 2:12 | 11:02 | 1:00:40 |
| 81 | 41 | 61 | 2:06 | 11:07 | 1:01:00 |
| 80 | 40 | 60 | 2:00 | 11:12 | 1:01:20 |
| 79 | 39 | 59 | 1:57 | 11:17 | 1:01:40 |
| 78 | 38 | 58 | 1:54 | 11:22 | 1:02:00 |
| 77 | 37 | 57 | 1:51 | 11:27 | 1:02:20 |
| 76 | 36 | 56 | 1:48 | 11:32 | 1:02:40 |
| 75 | 35 | 55 | 1:45 | 11:37 | 1:03:00 |
| 74 | 34 | 54 | 1:42 | 11:42 | 1:03:20 |
| 73 | 33 | 53 | 1:39 | 11:47 | 1:03:40 |
| 72 | 32 | 52 | 1:36 | 11:52 | 1:04:00 |
| 71 | 31 | 51 | 1:33 | 11:57 | 1:04:20 |
| 70 | 30 | 50 | 1:30 | 12:00 | 1:04:40 |
| 69 | 28 | 1:27 | 12:20 | 1:05:00 | |
| 68 | 26 | 49 | 1:24 | 12:40 | |
| 67 | 24 | 1:21 | 13:00 | 1:05:15 | |
| 66 | 22 | 48 | 1:18 | 13:20 | |
| 65 | 20 | 1:15 | 13:40 | 1:05:30 | |
| 64 | 18 | 47 | 1:12 | 14:00 | |
| 63 | 16 | 1:09 | 14:20 | 1:05:45 | |
| 62 | 14 | 46 | 1:06 | 14:40 | |
| 61 | 12 | 1:03 | 15:00 | 1:06:00 | |
| 60 | 10 | 45 | 1:00 | 15:20 | |
| 59 | 15:30 | 1:06:15 | |||
| 58 | 44 | 0:57 | 15:40 | ||
| 57 | 15:50 | 1:06:30 | |||
| 56 | 43 | 0:54 | 16:00 | ||
| 55 | 9 | 16:10 | 1:06:45 | ||
| 54 | 42 | 0:51 | 16:20 | ||
| 53 | 16:30 | ||||
| 52 | 41 | 0:48 | 16:40 | ||
| 51 | 16:50 | ||||
| 50 | 8 | 40 | 0:45 | 17:00 | 1:07:00 |
| 49 | 17:10 | ||||
| 48 | 39 | 0:42 | 17:20 | ||
| 47 | 17:30 | ||||
| 46 | 38 | 0:39 | 17:40 | ||
| 45 | 7 | 17:50 | 1:07:10 | ||
| 44 | 37 | 0:36 | 18:00 | ||
| 43 | 18:10 | ||||
| 42 | 36 | 0:33 | 18:20 | ||
| 41 | 18:30 | ||||
| 40 | 6 | 35 | 0:30 | 18:40 | 1:07:20 |
| 39 | 18:50 | ||||
| 38 | 34 | 19:00 | |||
| 37 | 19:10 | ||||
| 36 | 33 | 0:28 | 19:20 | ||
| 35 | 5 | 19:30 | 1:07:30 | ||
| 34 | 32 | 0:26 | 19:40 | ||
| 33 | 19:50 | ||||
| 32 | 31 | 0:24 | 20:00 | ||
| 31 | 20:10 | ||||
| 30 | 4 | 30 | 0:22 | 20:20 | 1:07:40 |
| 29 | 20:30 | ||||
| 28 | 0:20 | 20:40 | |||
| 27 | 29 | 20:50 | |||
| 26 | 0:18 | 21:00 | |||
| 25 | 3 | 21:10 | 1:07:50 | ||
| 24 | 28 | 0:16 | 21:20 | ||
| 23 | 21:30 | ||||
| 22 | 0:14 | 21:40 | |||
| 21 | 27 | 21:50 | |||
| 20 | 2 | 0:12 | 22:00 | 1:08:00 | |
| 19 | 22:10 | ||||
| 18 | 26 | 0:10 | 22:20 | ||
| 17 | 22:30 | ||||
| 16 | 22:40 | ||||
| 15 | 1 | 25 | 0:08 | 22:50 | 1:08:30 |
| 14 | 23:00 | ||||
| 13 | 23:10 | ||||
| 12 | 24 | 0:06 | 23:20 | ||
| 11 | 23:30 | ||||
| 10 | 23:40 | 1:09:00 | |||
| 9 | 23 | 0:04 | 24:50 | ||
| 8 | 25:00 | ||||
| 7 | 0:03 | ||||
| 6 | 22 | ||||
| 5 | 0:02 | ||||
| 4 | 21 | ||||
| 3 | 0:01 | ||||
| 2 | 20 | ||||
| 1 |
Hey Matt – Happy New Year! In general I agree with the emphasis on fitness and your selected Level 1 assessments. I was in the USMC in the 80s and will stand by their standard PT test at the time for an overall fitness assessment. If I remember correctly – it consisted of max count pull ups, 2 minute sit up count and a timed three mile run. The scoring was high enough that attaining a 1st class rating was quite difficult even for fit 18 YO Marines! I agree with you that a ‘plank hold’ engages core strength more and is a better test than sit ups. I stand by the pull up as the best upper body strength assessment though as I saw so many young men struggle (including myself) to ‘max out’ 20 strict reps. The 3 mile timed run was the deal breaker for 1st class attainment – again if I remember – 18 minutes was the maximum time for a 1st class score . Our drill instructor in boot camp (former grunt) claimed he regularly ran the 3 miles under 15 minutes! At the time those considering special forces consideration had to obtain and maintain 1st class PT scoring from boot camp thru regular fleet testing – wasn’t easy! I would like to suggest a great single exercise that we used to do in regular PT sessions as a good measure of fitness. I have read it was developed and used extensively by the pre-SEAL… Read more »
Hey Paul, happy new year to you as well!
You’re right, the pull-up is a great measure of strength to weight ratio. I thought about putting it here, but since Level 2 actually specifically deals with strength levels, I’m putting in that test 🙂
I’m also very familiar with the 8-count bodybuilder as it was a staple of PT sessions throughout my career.
I like this I’ve been thinking a lot about fitness this year as well.
Suggestion: I might consider a 1.5 mile run instead. There’s also a 12 min run with measuring distance. The reason those are popular are because they correlate really well with your VO2 max. The correlation is 0.8-0.9 if memory serves. So if you’re looking for a general fitness measure that might be worth subbing out after research for next year.
Hey Noah, thanks for commenting. You know, I went back and forth about whether I should use 1 mile, 1.5, or more. My entire military career involved the 1.5 mile run, as defined by Dr. Cooper back in the day.
The reason I used the 1-mile here is that I’m “barbelling” it with the 5k ruck. So you have a combination of both a shorter duration run time and a longer duration ruck time. The scientific validity of doing this way is probably questionable, lol. I’m not an expert here, but that was my thinking.
Hey Noah, follow up on this comment- this test now uses the 1.5 mile run for the reason you mentioned.
hey matt,
i am new to this site. i just read this and decided to see if i measure up. but i will need some time (a month) to get in a little better condition. i have had some health and medical issues that i am trying to work thru. i am 71 years old now so i know some of this won’t be easy for me. once a pass with a good score then i will look at the next level. if i can’t do the lowest level there is no need to progress further. i still have my shooting skills at a fairly high level. i did shoot some 3-gun way back in the mid 80’s. i was able to be competitive at the national level back then. later i lost the vision in my right eye. years later i taught myself to shoot lefty. that was a challenge. i did shoot an appleseed way back with fred when it was just getting started. i had a ar-10 and shot a 214 my first time. in one month i will take this test and post my score and times. maybe i can inspire some younger people with my efforts.
keep up the good work!!!