This article contains affiliate links.
The Level 3 fitness standards for the Everyday Marksman are tough. When I first started thinking about fitness tests, the Level 3 standards were about performance under stress, and it took me a long time to figure out what exactly that meant.
As a refresher, the Level 1 standards were about general physical condition. The Level 2 standards focused on strength and work capacity.
Level 3 took me so long to figure out because I didn’t just want to cover the same ground as the first two tests, but “harder.” Also, not being a tactical fitness expert or doctor myself, it’s difficult to devise a test that targets the right “things” expected of someone performing light infantry-style work.
Instead of deriving my own test, I decided to look outward at how actual military and high-performing law enforcement units established tests and standards. From there, I combined them into my own approach.
How Level 3 Works
Unlike previous assessments, Level 3 does not work in terms of ratios. The weights are prescribed and fixed. In the real world, an ammo can is an ammo can and it weighs the same regardless who carries it. Same goes for a ruck, heavy equipment, or anything else. With that in mind, real world performance stems from how well you can handle that fixed weight.
The Events
- Body Composition
- Advance to Contact
- Barbell Clean and Press
- Weighted Pull Up
- 10-Minute Snatch Test
Let’s take a look at each one.
Body Composition
Once again, this event is about ensuring you maintain a healthy level of body fat. Your physical health should never be compromised in pursuit of athletic performance. Doing so would not be playing the long game.
Scoring works as before. This event is a ratio of your abdominal circumference divided by your height.
Advance to Contact Test
The Advance to Contact (ATC) test is actually three parts. I borrowed this from the British Army’s Physical Employment Standards, with a few tweaks. This test evaluates endurance as if you were advancing from a march to an engagement.
This is primarily a rucking test, but the weight changes as you go. To perform it, you need a way to quickly drop a portion of the working weight, like dropping an approach load to continue carrying a fighting load.
You must perform this test wearing “combat” clothing, such as boots, pants, top, etc. This is not to be done wearing gym clothes and running shoes.
You need two items adding up to a total of 80 lbs I suggest a 40 lb ruck or LBE as the base component, and a 40 lb sandbag as the extra component.
Phase 1 consists of a 2.5 mile ruck with a load of 80 lbs. This load is total, including clothing and water. The extra 40 lbs can be carried any way you see fit. With a sandbag, I would rest it across my shoulders. Once you reach the 2.5 mile point, drop the extra 40 lbs and proceed to Phase 2.
Phase 2 consists of a 1.5-mile ruck with a “fighting load” of 40 lbs. Once you reach the 1.5-mile point, begin phase 3.
Phase 3 is a “fire and movement” portion. Still wearing the 40 lb fighting load, sprint 10 yards and drop to prone. Immediately get up and repeat for a total of 10 x 10-yard intervals, or 100 total yards.
Points of Performance
This is a timed event, and the total time is cumulative over all three phases. It starts at the beginning of Phase 1 and ends when you finish Phase 3.
Clean and Press
The classic clean and press Olympic Lift use to be the standard for an individual to demonstrate strength and power. There are few things more “raw” than picking up a weight from the floor and pushing it over your head.
However, in 1972 the movement was removed from the Olympics because the technique of the time became too difficult to judge. Since then, the press fell out of favor as the measure of strength. In time, and rising popularity of power lifting, the bench press became the new measure.
Despite that, the barbell clean and press is still an impressive measure of total body strength and power. There are ways to do cleans, with some including squats and others being a bit slower and more intentional.
For this fitness test, we’re chaining two different movements together. First is the power clean, which involves lifting the weight from the floor, powerfully launching it up the body, and catching it in the front rack position.
From there, you need to get the bar overhead. In the previous edition, I stated this was to be a strict overhead press. For 2026, I’m saying that you can do it any way you like, whether it’s a strongman-style push press, a jerk, or any other method. In the real world, if you need to get something heavy overhead, then you’re going to use whatever technique works best for you.
Points of Performance
Please use caution. Olympic lifts are technical, and it is imperative that you use good technique for the lift to prevent injury. If you have never done a power clean before, then I suggest taking the time to learn it from a coach and practice with light weight until you’re ready to progress.
A complete repetition consists of power cleaning the barbell from the floor, getting the bar overhead and locked out, lowering the weight back to the chest, and reversing it back down to the floor.
Weighted Pull Up
At Level 2, the assessment included the number of pull ups you could do at your own bodyweight. For Level 3, we now measure repetitions using a fixed additional weight of 40 lbs to represent a “fighting load.”
This represents your ability to climb obstacles, ropes, or anything else while carrying your gear.
Points of Performance
As before, one repetition consists of going from a dead hang with arms locked out, to the chin over the bar, and back down. If the chin does not go over the bar, the repetition does not count. If the arms do not reach fully extended position at the bottom, the repetition does not count.
You can use any weight you like, be it a ruck, LBE, dip belt, or anything else- so long as it adds up to 40 lbs.
10-Minute Snatch Test
For 2026, I’m replacing the previous “Grind Test” with something a bit simpler but no less challenging. The US Secret Service Counter Assault Team apparently used this test as part of their selection process.
You will need one 24kg (53lb) kettlebell. Either a hard style or competition style will do. The assessment begins with 10 minutes on the clock. You will do as many repetitions as possible of the one-handed kettlebell snatch as you can in 10 minutes.
Scoring on this event maxes out at 200 repetitions within 10 minutes. Scores are broken down from there, and they work according a sustained cadences of reps per minute.
Points of Performance
You may switch hands as many times as you want. You may set the kettlebell down and rest as much as you want, but the timer continues to count down regardless.
Kettlebell snatches are an amazing movement, but they are also technically intensive. Work up to this test over time.
Execution and Scoring
To wrap this up, let’s go back over the rules of execution. As with the previous two tests, you can perform this series of events over the course of three days. I realize there’s usually pushback around “this should all be done at one time,” but most people simply don’t have several hours to do this back to back unless they do it professionally.
Here’s the scoring chart:
| Category | Points | Body Composition | ATC Time | Power Clean & Press (3 RM) | Weighted Pull-Up (Reps) | 10-Min Snatch (Reps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | 4 | < 0.45 | < 53:00 | 205+ lbs | 10+ | 200+ |
| Excellent | 3 | 0.45 - 0.47 | 53:01 - 60:00 | 185 lbs | 8-9 | 180-199 |
| Satisfactory | 2 | 0.48 - 0.50 | 60:01 - 66:00 | 165 lbs | 5-7 | 160-179 |
| Marginal | 1 | 0.51 - 0.53 | 66:01 - 70:00 | 145 lbs | 3-4 | 140-159 |
| Unsatisfactory | 0 | > 0.53 | > 70:00 | < 3 | < 145 lbs | < 140 |
Overall Scoring
With five total events, there are a 20 possible points. As before, scoring unsatisfactory in any event results in automatic failure of the entire assessment.
- Superior: 18-20 points
- Excellent: 14-17 points
- Satisfactory: 10-13 points
- Marginal: 5-9 points
- Unsatisfactory: < 5 points or 0 points in any event
Wrapping Up
If you’ve worked your way all the way from Level 1 through the Level 3 assessment and earned Satisfactory all along the way, then a hearty congratulations are in order. You’re in the top percentage of individuals worldwide.
If you’ve scored Excellent or Superior along the way, then there’s no other way to say that you’re an absolute unit and should be very proud. For everyone else, including me, these are aspirational goals to work towards.
Damn Matt!
I admit it – my fitness has suffered like a three legged dog at an agility contest as I polish a padded desk chair using buttons to keep boxes of new ‘gear’ landing outside my door. I spent a good quantity of my younger life physically training – running, hiking, martial arts and weight training. As I aged- hiking and weight training were the only things that stuck. The weight training by necessity was pared- down to ‘most bang for the buck’ and the ol’ ‘clean and press’ was my ‘go to’ – nothing like it! Joints aside I try to keep at it as it may be the best ‘functional’ test of strength and if done for reps – endurance test – I have found in my experience. The rucking and kettle ball grind test you’ve outlined look grueling and even the ‘standard’ score looks ‘very ambitious’ for my 62 YO carcass! The ‘combat leg tuck’ is an interesting movement – looks like a retro ‘commando’ exercise – but with a 40lb. ruck? I’m feeling my age now! You’ve always been diverse in content and that’s what makes your site so unique – anything I need to reference you have content on!
Thanks Matt – I’m inspired. Time to blow the dust off the barbell!
I revisited your ‘Level 1’ and ‘Level 2’ Fitness Standards articles – both of which I commented on. Noticed the requests for ‘age’ bracket adjustments for the standards. Reminds me of Sly Stallone’s ‘Balboa’ where an aging and content ‘Rocky’ is triggered back into the ring against a much younger opponent. He seeks the help of ‘Apollo Creed’s’ old trainer who tells Rocky something like – ‘you can’t match his speed and agility (conditioning) but you can be strong’ and puts Rocky on a power lifting training regime (as he already possessed a skill set). That’s not likely a correct quote but the ‘idea’ of an aging man to still obtain ‘strength’ and vitality through weight training (exercise in general) is not a new concept. ‘Do what you can with what you have’ is a good ‘attitude’ towards aging fitness and one you referenced several times – right on Matt.
Stay Strong!
I get the impulse to ask for age-adjusted standards, but given the nature, intent, and scoring of the fitness tests, I didn’t think it made sense. I tried to work the scoring scales (at least for Level 1 and 2) so that achieving a 70% is still very reasonable even for someone who isn’t as good as they once were.
The other side of that coin is that if we’re looking at thee tests as evaluations of how prepared someone is for the rigors of surviving and potentially fighting during a Scenario-X, then it’s the conditions that dictate the requirements and not someone’s age. A 40 lb fighting load is still a 40 lb fighting load whether you’re 22 or 60, you know?
Hey Paul, good to hear from ya! For sure these events are a challenge. If you were to ask me to go do any one of them right now, I probably wouldn’t be able to, except for maybe the ATC test. I’m still working on my regular pull ups to reach Level 2 standards, so adding another 40 lbs is pretty much not happening right now, lol.
I’m working on ‘consistency’ at this point. I need to keep my goals high (for me) but realistic. I’ve found it much more beneficial to ‘build up’ towards a fitness level than ‘dive attack’ right into it and end up being discouraged or worse – injured. Your conditioning ‘levels 1-2-3’ are an excellent method for progression and build on one another. The last time I would consider myself in ‘fighting shape’ I was in my forties – working out regularly (daily) and pushing myself. For so many reasons I need to find that consistency again – the benefits outweigh the excuses!