Gotta get this off my chest

[JJB]

I hear all sort of guys complaining about PT and how it sucks...what the heck did you join the military for?!?!?!?! I am tired of looking at buttons that are about to become projectiles. get in shape or get out!!

[Ed Ely]

I agree!!

Does anyone remember the old 5BX
plan that the USAF adapted from the
Canadians?

It worked. You either stay physically
fit, bite the dust or hit the road 'Jack'.

Ed

[gsh341]

Originally Posted by JJB

I hear all sort of guys complaining about PT and how it sucks...what the heck did you join the military for?!?!?!?! I am tired of looking at buttons that are about to become projectiles. get in shape or get out!!

There is a difference between not appearing like the ideal troop, not liking PT (or even hating it) and being out of shape.

I really didn't like PT and occasionally griped bout it, but I understood it and made sure I stayed in shape. I was never in as good of shape as the PT lovers, but I could always pass the tests. I never made the weight requirement (even upon graduating Basic Training) because I was always more muscular than the average person. However, I always passed the body fat tests with flying colors. In my 21 years I saw many troops that most might call fat, but were in better shape than most.

Do not let grumbling about PT and non-ideal body types make you judge people rashly.

I am reminded of a Samoan recruit in my Basic Training unit called Alu Alu. He was about 250 lbs and 6 ft tall. His head was so large that the largest hat in stock needed a 1 inch wide piece of cloth sewn in so it would fit. The largest uniform in stock could barely fit. Not even remotely the ideal looking troop.

He passed the initial diagnostic (and every subsequent) PT test with a perfect score of 300.

Would you have a problem with him being in your unit?

[TRIGRHAPPY]

FYI, i hate PT. However, I have always passed my fitness tests with flying colors (except one time back when we used the bike and I drank a coca-cola right before i showed up which prevented my heartrate from going under 100 to start the test).

What makes me sick is to see all the fat lazy officers and NCOs that i KNOW couldn't pass the ****ing fit test! Grrrr! I just saw one Tech get promoted even though the commander's "policy" was that if you fail a fit test while you have a line number, you lose your line number. He made a SEVEN ****ING TEEN the first time, and because he made a 70 the second time the commander made an exception because he showed "dramatic improvement". Now he's the biggest piece of **** NCO i've ever seen.

[smmdtd]

PT SUCKS! If I can pass my PT eval and don't look like im about to kill some one with a button from a bdu top. Then leave me alone with that crap. If you look like crap and or cant pass the test do PT thats my .02

JJB do you work on "the line" ?

[JJB]

Originally Posted by smmdtd

PT SUCKS! If I can pass my PT eval and don't look like im about to kill some one with a button from a bdu top. Then leave me alone with that crap. If you look like crap and or cant pass the test do PT thats my .02

JJB do you work on "the line" ?

if you mean the flight line then yes

I sometimes judge too quickly...its good to hear other view points

[XD 9 Loaded Sub-Compact]

I would just like to point out that PT qualifying is harder for some than others. Some of you guys can do nothing but eat twinkies and hoe hoes all damn day and not gain one pound or lift a finger and still have wash boad abs, but some other guys as soon as they even think about something fattening they ballon up even after running several miles.

[Kent]

I remember the bike test while in the AF...

Are they still doing that?

I mean I would see fat guys that smoked like mad pass with flying colors.

[Kent]

Originally Posted by smmdtd

PT SUCKS! If I can pass my PT eval and don't look like im about to kill some one with a button from a bdu top. Then leave me alone with that crap. If you look like crap and or cant pass the test do PT thats my .02

JJB do you work on "the line" ?

So where are you stationed?

I too worked on F-16's as a crew chief. Man that was some fun hard work!

Kent

[havoc1]

Originally Posted by Kent

I remember the bike test while in the AF...

Are they still doing that?

I mean I would see fat guys that smoked like mad pass with flying colors.

Indeed. That test pissed me off to no end. I was in my train-up for the PJ/CCT PAST back in 2003 when I last took that test. I was, simply put, in amazing shape. Yet, if I could pass it at all, it was with a score in the low 30s after nearly timing out (I think that it was around 17 minutes when the computer would cut you off.).

Then, fast forward a few years and I've recovered from injuries and moved over to the Army side. Again, I had trained up and reached that "best shape of my life" point. And I went to Ranger school. That school nearly did me in.

Now, 3 months after graduating, though my 2-mile run time is finally below 16 minutes, I seem to be in really rotten shape by the standards of the APFT. Yet, I showed up to a 20k foot march a couple weeks ago with over 70lbs in my ruck and was ready to turn around and do it again by the time we finished.

Ladies & gents, if you didn't already know it, PT test fitness has little to nothing to do with real, operational fitness.