Short Drill Weekend--Passed PT Test

Only one full day of drill this weekend.  I was (mostly) on Sunday so I could attend the farewell ceremony for the Medical Detachment later this month.  The first event of the weekend was the PT Test--what could be better than that?  I scored a 316 because I was over the maximum on both pushups and situps.  My official score is 300, but it is great to score "Superscale."  If I use my raw scores and apply them to the 27-31 year age group (the highest standards are for this group, both 17-21 and 22-26 are slightly easier) I would have scored 259.

When I was in my teens and 20s my first time around in the Army, I smoked.  I think my highest score was around 265.  I never got 270 and usually scored just over 200.  Always passed but not by much.

I know eventually getting old will catch up with me and I will walk slowly and yell at Liberals on CNN, but for now I am feeling good!

Got a 297 on the PT Test Today!!!

This morning I took the first APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) since I returned home.  I thought I was slipping a little bit lately, but I got the best score in my life:  297!!!

I was two pushups short of scoring the max of 300.  Maybe next time!!!

I had a little help from the calendar because age 57-61 is the second to last scoring category.  I had to do 53 pushups and 64 situps to max.  I did 66 situps in just over a minute 40 seconds, so that was fine, but 51 was all the pushups I could do in two minutes.

To max the run, I would have to do two miles in 15:13, except over age 55 you can either run and be scored the usual way, walk 2.5 miles or ride a bike 6.2 miles (10k) in 28 minutes.  I rode the bike.  The bike has to be single speed or have its gears locked.  I have a single speed, so I rode the required distance in just under 20 minutes.

When you do the bike or the walk, the event is pass-fail and scoring is the average of the other two events. I got 100 points for the situps, 98 for the pushups, and 99 for the bike--297 total.

Great day for me!!

If you want to check your pt standards, follow this link.

Last Workout Before the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)

Today I went to the gym before my ride to do one last workout before taking the APFT on Wednesday morning.  Now that I am 57, I need 54 pushups and 64 situps to max the test.  The run time to max is now 15:13.  I haven't been running fast, so I don't know if I could do that, but it doesn't matter because I fall under the "choice of aerobic activity" rule allowing me to either run, walk 2.5 miles or ride the bike 10km.  The walk and bike are pass-fail and my score is the average of the scores of the other two events.

To pass on the bike, I need to ride 10 km (6.1 miles) in 28 minutes.  I have to ride a one-speed bike or lock the gears to one speed.  On a good day, I can ride 10km in 16 minutes.  So if I have a bad day, I will still pass.  I think if I have a flat I could change it and still pass.

I did 66 situps in 2 minutes today and 50 pushups.  Assuming I can squeeze out four more pushups on Wednesday, I might be able to max the test.

At the other end of the scale, I need 18 pushups and 28 situps to pass, so I should be good for at least a pass.