Hitting Reset

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Fit for Duty, Part 2

In a previous post we talked about the Marine Corps standards for body fat. But just being lean doesn’t mean you are fit for duty.  There are performance standards, too. Today we are going to talk about those.

The Marine Corps fitness test has three parts: a three-mile run, pull-ups, and crunches. The manual says that these exercises are designed to “test the strength and stamina of the upper body, midsection, and lower body, as well as the efficiency of the cardiovascular system.”

The manual also says that you should take all three tests in a single session, with a two-hour time limit. So you can’t run on Saturday, do crunches on Sunday, and pull-ups on Monday. And you can’t rest for an hour between exercises.

Pull-ups

You are going to need a pull-up bar. I bought one at Wal Mart that hangs in a doorway. It’s ok for working out but really not suitable for this test, unless you are really short. You need a bar that’s mounted high enough for you to hang from it with your arms fully extended and your feet not touching the ground. I use the one at my YMCA, but if you don’t belong to a gym you can probably find one in a local park. 

To perform the test, you may grip the bar with your palms facing you, or facing away from you. Facing you is easier, so I’d do that for the test (but train with them facing away). Start with your arms fully extended and your feet off the ground. Raise your body until your chin is above the bar, then lower yourself until your arms are fully extended. That’s one rep. This is a test of upper body strength, so no kipping or leg whipping is allowed. Repeat until you can’t do any more. There is no time limit, but once you let go of the bar you are finished.

Crunches

The Marines call these crunches, but the handbook description sounds like the sit-ups we did in gym class back in the 70’s. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Cross your arms across your chest. Arms must remain in contact with the chest or rib cage throughout the exercise. You can have someone hold your feet or legs below the knees, or do what I do: place your feet under the couch. Raise your upper body until your elbows or forearms touch your thighs, then lower yourself until your shoulder blades touch the ground. That’s one rep. This is a timed test. Do as many reps as you can in two minutes.

Run

Mark out a three mile course. You can use this handy map tool, or the odometer in your car, to mark off a three mile course through your neighborhood. Try to avoid hills. Or just go to your local high school or college and use their track. One lap around a standard track is a quarter of a mile, so you’ll need to do 12 laps for this three-mile test. Run as fast as you can for three miles. Be sure to warm up first!

Scoring

Your score is based on your performance in each event. To get the maximum score, you’d have to do 20 pull-ups, 100 crunches in two minutes, and run three miles in 18 minutes. The minimum to qualify to stay in the Marine Corps is based on your age. Marines further divide the scores into three classes, from 3^rd class (barely qualifying) to 1^st class (the best). Use the table below to determine your score, and your classification based on your age.

Points	Pull-Ups	Crunches	3-Mile Run
100	20	100	18:00
99		99	18:10
98		98	18:20
97		97	18:30
96		96	18:40
95	19	95	18:50
94		94	19:00
93		93	19:10
92		92	19:20
91		91	19:30
90	18	90	19:40
89		89	19:50
88		88	20:00
87		87	20:10
86		86	20:20
85	17	85	20:30
84		84	20:40
83		83	20:50
82		82	21:00
81		81	21:10
80	16	80	21:20
79		79	21:30
78		78	21:40
77		77	21:50
76		76	22:00
75	15	75	22:10
74		74	22:20
73		73	22:30
72		72	22:40
71		71	22:50
70	14	70	23:00
69		69	23:10
68		68	23:20
67		67	23:30
66		66	23:40
65	13	65	23:50
64		64	24:00
63		63	24:10
62		62	24:20
61		61	24:30
60	12	60	24:40
59		59	24:50
58		58	25:00
57		57	25:10
56		56	25:20
55	11	55	25:30
54		54	25:40
53		53	25:50
52		52	26:00
51		51	26:10
50	10	50	26:20
49		49	26:30
48		48	26:40
47		47	26: 50
46		46	27:00
45	9	45	27:10
44		44	27:20
43		43	27:30
42		42	27:40
41		41	27:50
40	8	40	28:00
39		x	28:10
38		x	28:20
37		x	28:30
36		x	28:40
35	7	x	28:50
34		x	29:00
33		x	29:10
32		x	29:20
31		x	29:30
30	6	x	29:40
29		x	29:50
28		x	30:00
27		x	30:10
26		x	30:20
25	5	x	30:30
24		x	30:40
23		x	30:50
22		x	31:00
21		x	31:10
20	4	x	31:20
19		x	31:30
18		x	31:40
17		x	31:50
16		x	32:00
15	3	x	32:10
14	x	x	32:20
13	x	x	32:30
12	x	x	32:40
11	x	x	32:50
10	x	x	33:00
9	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
6	x	x	x
5	x	x	x
4	x	x	x
3	x	x	x
2	x	x	x
<1	x	x	x

Class	Age 17-26	Age 27-39	Age 40-45	Age 46+
1st	225	200	175	150
2nd	175	150	125	100
3rd	135	110	88	65

There are also minimum performance requirements for the individual tests. If you run really slowly but do 20 pull-ups, you won’t qualify. Conversely, if you can’t do three pull-ups but run really fast, you might achieve the minimum score for your age, but you still won’t qualify. Here’s the chart that shows the minimum qualifications for each test, based on age:

Age	Pull-Ups	Crunches	3-Mile Run
17-26	3	50	28:00
27-39	3	45	29:00
40-45	3	45	30:00
>46+	3	40	33:00

Don’t feel bad if you can’t pass this test right now. Most men I know can’t do a single pull-up. Test yourself to see where you are, and then develop a plan to improve. If you fail miserably the first time you take the test, there’s good news: studies show that the worse shape you are in when you start a fitness program, the faster you will improve.

There are a lot of exercise programs that will develop the level of fitness you need to ace this test. I’ve used a few of them. If you aren’t working out regularly, any of them will be an improvement over what you are doing now! My current favorite is Body of a Spartan. The e-book is inexpensive and the workout is very effective. I’ve gone from not being able to do a single pull-up to easily doing the three required to pass the test, and I’m aiming for ten. That’s not bad for a guy in his fifties!