PT Test

As my dad noted in a comment I passed my PT test (again- we do this every year.) This year is the first year of the new, harder, Air Force PT (physical training) test. Previously, you could get a zero on one aspect of the test, but max everything else and still pass. Now you have to get a minimum on everything, BUT, even with the minimums, you still won't pass. For example, if you meet the minimum of 18 pushups in 1 minute, 38 sit ups, 16 something mile and a half run time and get a waist measurement of ? (no idea what the max/ mim waist measurement is) you will still fail. But if you are a stud at push ups and do 30 and the minimum on everything else, then you might pass. The numbers I just listed are for any females under 30 years old.

I was really struggling on my sit ups. Females in our family have no stomach muscles. It is a true scientific oddity and may explain why my mom was in labor for 3 days on each of her kids. I've made up my points on push ups and waist measurements in the past but that is not an option now. I worked really had and tested myself everyday and was ready to pass. But then my shoulder started hurting and it got to the point where I couldn't even do 1 push up. I had been doing 20 in a row with no resting. Off to the doctor who diagnosed rotator cuff tendonitis from too many pushups.

Therefore, I had a push up waiver for the test. Because I didn't do pushups first, I could do so many more situps than I ever did before. (Push ups are great stomach exercise muscles because it works your entire core. In the test we do the push ups first which fatigues your stomach muscles for the sit up portion.) I actually mananged to max out my situps, doing over 50 in the one minute time limit. I also maxed out my waist measurement, meaning my waist was skinny enough to get the maximum amount of points. I ran the mile and a half in 13:43 which is the fastest I've timed myself, and that included a terrible head wind. So I got an "excellent" on my PT test!

Next year when I take it I will be 30 and the criteria gets easier so I expect no problems. Now to get my shoulder back to working order. I've been resting it before starting the recommended strengthening exercises and it is feeling better.