Marines PFT

MikeD

MikeD

Administrator
Staff member
NO! Not Marines Pay For Training!

The USMC Physical Fitness Test.

Was talking to a Harrier guy today that casually mentioned that next week is his PFT. It got me wondering, and I forgot to ask him. Is the PFT a standard that all Marines test to, regardless of job? ie- a cook takes the same PFT that a EA-6 Prowler navigator does? Does the same standard apply to shooting qualification?
 
Yes, every Marine takes a PFT twice a year. Cooks, Infantrymen, and Air Wingers.

For enlisted Marines, the PFT score is used in calculating your composite score (cutting score, as we call it) (for Corporals and below), which is used for promotion. In reality, you're only competing within your specific MOS for promotion, as scores are issued within each MOS.

Once you're a Sergeant, you PFT score doesn't directly affect your cutting score, but it can reflect in your fitness report.

For officers, there is no cutting score, and PFT score only counts in your FITREP.

Rifle range - yes, every year. Every Marine, no matter the MOS. The range score is the other really big factor in your cutting score. Admin, Driver - no matter what you do, your Rifle score affects your promotion (again, Corporal and below).

If you fail a PFT or go UNK on the range, no matter what your rank, it's bad juju. Can't be promoted until you fix that. In addition, you'll probably get a bad entry in your record book.

Funny thing to note. Average PFT score in the Corps (in 1997) was 235, out of a possible 300. 180 was minimum to pass. I always averaged about a 275.

Now, in the grunts, it was OK, but when I got to the Wing, I might as well have been a PT stud!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif They were too busy "fixing airplanes" to run.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif I'm generalizing, of course - but it's still pretty accurate.

Anyway, PFT score is made up of crunch-type sit-ups (100max), Pull Ups (20 max) (women used to do a flexed-arm hang, but they're equal now - so they do the same), and a 3-mile run (fastest for score is 18 minutes, 28 for min score). Once you're over 27 (I think), things adjust for the score.

See here to see how you fare!!!
 
The Navy also has a PFT twice a year, but we'd die if we had to do the Marine one.

For the Navy, we have to :
1) Touch your toes while seated, legs straight (not kidding either). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif

2) Push-ups. My minimums this year were 35, max 100.

3) Sit-ups, crunch type like the Marines; my min was 38, max 100.

4) 1.5 mile run, my minimum time was 14:45 (I think).

Then, we have this huge breakdown of how old you are to what your minimums are...I am in the 31-35 category, and listed my minimums, from what I remember. I have actually been working out early in the AM so I could do a lot better now.

This has no bearing on our promotions, except we have a block on our evals (Enlisted) and fitreps (Officers) that says if you passed or not. If you didn't pass, then you take a hit on your Military Bearing part of the evaluation. We take a test for our rating (job, or MOS) from E-4 thru E-6 for promotion, and depending on the needs of the Navy, that determines who gets promoted.

They are trying to change it because they have had a lot of people that couldn't take tests well, but were awesome in their jobs, but they couldn't get promoted.
 
Now if the Marines DID do PFT, how much would all of that T-45 time cost? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Well, I just saw a show on Discovery Wings about the Blue Angels. During normal cruise, they burn 5 gallons per minute / 300 per hour, so figure that into your "PFT" cost!

There might be something to your idea, Doug. I'm sure there are some rich kids who would pay to get into the Naval Aviator training pipeline. New recruitment pitch, "Buy a T-45, Fly an F-18".

Lloyd, when did the Corps switch to crunches? While I was in, we did "regular" situps...80 was max. Yes, I was an Air Winger. I always aced situps, did so-so on pull-ups and tanked on the run. Ya know, we Air Winger love our gedunk & pogeybait! Too bad the snack bar wasn't 3-miles away by foot trail!

Semper Fi,

JR
 
pogeybait? Dare I ask? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
While we're at it, let's give props to that new POS USAF PFT! The one where a 32" waist (but no greater) gets you max points, whether you're 6'5" or 5'5".
 
[ QUOTE ]
pogeybait? Dare I ask? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Twinkies, Hostes cup cakes, candy bars, Ect.


Gedunk = Ice cream. In WW2 the price for a sub returning a pilot to a carrier was 10 gallons of "gedunk".
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
pogeybait? Dare I ask? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Twinkies, Hostes cup cakes, candy bars, Ect.


Gedunk = Ice cream. In WW2 the price for a sub returning a pilot to a carrier was 10 gallons of "gedunk".

[/ QUOTE ]

Allow me to elaborate on what USMCmech said (much to the dissatisfaction of many POG's here...).

Us hard chargers that go "boom" in the night and think only of killing bad guys, and destroying the things that they live in, are refferred to as "grunts". Infantrymen. The entire Marine Corps revolves around the infantryman - everyone else (including the aviation assets) is in support of the ground pounder.

Well, we refer to all those that haven't earned the title of "grunt" as POG's - Personnel Other than Grunts. Quite simply, the Clerks, the Jerks and the candlestick makers. We could go on without them. It would be rough, but we could do it.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Well, since while we're PT'ing and practicing hand-to-hand combat on one another, the POG's are usually eating cupcakes and Zingers, complaining about the Sergeant Major making them PT twice a week. They are, after all, on the hot flight line already, "keeping aircraft flying" (or whatever weird excuse they use in that particular unit... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif...Had to tease you boys).

So, we call that junk "Pogey Bait"!!!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Now, there is a whole Naval history to the term, but that's the modern day Marine Corps adaptation of it.
 
The Army Physicall Fitness Test consist of

22 -26 yr. Old Group

Push ups ... two minute timed event
Min Male = 40 Female = 17
Max Male = 75 Female = 46

Sit ups ... two minute timed event
Min Male = 50 Female = 50
Max Male = 80 Female = 80

2 Mile Run
Min Male = 16:36 Female = 19:36
Max Male = 13:00 Female = 15:36

Jim
 
[ QUOTE ]
Us hard chargers that go "boom" in the night and think only of killing bad guys, and destroying the things that they live in, are refferred to as "grunts". Infantrymen. The entire Marine Corps revolves around the infantryman - everyone else (including the aviation assets) is in support of the ground pounder.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ther are two kinds of people in the Military, the infantry, and those who suport the infantry.

Grunt = The dirty, tired, SOB who has kept the wolves away from the door for over a thousand years.

I was trained as a rifleman, but never fooled myself into thinking I was a trained infantryman. My job in the great Green Monster was to fix helicopters so that they could support the infantry. I was proud to do it, but I still take my hat off to Loyd and his buddies who were the experts.
 
The WMs still do the flexed-arm hang. It really wouldn't be PC to have females do pull-ups, since many would get the old goose egg!

The required minimum numbers for each event do not change with age, only the minimum cumulative score and the scores for 1st, 2nd, 3rd class, etc.

I'm a little tired of the grunt ooh-rah business, or at least the bit about how much better they are than the wing. Yes, the Corps exists to support the grunt, but he has a long way to walk and not much combined-arms effect when he finally gets there without the wing. How short your hair is and how fast you run have their place, but what makes a Marine is mission accomplishment, and the wingers do that just as well as the grunts do. Personally, never really thought of this "rivalry" as an issue, except that it seems to come up every few posts around here!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm a little tired of the grunt ooh-rah business, or at least the bit about how much better they are than the wing. Yes, the Corps exists to support the grunt, but he has a long way to walk and not much combined-arms effect when he finally gets there without the wing. How short your hair is and how fast you run have their place, but what makes a Marine is mission accomplishment, and the wingers do that just as well as the grunts do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, Sir...you're absolutely right...[hodls in insolent chuckle] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif....The Wing is no different than the grunts...[keeps face straight]....We couldn't do it without the Wing....[Can't resist...risks NJP for laughing with no self control]. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Oh, Phrog, relax....I was in the wing for a while, and I know the "QA" and "flight hours" speech. I'm not picking on anyone. I'll just keep my opinion to myself.....

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS - if shortness of hair and run speed aren't that important, why does HQMC place so much emphasis there?

Never mind...you don't have to answer that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

You're still my brother. Sir. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buck.gif
 
No Sh*t! WM's are actually doing pull ups now? That must have happened recently, when I got out a year ago they were still doing flexed arm hangs. I don't know if anyone mentioned it but females also get 2 extra minutes on thier run times. Well at least they used to anyway.
 
I was wrong about the pull-ups....they still hang.

I'm trying to remember what chaged in the female PFT...hmmm...maybe I'm just thinking about that old Kip thing (didn't bother me...I never could Kip... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

Yeah, women get more time on the run (rightfully so). As do older folks...
 
Part of why I got out, the length of your hair and how fast you can run has no influence on if I am a good nuclear operator or not. So while Isaw several people held up on advancement and other less competent people advance, I realized the Navy's system was markedly flawed.
 
What changed in the WM PFT is that they do the full 3 miles, just with a little slower time.

mtsu...I never said the wing was the same. If we want to have a contest over which group has a greater percentage of high-and-tights, the grunts will win hands down. However, if your contest is over who is "more of a Marine," the wing will come out just fine. Not better or worse, but just as much Marine as anyone else.

It just seems as if you're always dropping manhole covers on the wing Marines. If I'm getting the wrong impression, then sorry.
 
The 3 mile run....that's what it was. I knew that it was something drastic!!!

I understand that wing Marines are just as much Marines as infantrymen by virtue of the fact that they went to boot camp and earned the title. They use the same PFT and they wear the same uniform (though to arguably different standards...). That being said, there are some clear issues at hand.

Part of being a squared away Devil Dog is your proficiency in your MOS. That's even across the board. Anybody that would argue with that is an idiot.

However, if you're a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and you can't drill a platoon to NAVMC 2691 standards, you need to rip that stripe off of your trousers and lower your head in shame. Period. There's no excuse. I really don't care if you're an avionics technician for Jesus' helicopter.

If you can't execute the sword manual to those same specifications, you should consider going UA and joining the Air Force under a different name. Even if your primary MOS is that of river current speed measurer.

If you can't at least get out in front of your unit and sing cadences for 3 minutes during PT without running out of things to sing, you should fall to the rear, make an abrupt stop and let the safety vehicle end your misery. Even if you run a 300 PFT and you're the President's crew chief.

These things aren't unique to the infantry. Hell, do you think infantrymen have nothing to do but sit around and drill all day? I think not. We had plenty of things to do, but NCO's need to do do things in addition to the bare minimum. Marine Corps units need to do more than the bare minimum.

If you're a T-64 engine mech, be the best damn T-64 mech in the MALS. Strive to be the best in the Marine Corps. But don't let some dumb grunt become the NCO of the quarter because he knew the answers to questions like "What's the cycle of operations for the M-16 Service rifle". Make you and every other air winger look like a POS a$$-bag hiding behind an MOS. Not like they didn't teach that in boot camp....
 
I personally think that the PFT is overrated ... First what is the purpose of the PFT? Its a tool for the command to evaluate the combat readiness of his/hers troops. So therefore shouldn't the PFT evaluate more realistic criteria such as a dead man drag, or carry in full combat gear. I often think of this when I see pictures of soldiers helping thier buddies in the heat of combat. This should have a standard that is not adjustable for age or gender ... or MOS ... or branch of service.
Obviously the way to get to that conditioning is through agressive PT, plus the other tangiable benefits of a regular PT programm ... health, unit cohesiveness/esprit de corp, and just plain fun.

Jim
 
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