{"id":20369,"date":"2017-08-21T15:21:51","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T15:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/08\/21\/note-to-fitness-test-takers-pushups-arent-a-volume-business\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:15:06","slug":"note-to-fitness-test-takers-pushups-arent-a-volume-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/off-duty\/military-fitness\/2017\/08\/21\/note-to-fitness-test-takers-pushups-arent-a-volume-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Note to fitness test-takers: Pushups aren\u2019t a volume business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Military fitness requires balancing training to succeed on the test (your twice-yearly fitness check) and the test <\/i>(combat deployments).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pushups are critical to career progression, given their central role in physical fitness tests for professional evaluations and for advanced training opportunities, such as like Ranger School. However, they unfairly favor smaller service members, according to research from the University of Dayton<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Army is exploring tests without pushups \u2014 the Occupational Physical Assessment Test\u2019s seated power throw, for instance, or the Soldier Readiness Test\u2019s sandbag drills \u2014 troops across services must hurdle the pushup barrier to remain competitive. This can be achieved through programs that focus on strength, which is not only tied to increased pushup scores but to preventing training injuries, according to research from Military Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article charts a path to help service members break through training plateaus, prevent injury and improve job performance by building a strength foundation. While many training styles can build strength \u2014 gymnastics, for example \u2014 I\u2019m focusing on traditional barbell strength training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMON SHORTCOMINGS<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidence that common pushup programs can fail even the most motivated service members comes from the volume of Ranger candidates who fail the school\u2019s pushup requirement. Historically, the Ranger Physical Assessment is the biggest challenge for candidates trying to make it through Ranger School, and more candidates fail pushup than situps, chinups or the 5-mile run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why can\u2019t these soldiers meet the standard, and why can\u2019t other service members up their numbers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common shortcoming is overemphasizing training volume instead of optimizing program design. Traditional models assume that simply doing more pushups will most effectively translate into higher pushup scores, so sessions often include hundreds of pushup repetitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach causes injuries at least 1.5 times the rate of training styles based on exercise science strategies, like gradual overload (strength development), according to research from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DEALING IN ABSOLUTES<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do well-developed strength training programs decrease injury rates, but systems using barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands and medicine balls outperform the Army\u2019s Physical Readiness Training system, according to Military Medicine research<\/a>. This training style not only increases pushup scores more than traditional training or PRT methods, it also improves real-world performance, given strength\u2019s central role in tactical operations \u2014 a link reinforced by recent findings from a blue-ribbon panel<\/a> assembled by the National Strength and Conditioning Association on military physical readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strength development requires high-intensity sets of generally less than 10 repetitions, so many pushup workouts with high-repetition sets (often more than 20) fail to build meaningful amounts of strength. A limiting factor in relying on pushups is that resistance is fixed at less than the service member\u2019s weight, since a portion of that is balanced on their feet during repetitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t