Fitness Updates for AFRC Airmen

There have been many new changes to the Air Force Fitness program that vary from run distance to testing time frames. Testing officially resumed on July 1 with many changes. More information on the Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program can be found in Air Force Manual 36-2905.

Fitness to Readiness "We have migrated from a physical fitness assessment to a physical fitness readiness assessment," said John Mikula, fitness and health promotion program manager for Air Force Reserve Command. "It sounds kind of small, but this whole shift is geared towards promoting a couple of things. The first one is Lethality and optimization of that and readiness, and that's force wide."

Timing The new PFRA timeline is now once a year for all Reserve Airmen who test satisfactory or excellent. Unsatisfactory tests maintain the same timeline as before with testing every 90 days.

There is also an option for Wings or installations to go away from personalized fitness due dates with testing at a centralized fitness assessment cell in favor of mass testing. Some Airmen may have already seen the mass testing model when testing resumed in July.

"The AFMAN requires the Wing or installation leadership to make a determination on the front end [about test dates]," said Mikula. "Mass testing would mean that everyone would abide by a wing or an installation testing schedule for that whole cycle. If you're a tenant, then it requires a little creative thinking as far as fitness testing goes."

Profiles and Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment Holds Previously, Airmen on profiles could test on components they were cleared to test and exclude those they were not. Now, unless an Airman has an assignment limitation code or has been through the medical evaluation board process and cleared in the medical review process, they will be put on a PFRA hold. While in a PFRA hold, Airmen will not take any of the test. Airmen on an enduring profile or extended duty profile will test on what they are approved to test on.

"If someone's injured, you want to allow them time to rehabilitate, get themselves ready to go, and then not test at partially their best, but test at their best," said Mikula. "The PFRA hold doesn't change the due date unless the end of the exemption pushes the due date out. So the exemption doesn't force the member to test early."

Fitness as a culture While in the past, dedicated fitness time may have been pushed aside for other training during the UTA, the new expectation is that each unit training assembly includes a session for physical training lasting between 20 to 60 minutes.

"Another major change is instead of looking at our whole fitness program as being evolved around a test, we want to look at the majority of our fitness program as evolved around being physically fit," said Mikula. "Part of that means that physical fitness is embedded into the culture of the time spent on status."

Minimum values still exist Each component of the test, aside from the waist-to-height ratio, still has a minimum value associated with it to pass. The WHtR component is rated relative to health risk, but will not automatically create an unsatisfactory score if an Airman is in the highest health risk category.

"If you score 0.55 and you fail the test, then now you'll take what's called the Tier Two Body Fat Assessment, an additional test that measures body fat," said Mikula. "If you meet the body fat range, then the body composition is exempted, just like the walk test, where the cardio is exempted, and then the rest of the test is scored on just the other components, other than the body comp. If you fail the body fat after scoring 0.55 or higher and score an unsatisfactory on the test, then you just get the score that you initially earned, which is going to be unsatisfactory."

HAMR vs RUN Air Force Reserve members may run the HAMR test or two-mile run.

"The HAMR has very good validity, and it equates to essentially the same test, just different dynamics to the two mile run," said Mikula. "If you score well, then you're pretty fit aerobically on both of those tests. One isn't considered a step down from the other test."

Decoupling fitness Air Force Reserve members may take their body composition at the time of testing or separate it to the UTA before their test is due. The entire fitness assessment must be completed the next drill or within 60 days, whichever is earliest. If it is not completed within the designated time frame, the PFRA is considered Did Not Finish.

Diagnostic Tests Reserve members can take one diagnostic test per year within a 365-day period. Reserve Airmen are eligible for DFPRAs no earlier than one month prior to annual scheduled assessment.

Fitness Reconditioning Program The Fitness Improvement Program is now called the Fitness Reconditioning Program.

"Your PFL should be actively involved, and during the UTA is a good time to do that," said Mikula regarding support for Airmen in the reconditioning program. "They can assist members to address whatever the shortcomings were that they that they found on the test."

Conclusion There are many new changes beyond what was covered in this article. Airmen should review information found in AFMAN 36-2905 Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program for more details.

"I think standing back a little bit, we have to do pat ourselves on the back a little," said Mikula. "It's not easy to deal with change, but we're showing that it can be done."