Hotspotoutdoors

I think you pretty much solved it right there merkman. If you're 40, 50, 60lbs overweight, you'll loose it REAL quick in basic or fatcamp. Shoot, before I was going to sign up I was 10lbs overweight for my height, so I went to the gym 2x a day for a couple of weeks and lost 16lbs. Funny how exersizing actually takes pounds off.....

I remember it being known as the PCP. Physical Conditioning Platoon, affectionately known as the Pork Chop Platoon.

Didn't see many overweight Jarheads, a few old Master Gunns and once in awhile a lower ranking enlisted puke. For the most part you either met standards, or were on your way out.

my wallet isn't out on the four minute mile.....i dont believe that is a requirement.....most diehard runners train and train and train and never come close to 4 minut miles.....just a select few

Must have been a marine or some other extreme type. Passing in the Army in 1970 was 8 minutes (in combat boots and fatigue pants and tshirt). They had recently dropped the 150 yd man carry, thank heaven.

Seriously, a 5:30 mile? it boggles the mind. At the present time it looks like to pass the army physical fitness test (lower score required to get out of basic) you have to do 20 pushups, 34 situps, and run 2 mile in 20 minutes for age 22-27.

The navy requires 58 curlups, 47 pushups, and 1.5 miles in 12 minutes. The scores are averaged so you don't have to make this in all 3 events if you do better in one.

For the marines you need 225 points for "first class" and 175 for "second class". 225 points for 3 events is 75 per event which translates to 15 pullups, 75 crunches, and 3 miles in 22:10

Even admission to B UDT (seal training) doesn't require 5:30 mile.

Are you sure about that 5:30 mile? In formation? I am skeptical

For the First Class, if I remember right it was 3 miles in 18 minutes. I always thought that was a plenty fast pace....LOL Guess if he was a DI, I could see where maybe they'd try to make that kind of pace for a mile. Seemed like most of it was about a two minute pace to me back then......LMAO

Chub, I went through boot camp in 85 and to get the top score it was three miles in eighteen minutes. I think you needed twenty pullups and I don't remember the sit ups. The pullups were kind of a joke because you did them the easy way (like you were curling weights) and were allowed to kick your legs (kip). I still didn't do twenty of them, though. I signed up weighing 170 and was in great shape from wrestling. Went in six months later weighing 200 pounds. Never got stuck with the diet privates but I sure lost weight. Came out at 170 again.

The 4 minute mile statement was an exaggeration and not the point. I am just saying that the physical fitness requirements may be above and beyond for a lot of military folks. For instance, does it really matter if you are bit chunky and can't run for carp if your job is to stare into a radar screen?

The 18 minutes might have been for 100 points. You can get by with 75, although that might not be how DI's put it. :-)

I was Navy. It was the mid 90's. 5 min 30 second mile was the requirement. That was for the guys. The company ran in formation. If any recruit fell back and didn't pass time, they failed. The gals were different but I don't know what it was for them. The ladies started showing up right when I left Great Lakes so I never pushed a company of female recruits.

During the course of basic training if you were not going to meet the requirements you were put in the fat boy program to "Ease you along." If you failed the final PT test you were put back into the fat boy program until you either passed or were shipped back home.

A 5:30 mile may seem extreme but it really isn’t. Imagine the scenario. I gently wake you up at 0 Dark 30 and we take a nice couple mile run. Then we spend all day marching around the base, getting mashed, eating healthy, double timing everywhere we go, then after evening chow we take another nice easy couple mile run. Multiply this by 8 weeks and knowing if you don’t push yourself to the point of puking if you have to cuz the rest of your life depends on doing this, you can do it.

It really is up to the individual recruit to push himself. We all have obstacles to overcome. If you were a fat boy and gave a rip and actually tried, I was there to help you along. If you didn’t care and weren’t trying, I wasn’t going to waste my time on you. I was juuuuuuuu st a little busy. The thing is, what are you willing to do and how far are you willing to push yourself to overcome. If I went out for a run now there’s no way I could run that fast. However, if I were getting shot at or being chased by a big mean dog I’m pretty sure I could hit that time.

Like I said, that was then. What the requirements are now I don't know. Things change a lot. I went through boot camp myself in 85. I don't remember what the physical requirements were then, even.

I see where you're coming from but in the mind of the military, a recruit is a recruit is a recruit. You're not staring into a radar screen until you pass basic training and whatever form, if any, of advanced training. There are quite a few sailors that were guaranteed advanced training after basic training and washed out. They were then sent to the fleet as deck seamen, firemen, or airmen.

How does this affect local law enforcment and firefighters. I see plenty of well fed officers patrolling who couldn't catch a criminal if their life depended on it. DON'T WORRY FOLKS WITH NATION HEALTH CARE, WE WILL ALL BE TAKEN CARE OF.

Back in high school football we had to run at least a 5 minute 30 second mile or we were back at 7:00 am to run it again each day for a week until we did it. The running backs and reecievrs had to do it in 5 min 15 sec. It wasn't that if one was in shape.

There doesn't seem to be any documentation available on line about the mid 90s. The only data points I have are todays requirements for all the branches of service, including the marines. A first class rating (225 points) will qualify you for entrance to recon marine training. A mile and half in 11:30 will qualify you for UDT training.

Back in 1970, an 8 minute mile would satisfy the army.

So I must respectfully suggest your memory is playing tricks on you. Do you have any documentation of the 5:30 mile to graduate requirement?

In 1991 I ran a perfect PFT in the USMC coming out of bootcamp. I did 3 miles in 17min 50 seconds. The first mile was under 5:30. I was probablly in the top 15 guys in over 100 for the first mile. I remember how fast that was and am going to call [PoorWordUsage] on the 5:30 formation run. How long is Navy bootcamp? Marine Corps was 3 months (more time to get in shape.

Ok, I will recant my [PoorWordUsage] call because I wasn't there and have no proof. But its hard to believe. Guess maybe if it was just one mile and you didn't have to pace yourself for 3 miles. That is one hell of a sprint.