How to prepare for the Combat Fitness Test

[unhappycamper]

Lance Cpl. Tim D. Dueker, motor transport operator, Truck Company, Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I MEF (Forward), keeps a calm face during the ammunition-can press portion of the Combat Fitness Test.


How to prepare for the Combat Fitness Test
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Nov 9, 2008 10:28:18 EST

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Unlike the familiar Physical Fitness Test, the Corps’ new Combat Fitness Test is designed to assess Marines’ physical strength, endurance and agility where it really counts: in battle.

While the PFT focuses largely on running (an aerobic activity), the CFT is “totally different,” said Larry S. Verity, a professor at San Diego State University’s School of Exercise and Nutritional Science.

It consists of an 880-yard sprint, lifting a 30-pound ammo can as many times as possible in two minutes, and a nasty 300-yard course that includes carrying a mock casualty and accurately lobbing a dummy grenade. To say it’s exhausting is an understatement. The CFT’s hellish pace robs the body of oxygen and muscle-fueling glycogen.

Marines must “be able to handle the (test’s) anaerobic demands,” Verity said.

It’s pass/fail for now but will evolve into a tiered scoring system in July, meaning results will count toward cutting scores. Preparation demands an entirely different approach to exercise, trainers say.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/11/marine_cft_main_110908w/%2e