BCT 2020 PFT & AFT Concern

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Hayley101

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Jun 23, 2016
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BCT for the Class of 2020 is less than a week away and I've been trying to prepare for the physical requirements to the best of my abilities. Nevertheless, one thing that I am very nervous about is the PFT & AFT, which from what I've gathered will be administered to us twice: Once in the first week of BCT and then again during the fifth week of BCT. I am extremely confident in my pushups, sit-ups, and running abilities. But, no matter how hard I've tried I just can not do a pull up. I maxed the flex arm hang for my CFA, and have been trying different methods to achieve a full pull up, but the most I can do is lift my forehead to the bar, but have never been able to get my chin over it. Will this cause me to fail the PFT during BCT? Can you potentially get kicked out of BCT for failing the PFT or AFT?
 
No, you will not get kicked out for failing the PFT in BCT. You will be put on athletic probation (aka "recondo") which is a series of mandatory workouts. (Don't fail, it's not fun!)
Keep working out. Do lots of negatives.
 
I am not an expert on this, but from what I have heard and seen, pull-ups can be a relatively common problem for female cadets. As long as you are solid with your other exercises, I wouldn't stress out about it. Definitely keep working on pull-ups (well, maybe not too much this week), but don't let them cause you undue anxiety.

Also, you will not get kicked out of BCT just for failing the PFT or AFT. The absolute worst thing that might happen is that you could be placed on Recondo/PEP (essentially pre-Recondo) going into the school year. However, if you are good at pushups, situps, and running (jumping?), you are not likely to fail either test.

One more thing: RELAX. :biggrin: At this point, there is very little you can do to further prepare yourself physically. Be confident in your training and go in ready to do your best. Good luck to you, and we look forward to welcoming you and your classmates into the Wing in August.
 
Pull ups can be very hard to nail down for women- don't be worried about going into BCT not being able to do one. Many others will be in the same position. In the future, just remember that practice and repetition are key. Make sure you are putting in solid time and effort into getting there when you enter the Cadet Wing. My method to getting better is using the pull down machine-2 sets of 6 close arm, 6 far apart (really works the back muscles), and 6 chin ups. While you should be doing negatives as well (about every other day), pull downs really got me used to using that motion that is required for a pull up. The good news is that once you have that first one down, the next ones come much easier! Good luck in BCT!
 
Can anybody confirm that we will be taking the physical tests during the 1st and 5th week?
 
What are the standards for the PFT and AFT? Is there a score sheet I can look up?
 
Go for a nice long run. Bang out some maintenance sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups. Stretch. Take an unrushed shower. Eat a bowl of ice cream while listening to favorite music or watching a movie sprawled on your favorite sofa. Snooze in clean cool sheets in blissful peace and quiet. Do stuff your parents have asked you to get done before you go. Just...pause yourself...and get mentally ready for the abrupt life change to come.



"There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will."
- Epictetus
 
I second not worrying about it for BCT but would also like to add 1. I couldn't do a pull-up when I entered BCT but could do 2 at then end. After my sophomore year, I NEVER managed to get a pull-up on the PFT (had an injury that put me out of commission for about 6 months and never got it back) but still managed to get a decent/passing score each time because of the other events.
 
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