Female CFA Score

[Mangito]

According to USMA, average FAH is 20 seconds and average PUs is 3. (You can Google this; it’s a PDF doc.) I’m sure USMA’s averages are comparable to USNA’s.

The CFA is not just an admissions hurdle to get over. It’s meant to ensure
that you can handle the physical demands of plebe summer, mid life and then active duty. You don’t want to be “that guy/gal” who can’t get through the O course or C course or Sea Trials because of little upper-body strength. Though physical prowess is not the end-all-be-all, your shipmates do use it as a measure of how much they can count on you.

Have you gone online to see “from zero to something” programs? Have you talked with a PE teacher or coach or gym trainer? Have you worked diligently on a variety of exercises meant to build this, e.g. negatives, hangs, partials, aided, banded? Are you pulling too much weight? Is an eating plan to be considered too?

If you haven’t already, get organized with a program and stick with it. You have until 1/31 to submit, which will be dependent on weather, illness and injury. But you have time. Get cracking!

Thank you! I am 5’4” 120 lb so I’m not sure if I should get skinnier. But I also feel like then I could lose muscle. I’ll try doing some of what you suggested!

 

[hopeful25]

What if I cannot do a flexed arm hang? I have tried so hard - I actually cannot do for over 3 seconds. Quite bad - I know. And for a pull-up, and I can’t even bend my arms in a dead hang. I am definitely in trouble right?

Hey I’m just seeing this now. At first I was in the same position as you and couldn’t even do the FAH. I went to the gym and focused on upper body stuff (back and shoulders one day chest and arms the next) and the back stuff helped me so much. Lat pull downs, bent over rows etc. I went from a 0 second FAH to over 20 seconds in about 6 weeks. I’d focus on strengthening your back.

 

[kinnem]

another good, and fun, cross training thing is climbing local rock walls if you have one.