What style of pushups are required for the college ROTC?

[hwang123]

Hi..I am a high school junior at the moment, and I am interested in joining ROTC during college. However, i read that there is a physical requirement. I was wondering for the push up section, what kind of push ups are acceptable.
Am i required to perform the conventional 90 degree elbows to the side push up?
or am i allowed to do my personal-elbows attached to the torso and up and down movement?

 

[goaliedad]

Watch the video here for an official description of how its done...

http://army.com/info/apft/pushups

 

[dunninla]

Interesting form shown. On other videos out on the NET, the hands are placed closer to the shoulders, which results in a more difficult pushup (the distance of the UP and DOWN is greater with hands closer together). In this picture you show, the thumb of the hands are placed about 6" outside the shoulders, resulting in a much easier pushup.

The easiest pushup of all would be with the thumb of the hands about 12" outside the shoulders, in which case "all the way up" wouldn't be very far.

I have heard that the pushup shown in the picture is acceptable, and have seen that very wide hand placement in LDAC photos as well.

I guess the Army is OK with the easier (shorter distance) form of pushup now. However, I did a quick Google search on "form of a military pushup, and this is the first thing that came up: http://www.livestrong.com/article/405963-proper-army-pushup/

notice both the picture, and the phrase "hands should be placed shoulder width apart", and not "hands should be placed 6" outside the shoulders".

I think if it mattered to the Army, they would add a phrase "the thumb of the hand must be within 2" of the outside of the shoulder" or something like that, but since they don't, I think placing the hands very wide is good strategy as it results in easier=more pushups.

 

[Pima]

If you go to any SA website you can download the CFA instruction pamphlet. The CFA is the equivalent to ROTC's PFA, minus some tests, such as BBall throw. I only suggest it because it will show you illustrations of the correct form that will be required. This will allow you a hard copy for your reference.

 

[clarksonarmy]

OK all you barracks lawyers...here are the instructions right out of the book...this is the Army book. You'll have to look in another book if you aren't interest in the Army standard.

The push-up event measures the endurance of the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. On the command get set, assume the front-leaning rest position by placing your hands where they are comfortable for you. Your feet may be together or up to 12 inches apart. When viewed from the side, your body should form a generally straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. On the command go, begin the push-up by bending your elbows and lowering your entire body as a single unit until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground. Then, return to the starting position by raising your entire body until your arms are fully extended. Your body must remain rigid in a generally straight line and move as a unit while performing each repetition. At the end of each repetition, the scorer will state the number of repetitions you have completed correctly. If you fail to keep your body generally straight, to lower your whole body until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground, or to extend your arms completely, that repetition will not count, and the scorer will repeat the number of the last correctly performed repetition. If you fail to perform the first ten push-ups correctly, the scorer will tell you to go to your knees and will explain to you what your mistakes are. You will then be sent to the end of the line to be retested. After the first 10 push-ups have been performed and counted, however, no restarts are allowed. The test will continue, and any incorrectly performed push-ups will not be counted. An altered, front-leaning rest position is the only authorized rest position. That is, you may sag in the middle or flex your back. When flexing your back, you may bend your knees, but not to such an extent that you are supporting most of your body weight with your legs. If this occurs, your performance will be terminated. You must return to, and pause in, the correct starting position before continuing. If you rest on the ground or raise either hand or foot from the ground, your performance will be terminated. You may reposition your hands and/or feet during the event as long as they remain in contact with the ground at all times. Correct performance is important. You will have two minutes in which to do as many push-ups as you can. Watch this demonstration. What are your questions?

 

[dunninla]

Thanks Clarkson. No stipulations whatsoever in your post about where exactly to place the hands, other than "where they are comfortable". So yeah, get those hands out WIDE for an easier pushup.

 

[goaliedad]

Thanks Clarkson. No stipulations whatsoever in your post about where exactly to place the hands, other than "where they are comfortable". So yeah, get those hands out WIDE for an easier pushup.

I don't know if wider stance necessarily means easier, just a different balance of pectoral vs tricep work. Some people have more power in different muscles based upon how they have trained them.

 

[bsherman92]

Arm width makes a noticeable difference. Emphasis is placed on different shoulder/pectoral/tricep muscles depending on the width of separation. To illustrate this, notice the different fatigue felt in performing diamond push-ups vs. wide-arm length push-ups vs. shoulder-width push-ups. The rarest form is to place the arms low, nearly hugging the sides of your stomach. This is most common for those who regularly bench press or do other calisthenics/weight training for developing tricep muscles.

Notice one of the criteria in the APFT manual: "You may reposition your hands and/or feet during the event as long as they remain in contact with the ground at all times." This does not mean you may raise any of your arms off the floor at any time - this results in automatic termination. However, it does mean you may "shimmy" your hands across the floor to reposition your arms.

Here are some tips:
- Distribute emphasis on the different arm muscles as you complete more reps: as you feel the fatigue setting in from one set arm distance, shimmy your arms further apart to slightly increase the number of reps. Generally, it's optimal to go from close-in/shoulder-width apart to wide-arm push-ups.
- You must develop proper breathing. It should ideally be rhythmic: inhale as you go down, exhale as you go up.
- A common saying to ensure you're performing the correct form: "Break the plane." The APFT manual specifies that your arms should be bent at a 90 degree angle with the rigid line of your back. This is technically true, but if you're faced with a particularly strict grader, you want to ensure you "break the plane;" that is, the entire unit of your central body surpasses the 90 degree bend of your arms.
- Face forward with your head lifted up the entire time. This is optimal push-up form for breathing and a good viewpoint for knowing when you've broken the plane. As you feel more fatigue with each rep, you will be tempted to look straight down at the ground.
- Use gravity. Exert no effort in lowering yourself. Only exert strength in lowering yourself to stop yourself from touching the floor. This is the same principle in many calisthenic exercises, including the sit-up. When going down from the up position, the person should exert no effort in dropping to the floor.
- Probably the most important of all: position your arms in the ready position directly beneath your chest (perhaps even slightly lower). This gives you maximum pushing power from your arms. Notice that in basketball, the strongest and fastest pass is a chest pass; that is, thrusting the ball away from your body at chest/upper stomach level. This is the same principle with push-ups. Many beginners or those unfamiliar with the push-up tend to place their arm slightly above the height of the shoulders, making them push at an angle. This not only limits the number of reps but makes it seem like you're doing a 90 degree arm bend when you're really not.

Notice each branch of the military has slightly different standards and rules. The Army tests for 2 minutes, the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard for 1 minute, and the Marines exclude the push-up from the PFT. The Army and Air Force authorize the resting position where you can sag the back or extend your buttocks out, while the Navy's only rest position is the front-leaning ready position. Best of luck!

 

[-Bull-]

Alot of cadets will start with their hands in the most comfortable position and do as many as they can before resting. Once it becomes real difficult to keep pushing, they will slide their hands further out or in (withOUT lifting their hands up) to use different muscles. Wider push-ups are not necessarily easier, just more strain on a different muscle.

 

[Armydude2012]

Tc 3-22.20

"the push-up event measures the endurance of the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. On the command 'get set,' assume the front-leaning rest position by placing your hands where they are comfortable for you. Your feet may be together or up to 12 inches apart. When viewed from the side, your body should form a generally straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. On the command 'go,' begin the push-up by bending your elbows and lowering your entire body as a single unit until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground. Then, return to the starting position by raising your entire body until your arms are fully extended. Your body must remain rigid in a generally straight line and move as a unit while performing each repetition. At the end of each repetition, the scorer will state the number of repetitions you have completed correctly. If you fail to keep your body generally straight, to lower your whole body until your upper arms are at least parallel to the ground, or to extend your arms completely, that repetition will not count, and the scorer will repeat the number of the last correctly performed repetition. If you fail to perform the first ten push-ups correctly, the scorer will tell you to go to your knees and will explain to you what your mistakes are. You will then be sent to the end of the line to be retested. After the first 10 push-ups have been performed and counted, however, no restarts are allowed. The test will continue, and any incorrectly performed push-ups will not be counted. An altered, front-leaning rest position is the only authorized rest position. That is, you may sag in the middle or flex your back. When flexing your back, you may bend your knees, but not to such an extent that you are supporting most of your body weight with your legs. If this occurs, your performance will be terminated. You must return to, and pause in, the correct starting position before continuing. If you rest on the ground or raise either hand or foot from the ground, your performance will be terminated. You may reposition your hands and/or feet during the event as long as they remain in contact with the ground at all times. Correct performance is important.