UOTC fitness test - help needed

Hi,

I want to join the UOTC but am struggling with press ups. Using one press up position I can do about 40 press ups - that is with my hands slightly in front of my shoulders and normally spaced.

I can do about 45-50 press ups, however, by changing up my position during the press ups.

I stop in the position where my arms are fully extended and instead bring my arms in a little or hands closer together, continuing on from there (I don't rest my body on the ground whilst doing this).

This helps me alot but is it allowed

Also, can someone step on my feet whilst I'm doing the 55 sit ups.

Reply 1

frogit5

When you do an Army PFT, you have 2 minutes to do your sit ups and 2 minutes to do your press ups. You do the PFT in a pair, so while you do your sit ups, your holds your feet down. You are allowed to stop and rest during both sit ups and press ups and carry on when you like.

Point to note for the sit ups is that your arms are crossed over your chest, with elbows tucked in. The PTIs are really strict on this, the first PFT I did I nearly failed because the PTI made me start again after 10 as my fingers weren't touching my chest...

For press ups the position is supposed to be hands shoulder width apart in line with your chest but you can get away with most positions so long as you go all the way down and all the way up.

Reply 2

sypher1985

If you want to do something well with your body then it needs loads of practise. Keep repeating what you need to do in the form you need to do it in. This is one of the reasons why the press up is such a great excerise, because the movement can be applied to loads of different scenarios in life. Whereas the bench press for example can't.

If you need to do press-ups in a certain way, do them in that way. Forget about the form you can do it best, and get better in the form you need to do it in.

Reply 3

neilgravir

Unfortunately whilst in general sypher1985 is correct, form is important as far as army PFTs are concerned. The most important thing about press ups is how far down you go. You have to be a clenched (upright) fist away from the floor. The actual width apart is not as critical, and as mentioned you can rest/do it in sets anyway so you can change your position slightly then.

You might want to practice with something of a similar size to a fist (vertically) to make sure you are getting far enough down. I used to use a shoe.

Besides, at my OTC we didn't have to do press-ups/sit-ups in the joining fitness test, only in the PFT later in the year. Yours may well be the same.