New cadets test their muscle endurance July 9 at the River Courts. New cadets go through many physical fitness routines, including cadence pullups to get an idea of where their current fitness level as they continue Cadet Basic Training for the Class...
New cadets test their muscle endurance July 9 at the River Courts. New cadets go through many physical fitness routines, including cadence pullups to get an idea of where their current fitness level as they continue Cadet Basic Training for the Class...
WEST POINT, N.Y. (July 11, 2012) -- The new cadets, who arrived July 2, are now getting into the routine of Cadet Basic Training and are quickly experiencing a military environment that entails such things as rendering salutes, following orders and completing a rigorous military physical training program----and all this before classes begin.
On July 6, they took the Army Physical Fitness Test, which consists of a two-mile run, pushups and situps.
Another test they had to perform was the Muscle Strength and Endurance Physical Test given by the cadet cadre three days later at the River Courts.
The MSE PT test included hanging onto a pole for as long as possible without letting go, which allows the participants to show their muscle strength and is used to determine and compare a person's general fitness level. Their fitness level should develop over time while at CBT and through their time as a cadet.
Other parts of the MSE PT test included squats and situps.
"With these exercises, the cadets are allowed to do as many repetitions as they can do," Class of 2013 Cadet Carl Rios, one of the cadet cadre leading the cadet fitness program, said. "There is always a lot of improvement in individuals as they complete Cadet Basic Training. After CBT, cadets will be graded on their physical fitness."
Physical fitness is part of the cadets' routine throughout their 47 months at West Point, whether they are involved in fitness routines or sports.
During their first year, they must achieve a baseline of movement skills, physical fitness, knowledge and the self-confidence necessary to meet the future physical requirements of the U.S. Military Academy and the Army, according to the Department of Physical Education.
Another physical requirement developed during Gen. Douglas MacArthur's tenure as superintendent in 1919 was the requirement for all cadets to join an intramural, club or company sport every semester.
The physical development of Soldiers is important because the effectiveness of Soldiers depends on their physical condition.
"There is so much physical activity in the Army," Maj. Beth Merrigan, DPE competitive sports instructor, said. "This could be in a combat situation or even stateside because officers and Soldiers can carry such a heavy (and demanding) load. It is the job of officers to train their Soldiers."
Many of the new cadets have had some practice in fitness because of involvement in sports, running or practicing for West Point physical admissions tests.
One of the requirements for admission to West Point is the passing of the Candidate Fitness Assessment Test or CFA.
The CFA consists of six events including a modified basketball throw from a kneeling position and cadence pullups, which is hanging on a bar with palms apart and feet not touching the floor.
They must also execute two or three chinups, moving legs up and hold and let legs down; a 40-yard agility run; two minutes of abdominal crunches; and a timed one-mile run.
"The CFA can be done anywhere," Merrigan said. "It could be given at their high school or anywhere as long as there is an adult physical instructor or trainer (giving the test)."
Another physically exhausting exercise that new cadets must do to complete CBT is a 12-mile march from Camp Buckner to West Point, often escorted by their sister class, the class that graduated 50 years before them----which for the Class of 2016 is USMA Class of 1966. This year March Back is scheduled for Aug. 13.
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