Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif. -- Recruits of Company A, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, are in Phase Three and their time aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is quickly coming to an end. During this phase they must pass a comprehensive exam, combat fitness test and final physical fitness test. Through recruit training they’ve been taught the basics and expectations of being a Marine. Physical fitness is among those most emphasized.
To prepare for the final PFT, recruits ran an inventory PFT to gauge their fitness a week before their first official PFT.
“The Marine Corps is really competitive,” said Staff Sgt. Michael White, drill instructor, Platoon 1009, Co. A, 1st RTBn. “You’re judged by your physical fitness level; it’s a big part of your cutting score, fit-reps and promotions, across the board. Your physical fitness is also a direct reflection of the work you put in after hours, it shows character.”
Physical fitness is of utmost importance in the Marine Corps, so much that aspiring Marines must pass an Initial Strength Test in order to be considered for enlistment. Once they arrive aboard the depot, recruits take another IST to evaluate their physical fitness. Throughout recruit training, they undergo a rigorous physical training schedule to help improve their fitness and prepare for the PFT.
“The inventory PFT is used to see where the platoons are before the final PFT,” said White. “It shows us who put in extra effort and the improvements recruits have made throughout training.”
The annual training consists of a maximum set of pull-ups, crunches and a 3-mile run. A perfect score for male Marines requires
20 pull-ups, 100 crunches and an 18-minute run time.
“The PFT helps with overall fitness,” said Recruit Robert Delintt, Plt. 1009, Co. A, 1st RTBn. “It works your core, lower body and upper body. If you can achieve all three, you will be well rounded and establish a good fitness base to build on.”
Regardless of what score is achieved, overall fitness benefits recruits and Marines alike by setting them up for success.
“Not everybody is a fast runner and not everybody can do 20 pull-ups, but the PFT is important because it gets you ready physically and mentally for combat. It helps build upper-body strength and endurance that will help sustain combat readiness,” said White.
It’s important for Marines to be physically fit and ready at any given moment to fulfill duties that come with being the nation’s 9-1-1 force, according to Delintt.
“Being physically fit made a difference on missions,” said White, thinking back on his own deployments. “There were times when we had to go on long hikes in the mountains of Afghanistan; they were steep. Being a runner definitely helped with endurance and being able to keep up.”
Now that recruits of Co. A realize where they stand for their PFT, they can adjust to ensure they get the best possible score. They are scheduled to run the final PFT on Training Day 57 and must pass in order to continue through training.