Here's how the Canadian Armed Forces tests how fit you are (VIDEO)
Curious about how fit you have to be to get into the army? In Canada, the fitness test to join is fairly simple, with just four components.
According to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), new trainees must take the FORCE Evaluation fitness test in their first week of basic training and must pass to continue training.
But just doing it once is not enough because CAF members are tested annually. Here’s what the CAF fitness test looks like, according to TikTok account @yycrecruiting.
@yycrecruiting Replying to @z370z Canadian Forces Force Test (fitness test). To be completed once a year. #canadianarmedforces #military #canadianforces #canada #canadianmilitary #caf #forcetest #fitnesstest #canadianarmy #airforce #navy #army #alberta
The four FORCE test components
1. 20-metre rushes
“Starting from the prone position, complete two shuttle sprints (one shuttle = 20 m there, 20 m back) dropping to the prone position every 10 m for a total of 80 m.  To be completed in 51 seconds or less,” the video reads.
2. Sandbag lift
“Thirty consecutive lifts of a 20 kg sandbag from the floor above a height of 1 m. The member alternates between left and right sandbags separated by 1.25 m. To be completed in three minutes and 30 seconds or less.”
3. Intermittent loaded shuttles
According to @yycrecruiting, trainees then have to do “10 consecutive shuttles (one shuttle = 20 m there, 20 m back), alternating between loaded shuttles with a 20 kg sandbag and unloaded shuttles, totalling 400 m. To be completed in five minutes and 21 seconds or less.”
4. Sandbag drag
Lastly, “carry one 20 kg sandbag and pull a minimum of four on the floor over 20 m without stopping. [The] number of sandbags being dragged depends on the type of floor.”
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While the test is relatively simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
The four components are designed to see if you can do what the military does in the field. For example, you could be expected to carry stretchers and quickly escape to cover. Also, you may need to build sandbag fortifications – like we saw last year during the historic flooding in BC.
Now that you’ve seen what goes into the CAF fitness test, will you hit the gym harder?
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