![]() It is clear that the tape test and screening table weights were not built or implemented with the expectations in mind that we have of our Soldiers today. Frustratingly, these are the same muscle regions we are mandating to be smaller according to the current tape test. By practicing these heavy lifting exercises, muscles such as the hamstrings and gluteus maximus will inevitably strengthen and grow. More so now than ever before, we are asking female Soldiers to deadlift heavy weight, sprint-drag-carry 90 lbs, and perform events that require significant amounts of upper and lower body strength. So why are we measuring a female’s strongest asset, and suggesting that the smaller it is the better? With that being said, although females anatomically carry most of their weight in their hips, the same can be said about how we carry most of our strength and muscle. However, to add to her point, if we are going to be held to the same standard as our male counterparts, we should take another look at how it can change and affect women’s bodies.įor example, and as a general rule of thumb, for females to achieve the best body fat percentage requires a bigger neck, smaller waist, and smaller hips. I wholeheartedly agree with Kristen Griest in her recently published article with the Modern War Institute. For males, the tape test involves measuring the neck and waist but the female tape test requires measurement of the neck, waist, and “most protruding part” of the hips. It can have a +/- 14% margin in both directions. But perhaps that’s the problem, the tape test does not always accurately reflect the body fat percentage of an individual. Some studies date it back to the Navy in 1984. The Army Tape Test is a method that has been used by the military for decades. Address, and improve upon, the relatively outdated and less accurate tape test currently being used.Using the deadlift standards as an example, in combat, I would much rather have a Soldier who can lift and drag an average 220lb body to safety, than a Soldier who struggles to lift the bare minimum of 140lbs but appears “in-shape.” To drive this point home, if an individual can perform well above average and look presentable in uniform, should it matter what they weigh? Their performance and capabilities should supersede their weight. A soldier that can score in the 90th percentile, regardless of MOS, in all six of the ACFT events, should be exempt from any height, weight, or tape standards.The body fat percentage test should only be applied to those Soldiers who are truly struggling with physical fitness, not the Soldiers who choose to stay in the utmost shape using powerlifting, CrossFit, or other forms of exercise that commonly cause service members to be taped. #Army body fat calculator updateHowever, we need to update the way we measure body fat so that it falls in line with our updated fitness test and what we are demanding of our bodies. There will, and always should be, a body fat requirement. As professionals, we should always be concerned with our appearance. To be clear, I am not advocating the removal of standards for physical appearance. However, our physical fitness test has changed we have to allow our body composition standards and testing to change as well. When Soldiers were only required to perform push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run to pass the APFT, it was understandable to expect them to conform to a leaner body type. ![]() ![]() Culturally, we are still living with the mindset where being skinny automatically equals being fit and having a muscular build equates to being in the height/weight “danger zone.” As it stands right now, muscle mass is not conducive to the current tape test which historically favors the thinner aesthetics you would see in a distance runner’s body. ![]() Simply stated, the DoD’s tape test to measure service members body fat composition no longer reflects what we are demanding of our Soldiers’ bodies.īody composition and physical expectations have changed over the decades (especially with the implementation of the ACFT) Soldiers are more focused on strength training than ever before. In the United States Army, one method by which these standards are upheld are physical fitness and body composition tests, but at what expense? These regulations are in place to ensure Soldiers are physically in shape, but also ensure they are presentable as members of the armed forces. It’s no secret that the Army has a long lasting foundation of standards and regulations. ![]()
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