MCRD San Diego -- Each recruit’s physical ability is tested throughout recruit training through a physical fitness test, which is designed to measure one’s physical strength, agility, and endurance.
Recruits of Company I, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, ran the initial PFT July 20 aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
“The purpose of an initial PFT is to show the progression of each recruit since they ran their initial strength test,” said Staff Sgt. Dustin Sansoucie, senior drill instructor, Platoon 3201, Co. I. “It shows them where they’re at and shows what they need to improve on.”
Throughout training, recruits will run three PFT’s in order to track their progress.
A PFT is an annual training event that every Marine must complete. It is a combination of pull-ups, timed crunches and a timed three-mile run.
The first week of recruit training, recruits are required to run an IST, which is the same as a PFT but with a 1.5-mile run. Depending on their performance during the IST, drill instructors are able to identify and focus on the weaknesses of a recruit’s physical performance.
“It’s important that recruits keep pushing themselves,” said Sansoucie, a 27-year-old Bristol, Conn. native. “Getting a high score on the PFT can help toward getting promotions.”
Recruits endure exercise and training events that build them mentally and physically in their first few weeks of training. In week four of training, recruits run the initial PFT.
Recruits begin their PFT with pull-ups. Each recruit mounts a bar and pumps out as many pull-ups as they can. After each recruit has recorded the amount done, they line up at the starting line for the timed three-mile run. Once the recruits finish, they then are instructed to do as many crunches as they can for two minutes.
Drill instructors run along side of the recruits during the PFT providing them with motivation to continue.
“Not only does it show us where we need to improve, it also prepares us for our final PFT,” said Recruit Davidson Venancio, Plt. 3201. “It’ll build us on our upper-body strength and help us with our endurance.”
Making progress in a desired goal also builds confidence in the recruits.
“I didn’t do as well as I wanted during the IST,” explained Recruit Robert Blackwell, Plt. 3201. “I spent the time trying to better myself and saw an improvement in all three categories, especially my run time; it was better than I expected.”
The initial PFT gives recruits a sense of their physical accomplishments so far in training.
“We’ve seen a big improvement,” said Sansoucie. “A lot of recruits are surprised on how much they’ve improved in four weeks.”
Co. I is scheduled to run an inventory PFT in week nine of training. This gives the recruits an idea of where they stand physically and what they need to improve. The following week they will run their final PFT and the score they receive will follow them to their first duty station.
“You always have to do more than what is expected of yourself,” explained Venancio. “I have high standards for myself and the other recruits; I expect to get a high score.”