Entering any branch of the armed forces is a monumental task, requiring rigorous training and peak performance. And before you can enter any of them, you have to pass a military physical fitness tests designed to challenge your strength and endurance.
Among these assessments is a particularly grueling category of evaluations for special forces, which is as elite as it gets.
The gist? Prove your stamina, speed, agility, and strength over the course of several events. Five different tests repeatedly make the top lists of military physical fitness tests from around the world, and they’re as follows (in no particular order):
UK Special Air Services
Established in 1941, the SAS is one of the oldest special forces units in the world, and only about 15 percent of people who participate in its physical fitness assessments are able to complete the eight tasks below, according to Men's Health UK.
This special operations force of the United States Army is no joke, and neither is the physical fitness test candidates are required to pass before joining it. According to Men’s Health UK, here’s the initial test.
40m inverted crawl (aka crab walk) in under 25 secs
37 sit-ups in 1 min
32 push-ups in 1 min
A run, dodge, jump course in under 24 secs
2-mile run in under 16:30 mins
100m swim (fully dressed, including jumpsuit)
India's Para Special Forces
It takes over three years to complete the training program for India's Para Special Forces, and only about one in 10 recruits passes in the end. Here's their final physical fitness test.
5,000m run in under 20 mins
14 strict chin-ups (FYI, "strict" means hanging fully extended with arms straight.)
40 push-ups in under 1 min
80 sit-ups in under 2 mins
17 x 5-meter shuttle run (an agility test in which you continuously run back and forth between different markers)
This is the toughest physical fitness assessment on the list and the only one that involves actual fighting. Suffice it to say, it's not for the faint of heart.
3000m (1.86-miles) run in under 10:30 mins
100m run in under 12.7 secs
10 x 10m suicide drills (sprinting back and forth to progressively longer distance markers) in under 25 secs
10 reps bench press, equivalent to body weight (but no more than 100kg)
10 rounds of 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, 15 half burpees (from sitting position to push-up plank), and 15 burpees (from sitting position)
Hand-to-hand combat, 3 x 3-minute rounds against a larger opponent
Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cult-fave wellness brands, and exclusive Well+Good content. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.
