If anyone is preparing to become a member of any Special Operations Group (Army SF, Rangers, Navy SEALs, Marine RECON, Air Force PJs, EOD units, and others) they all must graduate from the Army Basic Airborne Course (BAC) in Fort Benning. Not only is it a prerequisite for Special Ops, but it has become a mandatory school to further your Army career as well. So let the BAC be a starting point to making your future in the Army bright, exciting, and fulfilling.

To prepare for BAC, you need to pass the Army PFT with a score of 180 and be able to hold a flexed arm hang for 10 seconds*. At age bracket 17-21 that is only a score of:

180 Score
	Men	Women
Pushups	42	19
Sit-ups	53	53
2 mile run	15:54	18:54

These scores are below average for the caliber of student who easily graduates Airborne without any trouble on the daily runs and PT. I would recommend getting closer to the 80 - 100% on the APFT so you can enjoy the training and better concentrate on the mission at hand - jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. The 80-100 range is:

240-300 Score
	Men	Women
Pushups	57-71	31- 42
Sit-ups	66-78	66-78
2 mile run	13:00 - 14:24	15:36 - 17:12

If your goals are to one day become an Army Ranger or solider in the Special Forces, you definitely want to be able to ace the Army PFT with a 300 or better. The following training for any SF school will require much more out of you that Airborne, but Airborne is a great first step to "jump" starting your career. Many of my favorite PT programs to train for the Army PFT can be found in the following Military.com links:

Pullups / Flexed Arm Hang

Pushups and Sit-ups

Running

Now, let's meet those physical standards and surpass the 180 minimum score and aim higher. While you are taking the time to exercise to prepare for the training, pick up the training a notch and really get yourself in top shape. Non-combatants and combatants of the Army alike, now more than ever need to raise the bar and be able to perform at higher standards. Be ready and train hard in all areas - we are in a war! Good luck to all soldiers and future soldiers alike. Thanks for your service.

The Military.com Fitness eBook Store can help you prepare for the next phase of your training. Email fitness author and former Navy SEAL Stew Smith your questions and he will answer and may use them as part of this column. There is a new Airborne Workout in the store now and an Air Assault School Workout in the works.

For more on the administrative, physical, and medical requirements check out:

U.S. Army Infantry Hompage