U.S. Air Force / Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair
Staff Sgt. Philip Slick performs pushups under pressure during the 101st Air Refueling Wing Security Forces Squadron Best Defender Competition in Bangor, Maine, July 27, 2026. The competition tested security forces Airmen's proficiency in land navigation, marksmanship, tactical fitness, doctrine knowledge and endurance
Could you pass the new Air Force fitness test that just became official on July 1st? That is what we are here to learn.
The new United States Air Force physical fitness assessment standards (PFAS) were first rolled out for diagnostic testing on March 1st of this year but official testing resumed on July 1st last month. Under the new PFAS, there are key changes to the cardio, weight lifting, core, and body comp components.
Could You Pass The New Air Force Fitness Test?
U.S. Air Force / William R. Lewis
members of the United States Air Force running on a track
Before we get to Dr. Mike’s Air Force fitness test video below, first let’s lay out what the test entails. Participants are given a choice of either a 2-mile run or 20-meter High Aerobic Multi-Shuttle Run (HAMR). The ‘HAMR’ is a 20-meter ‘bleep test’ where participants run between two lines that are set up 20 meters apart and must make it to the other side before the ‘bleeps’ which grow progressively faster.
For the strength portion, participants complete either one full minute of standard push-ups or 2 minutes of hand-release push-ups. Then for core there is 60 seconds of sit-ups or 2 minutes of cross-leg reverse crunches. A third option is a timed forearm plank. The last component is body composition which is a straight-forward height-to-waist ratio measurement.
The USAF has released a PDF (found here) on how each of the diagnostics is scored. Height-to-waist ratio scores obviously vary across gender and age. For example, to earn the full 15 points on push-ups, a man is going to need to do 63 or more reps at age 25-29 but just 52 or more reps at ages 40-44. Similarly, it is 56 vs 50 reps for sit-ups at the same aforementioned ages.
With all of this in mind, let’s see if Dr. Mike of Renaissance Periodization can pull off a great score on the new Air Force Fitness Test:
Spoiler alert: when you look like Dr. Mike and are an active bodybuilder then running 1.5 miles for speed is not going to be a skill that is in your wheelhouse. To see him ‘DNF’ that test was not all that surprising. To reach the ‘ELITE’ category for the 1.5-mile run it must be completed in 9 minutes or less. However, to receive all 50 points for that portion of the test a 40-year-old male just needs to run sub 14:05 for the 1.5 miles. That is COMPLETELY doable.
There is an underwater swim portion at the end of this test. All he has to do is start on one side of the pool and swim to the other, a whopping 25 meters. They do this twice. From one side to the other without taking a breath, a 3-minute break to settle themselves and catch their breath, and then they do it back the other way. Everyone alive should pass this test with flying colors.
So what do you think, could you pass the new Air Force Fitness Test? Let me know what you think in the comments down below. Also check out the US Army’s new fitness test below to see how hard it is: