British Army Basic Training Fitness Requirements
Combat Fitness Test (CFT)
This test is designed to check the aerobic capacity of the recruits by testing their ability to complete a 12.8km loaded march. This must be completed in a maximum time of two hours, but not less than 1 hour 55 minutes. The weight of the load carried includes the recruit’s weapon, helmet and body armour and varies according to their Arm and Service.
| Arm/Service | Total Load (Kg) |
| All Paratrooper/Commando personnel, Royal Logistic Corps (Pioneer only), Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (Regt Spec only), Small Arms School Corps | 25 |
| Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers | 20 |
| Royal Signals, Army Air Corps, Royal Army Chaplain's Department, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Adjutant General's Corps, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Intelligence Corps, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, Corps of Army Music | 15 |
Army Physical Training Corps have to carry the same load as the Arm/Service they are working with.
Aerobic Test (Run)
The Aerobic Test is performed in two parts, with the first part being a 800m walk/jog which is completed as a squad between the times of 4 mins and 50 secs and 5mins. This is immediately followed by a 1.5 mile run that must be completed in a set time according to your age and gender. These times are listed below.
| Age | Time to beat |
| Male | |
| 29 and under | 10 mins 30 secs |
| 30-34 | 11 mins |
| 35-39 | 11 mins 30 secs |
| 40-44 | 12 mins |
| 45-49 | 12 mins 30 secs |
| 50-54 | 13 mins 30 secs |
| Female | |
| 29 and under | 13 mins |
| 30-34 | 13 mins 30 secs |
| 35-39 | 14 mins |
| 40-44 | 14 mins 30 secs |
| 45-49 | 15 mins |
| 50-54 | 16 mins |
Press-Ups
Press-Ups are performed within a time frame of two minutes. You can rest at any time but you must return to the standard press-up starting position before continuing with the test. The number of press-ups you need to complete within the two minutes depends on your age and gender.
| Age | No of Press-Ups |
| Male | |
| 29 and under | 44 |
| 30-34 | 41 |
| 35-39 | 39 |
| 40-44 | 35 |
| 45-49 | 29 |
| 50-54 | 25 |
| Female | |
| 29 and under | 21 |
| 30-34 | 19 |
| 35-39 | 16 |
| 40-44 | 15 |
| 45-49 | 13 |
| 50-54 | 11 |
Sit-ups
Sit-ups are also performed within two minutes. There are the same rules about taking rests as for the press-ups.
| Age | No of Sit Ups |
| 29 and under | 50 |
| 30-34 | 46 |
| 35-39 | 43 |
| 40-44 | 37 |
| 45-49 | 34 |
| 50-54 | 32 |
For more information on Basic Training in the Army see the Army questions section.
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