You should begin your preparation now to achieve as high a level of physical fitness as you can before Basic Training. Don’t put it off. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to meet or surpass the objectives in the Evaluation. Remember, your enrolment in the Canadian Forces will be delayed unless you are sufficiently fit.

To ensure that you are ready for the demands of Basic Training, you will be asked to undergo a Physical Fitness Evaluation as part of the recruiting Process. Successful completion of this Evaluation is a necessary step toward being accepted into the Canadian Forces.

There are four test items in the Evaluation: a step test to measure your aerobic fitness; push-up and sit-up tests to measure your muscular endurance; and a hand-grip (squeeze) test to measure your muscular strength (in kilograms).



Self-Assessment of Physical Fitness
As you pursue your training, you will want to assess your progress against the objectives in the Pre-Enrolment Physical Fitness Evaluation. You can assess yourself as often as you wish.

The techniques used for push-ups and sit-ups during the Evaluation are explained here. Use these techniques during training and self-assessment. You may not have access to a hand-grip measuring device. However, performing chin-ups will help prepare you for this test.


Push-Ups
Lie flat on your stomach, legs together, using your toes as the pivot point. With your fingers pointing forward, place your hands below your shoulders. Push up by straightening your arms until your elbows are locked, then return to the starting position (with your chest just touching the floor). Keep your body in a straight line throughout. Exhale as you push up; inhale on the way back down. Perform this motion in a continuous manner. Do as many repetitions as you can. Stop the test when the movement becomes forcibly strained.


Sit-Ups
Lie on your back, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and put your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on the side of your head (covering your ears). Press your lower back against the floor to begin the movement, curl up and touch your elbows to your knees (count one), then return to the starting position. Exhale as you come up, inhale on the way back down. Perform as many sit-ups as you can in 60 seconds. Stop the test when the movement becomes forcibly strained or when you start to lift your buttocks off the floor at the beginning of a repetition.


Chin-Ups
Chin-ups are not part of your Pre-enrolment Evaluation. However, minimum objectives for chin-ups are included, because they are an important part of your Basic Training.

Hang from a chinning bar with the palms of your hands facing you (thumbs to the outside) and your arms fully extended. Without swinging your legs, pull up by bending your elbows until your chin is just above the bar, then lower yourself slowly to the starting position. Exhale as you pull up, inhale on the way back down. Perform this motion in a continuous manner, without resting between repetitions. Count one every time a chin-up is completed. Do not count any where swinging occurs.


Aerobic Fitness 2.4 km Run
During your Pre-Enrolment Physical Fitness Evaluation, a qualified instructor will conduct a step test to measure your aerobic fitness. For the Self-Assessment, however, you will have to do a 2.4km run to gauge your level. Be sure to pursue a gradual running program over several weeks prior to the test. Complete the test on a regulation running track (six laps of a 400 meter track) or over a measured course. (If necessary, you can measure out a course using the odometer on a car). Use the chart to assess your results. Remember, achieving an acceptable rating would be equivalent to reaching the required objective on the Step Test in the Evaluation.