APFT Sit-Up Standards 2023

The APFT sit-up event is one component of the United States Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT); it measures a soldier’s physical strength and endurance.

The Army uses the APFT to measure the physical fitness of its soldiers; the Army ACFT has since replaced it.

Purpose

The APFT sit-up event tests the endurance of a soldier’s abdominal and hip flexor muscles, which are essential for core strength and stability.
The Army requires soldiers to complete as many sit-ups as possible within a set time limit, usually 2 minutes.

Table of Contents hide

APFT Sit-Up Standards and Scoring

APFT Sit-up Instructions

Sit-up Scoring:

Failure and Retesting

APFT Sit-up Repetition Guidelines

Rest Position and Termination Rules

Male & Female APFT Sit-up Score Sheet

Max Your Score in the Army APFT Sit-Up

Technique:

Pace:

Breathing:

Strengthening Core Muscles:

Conclusion

APFT Sit-Up Standards and Scoring

The APFT scores on a scale from 0 to 100, with a minimum of 60 points required in each event to pass for active-duty soldiers.

The minimum score required to pass the sit-up event in the APFT depends on the age and gender of the soldier.

The maximum score you get in the sit-up event is 100 points
The minimum score required to pass the APFT sit-up event is 60 points

Below is a table showing the number of sit-ups required to get a minimum of 60 points and a maximum of 100 points for male and female soldiers

Age Group	Sit-ups Required for 60 Points	Sit-ups Required for 100 Points
17-21	71	82
22-26	73	81
27-31	76	80
32-36	81	76
37-41	83	75
42-46	88	72
47-51	93	66
52-56	94	66

APFT Sit-up Standards

APFT Sit-up Instructions

Position: Start by lying on your back with knees bent at 90-degree angles and feet 12 inches apart.
- You must interlock your fingers behind your head, and another person may hold your ankles.
Execution: Raise your upper body to or beyond the vertical position (base of the neck above the base of the spine), then lower until shoulder blades touch the ground. Repeat.
Time Limit: You have two minutes to perform as many correct sit-ups as possible.
Form Requirements: Incorrectly performed sit-ups will not be counted.
- This includes failing to reach the vertical position or using improper techniques like arching the back or raising the buttocks off the ground.

Sit-up Scoring:

APFT sit-up scoring is based on the number of correctly executed sit-ups performed within two minutes.
Scores are categorized into points ranging from 0 to 100.
100 points: Performing the maximum number of sit-ups required for your age and gender group
60 points: Meeting the minimum required sit-ups for your age and gender group
Below 60 points: Failing to meet the minimum requirements; scoring decreases with fewer sit-ups performed.
0 points: Failing to perform any sit-ups correctly.

Failure and Retesting

Failure: If you perform the first two sit-ups incorrectly, the scorer tells you to stop and explains the deficiencies, and you are sent to the end of the line for retesting.
Retesting Rules: No restarts are allowed after the first ten sit-ups have been performed and counted. Any incorrectly performed sit-ups afterward will not be counted.

APFT Sit-up Repetition Guidelines

Scorer: The score announces the number of sit-ups correctly performed.
Incorrect Repetitions: A repetition will not count if you fail to follow the correct form (e.g., reaching the vertical position, keeping fingers interlocked behind the head, not arching or bowing the back, keeping buttocks on the ground, and maintaining knees at a 90-degree angle).
Repetition Count: If repetition does not count, the scorer will repeat the number of the last correctly performed sit-ups.

Rest Position and Termination Rules

Authorized Rest Position: The up position is the only permissible rest position.
Resting in the Incorrect Position: The scorer will terminate the APFT Sit-Up event if you stop and rest in the down or start position.
Continuous Effort: The event will not be terminated as long as you continuously try to sit up.
Unauthorized Assistance: You may not use your hands or other means to pull or push yourself into the rest position or to hold yourself there. If you do, the event will be terminated.

Male & Female APFT Sit-up Score Sheet

The following is the comprehensive APFT sit-up scoring sheet for both male and female soldiers.

Age Group	17-21	22-26	27-31	32-36	37-41	42-46	47-51	52-56
No of Situps	M/F	M/F	M/F	M/F	M/F	M/F	M/F	M/F
82	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
81	–	99	–	–	–	–	–	–
80	–	100	98	–	–	–	–	–
79	–	99	97	–	–	–	–	–
78	100	97	96	–	–	–	–	–
77	98	96	95	–	–	–	–	–
76	97	95	94	100	100	–	–	–
75	95	93	92	99	99	–	–	–
74	94	92	91	98	98	–	–	–
73	92	91	90	96	97	–	–	–
72	90	89	89	95	96	100	–	–
71	89	88	88	94	95	99	–	–
70	88	87	87	93	94	98	–	–
69	87	85	86	92	93	97	–	–
68	84	84	85	91	92	96	–	–
67	82	83	84	89	91	95	–	–
66	81	81	83	88	89	94	100	100
65	79	80	82	87	88	93	99	99
64	78	79	81	86	87	92	98	98
63	76	77	79	85	86	91	97	97
62	74	76	78	84	85	90	96	96
61	73	75	77	82	84	89	94	95
60	71	73	76	81	83	88	93	94
59	70	72	75	80	82	87	92	93
58	68	71	74	79	81	86	91	92
57	66	69	73	78	80	85	90	91
56	65	68	72	76	79	84	89	89
55	63	67	71	75	78	83	88	88
54	62	65	70	74	77	82	87	87
53	60	64	69	73	76	81	86	86
52	58	63	68	72	75	80	84	85
51	57	61	66	71	74	79	83	84
50	55	60	65	69	73	78	82	83
49	54	59	64	68	72	77	81	82
48	52	57	62	66	71	76	80	81
47	51	56	61	65	70	75	79	80
46	49	54	60	64	68	74	78	79
45	48	53	58	63	67	73	77	78
44	46	52	57	62	66	72	76	77
43	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	76
42	43	49	54	59	64	69	74	75
41	42	48	53	58	63	68	73	74
40	41	47	52	57	62	67	72	73
39	40	45	51	56	61	66	71	72
38	38	44	50	55	60	65	70	71
37	37	43	49	54	59	64	69	70
36	36	42	48	53	58	63	68	69
35	34	41	47	52	57	62	67	68
34	33	40	46	51	56	61	66	67
33	32	38	45	50	55	60	65	66
32	31	37	44	49	54	59	64	65
31	30	36	43	48	53	58	63	64
30	28	35	42	47	52	57	62	63
29	27	34	41	46	51	56	61	62
28	26	33	40	45	50	55	60	61
27	25	32	39	44	49	54	59	60
26	24	31	38	43	48	53	58	59
25	23	30	37	42	47	52	57	58
24	22	29	36	41	46	51	56	57
23	21	28	35	40	45	50	55	56
22	20	27	34	39	44	49	54	55
21	18	26	33	38	43	48	53	54

APFT Sit-up Score Sheet

Max Your Score in the Army APFT Sit-Up

To max out and perform well in the APFT Sit-up event, do the following:

Technique:

Ensure that you have a solid technique nailed down tight.
Make sure that you complete full sit-ups.
Reach as far back with your shoulder blades as possible at the beginning of each repetition.
Touch elbows with knees at the apex point of each one-up cycle.

Pace:

Maintaining an even pace matters greatly.
It might be tempting to push yourself from day one. Doing so won’t do much good overall.
Instead, implement a measured tempo.
This enables good form without tiring out prematurely.

Breathing:

Exhaling deeply is vital for high scores.
Ensure that inhaling involves deep lungfuls when moving back into the rest position.

Strengthening Core Muscles:

Consistent training is key.
Embracing exercises that target areas like the abs will help considerably towards better results.

Conclusion

In the military, fitness assessment is vital.
It measures one’s preparedness for various activities.
The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) is one such assessment. One component is the sit-up event.
The sit-ups evaluate strength and endurance in the abdominals.
These are necessary for tasks like lifting heavy equipment.
Regular sit-ups offer health benefits as well.
Toning the abdominal muscles and lower back muscles has advantages.
It reduces the chances of back-related injuries through good posture.
It also improves stability and balance.
Proper form is also essential for efficient sit-ups.
It will positively impact both APFT results and individual well-being.
It helps increase muscle endurance over time.
To achieve this feat, you must keep perfect spine alignment.
You must also work out all muscle groups during reps consecutively.
Regular sit-up training can guarantee higher APFT scores.
This leads to increased muscle endurance. It also brings the bonus of toned six-pack abs.
The time is now! Get started. Enjoy great fitness, perfect posture, balance, and overall well-being.

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George N.

George N. is the founder of ArmyPRT.com. While he never actually served in the United States Army, he has a passion for writing about military-related topics.

Born and raised in Bozeman, Montana, he graduated from George State University with an MBA in Actuarial Science. His hobbies include beach volleyball, hiking, fishing, and lifting weights

George is also a certified nutritionist with a passion for health and fitness.