ARLINGTON, Va. - It's time for Soldiers to get the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) scores they're capable of achieving. Guard Your Health, a comprehensive health and wellness campaign exclusively for Army National Guard (ARNG) Soldiers, recently launched Guard Fit, the first and only mobile app designed to help ARNG Soldiers reach their fitness goals.
Guard Fit helps ARNG Soldiers take the guess work out of preparing for the APFT. Soldiers of all fitness levels can benefit from Guard Fit, as it provides a one-stop-shop for APFT training, tracking progress toward goals and finding resources on a variety of health topics. After downloading the app and creating a profile, Soldiers can create a customized training plan, log their results to calculate their projected APFT score, and identify areas they need to improve.
"Guard Fit creates an innovative solution to incorporate accountability and daily physical training so that Soldiers are set up for success in the long term, which will equal a more ready force," said Sgt. 1st Class Chip Cunningham, master fitness trainer and facilitator of the Kansas ARNG's Tactical Strength and Conditioning Course.
At present, the APFT consists of three timed events: a 2-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. To help Soldiers excel in each event, the Guard Fit app offers four key features: TRACK, TRAIN, COMPETE, and TOOLS.
- TRACK: In the track section, Soldiers can set individual APFT and target weight goals and then monitor their progress with practice APFTs. With built-in timers for each event, Soldiers can try their hand at a whole test, or focus on improving their score in a particular area.
- TRAIN: Guard Fit generates customized daily or weekly training plans. Soldiers can easily edit their plan based on their schedule and training needs. Guard Fit will even show you proper form and instructions on how to do each exercise.
- COMPETE: What's better than a little friendly competition? Soldiers can add friends, create groups and compete with their battle buddies for the top leaderboard spot.
- TOOLS: From an APFT calculator to workout videos and healthy recipes, Guard Fit connects Soldiers to the health resources they need and want.
"It's highly likely that there are Soldiers within our force right now who want to improve their APFT score but have no idea where to start. This app answers that question for them," Cunningham said.
Guard Fit is now available for download on Android devices.