(Air Force Times) Editorial: Minding the waist

[unhappycamper]

Minding the waist

Air Force leaders are going through contortions right now to redesign the ineffective and unfair fitness program. Here is one obvious place to start: Ditch the ridiculous waist standards.

Top-performing airmen who smoke the 1.5-mile run, sit-up and push-up portions of the physical training test are needlessly put through extra paces to ace the test if their waists exceed a maximum 32 inches for men and 29 inches for women.

Amazingly, those limits factor in neither age nor height.

Airmen who exceed the limits must pass a body-mass index test to nail the maximum PT test score.

Never mind, though, that the BMI is of questionable scientific value and makes no allowance for muscle mass.


Rest of article at: http://airforcetimes.com/community/opinion/airforce_editorial_waist_020909/%2e