Navy recruits: fitness measuring, validation, and norming

During the standard Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) used on Croatian Navy recruits (CNR), we found the standard APFT battery to be both excessively demanding and time-consuming. The aim of the present study was to validate alternate APFT tests (A-APFT) that would be appropriate for CNR. In the sample of 295 CNR (mean age, 23 +/- 2.6 years), we applied the standard APFT (2-minute sit-ups and push-ups, and 2-mile-run) and A-APFT (30-second sit-ups and push-ups, 1,500-meter run, and 2-minute squats). Using linear correlations and linear regression equations, we established validity of the A-APFT compared to the APFT. Thirty-second push-ups, but not 30-second sit-ups, can be considered as a valuable alternative to the same 2-minute test, while the 1500-meter run may be considered as a valid replacement of the 2-mile run. The modified standards for the A-APFT and some suggestions for the enhancement of the physical fitness training in CNR are presented.