3 REASONS TO BE FITTER THAN THE PFA!

If you are attempting a Preliminary Fitness Assessment (PFA) for the Australian Defence Force in the near future then you need to consider this. The PFA is not the minimum standard of ADF fitness. It is actually LESS than the minimum standard. Continue reading to understand why... ​

THE MINIMUM PFA STANDARD IS NOT A MEASURE OF HOW FIT YOU NEED TO BE
The PFA standard is not a measure of how fit you need to be for your career in the ADF. Sure, it means that you have met the benchmark standard to allow you to enlist but it does NOT mean that you are going to be fit enough for service. The fitness standard that you are required to reach for that PFA is not going to be enough to get you through basic training. 

Passing a PFA effectively means that you get a ticket on the bus. But that's it. You can literally get on the bus but then after that, are you able to get through Kapooka, Cerberus, 1RTU or Officer Training?  If you are barely reaching those minimums (6.1 beep test, no pushups, 4 pushups, some sit ups etc) then this does NOT set you up for success once you get down to basic training! 

3 REASONS TO BE FITTER THAN THE PFA
1. PTIs are going to be very strict on your technique. Especially for push ups and beep test turn arounds. If you're barely passing now and you get push ups taken away from you... do you have any spare? Would it be better to know you can do 20-30 push ups and not have to have the additional stress.

2. Your instructors expect more from you now that you're a serving member. The things you got away with at your civi gym will not fly now that you're in the Military. Now that you're a soldier, your instructors expect you to uphold the values of a serving member and push harder to get the job done. 

3. You're expected to be part of a team. If you can't keep up and everyone has to cover for you, then does that make you an effective member of the team? 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN TBG AND TRAIN TO REACH BEYOND THOSE MINIMUM STANDARDS.

TAKE THE JOB SERIOUSLY
The job you have applied for means that you are the 'elite' of your country and your community. You are there to keep us safe. You keep Australia safe and you keep our communities safe. You are serving your country and that's a very serious responsibility. 

If you can't step up and do what is required of you at any given point in time then you're essentially not giving 100% effective service. 

Is that the type of serving member you want to be? 

People in this country are relying on YOU. It's a huge responsibility that needs to be taken seriously! If you are unable to step up to do what's needed of you then you need to have a good look at the training you're doing and determine if it's enough. Are you doing enough? Is the training that you're doing relevant and effective and giving you improvement? 

Your training needs to not only get you across the line but also get you well above those minimum standards. If it's not, then you need some help! Click here to get some help with your training by training with TBG.

WHAT ABOUT THE BFA?
When you are at Kapooka there is no requirement to pass a BFA. 

This does NOT mean that it's an accepted standard once you are serving in the ADF. If you showed up to a Regiment and told your new boss that you hadn't passed a BFA, you should expect that they would be unimpressed. 

Many applicants have been conditioned to believe that this is ok because it's the standard that is accepted during their time as a recruit. I can tell you right now that once you post into a new unit- no one will share that opinion. 

No one in your unit is going to like hearing that and if anything they are likely to be frustrated that they now have the burden of putting you through remedial training to get you up to passing a BFA. Each unit is already extremely busy with their day-to-day work, not to mention operations, field, courses and the like. Having a new member show up without the required proficiency just adds to the training load of your chain of command. 

Just like the PFA being the LEAST fit you ever want to be, the BFA is a baseline level of fitness. The 'B' stands for basic. This is a fitness standard that you should always be maintaining and not have to train for. You should just always be fit enough to pass.

Once you have passed a PFA, your next goal should be to get yourself BFA fit (or your service equivalent). Beyond that you should be aiming for combat effectiveness so that you can be called upon at any time to serve your country in whatever capacity is needed of you. 

CONCLUSION
The bottom line is that you should be enlisting at the fittest you've ever been. Well beyond the PFA standards and either passing or very close to passing a BFA. It's time to do away with the 'bare minimum' mindset and set yourself up for a successful career!

Need some help in getting yourself fit enough for service? Click here to get started on your training journey with TBG! 

​(The aforementioned statements are our opinions only and do not represent those opinions of Defence. However knowing this information and having the ability to change your mindset towards your fitness prior to enlisting is going to ensure you have the best possible chance at a successful career).

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