Posted on Jan 3, 2016
Army major writes ultimate take-down of 'senseless' tape test
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There have been many well written posts about why the tape test needs to be modernized. Do you think this will ever happen?
Army major writes ultimate take-down of 'senseless' tape test
Posted from armytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
Height and Weight
Height and Weight
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 5
I completely agree again with this. The only time I made weight was right after Ranger School. Beside that I have to cut down to what I usually am. I gained weight when I started Ranger and got up to 210. That was 26 pounds over my max weight and still passed all of the physical assessments. Luckily they don't tape. I am now about 190 and I just barely get by with tape. What kills me is when I see a guy with his gut over his belt and he passes it.
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Excellent article and he is dead on. The tape test is archaic and outdated and is not an accurate way to evaluate the BF % of a Soldier. There are no real justifications to keep it outside of maintaining the status quo. The Army can afford plenty of pointless things surely they can afford to buy equipment that can better measure body fat. This is how the Army takes care of Soldiers and does not just pay lip service to doing it.
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SSgt Boyd Herrst
Agreed , all the services need a uniform standard.. there needs to be a diff between body fat and chest measurements.. a service member has a good solid chest and shoulder measurement,arms.. that shouldn’t be considered as part of bodyfat (be counted against them)..
There’s a diff or should be a diff between solid abs and soft belly fat.. there’s minimum belly fat and max fat.. .it’s bad when a SM is knocked as bad with hard abs as the SM with soft stuff.
There’s a diff or should be a diff between solid abs and soft belly fat.. there’s minimum belly fat and max fat.. .it’s bad when a SM is knocked as bad with hard abs as the SM with soft stuff.
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LTC Yinon Weiss I've told this story a few times here, but it bears re-iteration: I joined the Navy the very day after I graduated high school. Literally. In my HS career, I was a 3-year varsity wrestler, and 3-year varsity football player. When I left for boot, I was 220 pounds....40 pounds over what the Navy, at the time, said I should weigh at 6'2". I had to get a waiver. The doctor laughed at me, told me I'd weigh 180 roughly 2 years after I died, and sent me on my way with the waiver. Boot camp PT was a joke. Navy PT in general never caused me ANY problems, never. When the SEAL recruiters came around in boot (they did that then. Dunno if they still do), I gave it a shot, and passed every test but the hanging pull-ups. (Tough for a big guy. Would have needed to train for that, and didn't). I left the Navy fully capable of every physical PT requirement for every command I served in.
Point is, those charts are not the be-all, end-all. They need to be revised. There needs to be a system wherein a command is evaluating a Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Marine on his or her ABILITY TO DO THE JOB THEY'RE ASSIGNED. Period. Not trying to cram my square 6'2", 220lb ass into a 6'2", 180 pound circle.
Point is, those charts are not the be-all, end-all. They need to be revised. There needs to be a system wherein a command is evaluating a Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Marine on his or her ABILITY TO DO THE JOB THEY'RE ASSIGNED. Period. Not trying to cram my square 6'2", 220lb ass into a 6'2", 180 pound circle.
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SSgt Boyd Herrst
SN Greg Wright;
I commented that a DOD needs to set the standard for All.. A happy medium for all and still meet the Standards.. Some guys cut a good physique in uniform , Some just barely make standard.. What works in one doesn’t in another..
I served in the AF as a cook and busted my arse to stay 10-14 lbs below my max wt for my ht. I thought I had a giood handle on it..
I did some weightlifting light weights, more reps.. I upped a little bit and see if I could do the reps..
I was doing ok Ht and wt wise .. I wasn’t doing annual chest measurement as I didn’t see the improvement or wasn’t paying attention.. my shirts still fit good so I wasn’t concerned.. I went and did my pt test and wt.. I got taped for my wt.. ok.. the clerk decided to measure my chest.. I got told to lighten my weight lifting or change what I was doing.. So I surmised I was doing ok.. if the clerk found improvement.. I asked the coach at base gym to measure me.. she gave
Me a measure 1-1/2 inches under what the squadron clerk did. Hmm.. s’thing wrong here! I found out the clerk had it in for weightlifters.. and consistently got them for minimally meeting standards and had them getting taped .. Our first shirt had a clerk in another squadron measure him (he didn’t trust his own clerk! I thought he did it to show fairness .. the clerk had had him showing minimum meeting of standard.. So he had a Airman at Base Aeromedical(the ones that do aircrew physicals) weigh and measure him.. it’s hard enough being a cook and being around all that food .. I still got my meat n potatoes, just more moderate Amts.
I still got gravy.. just enough drizzled over it all, not floating in it..
1 roll or half slice of rye or wheat bread.. if desert is fruit.. I get it.. if I didn’t get bread, I did get a piece of cake.. off came the frosting.. . We had have guy who tattled to the baker I was scraping the frosting off the cake.. so Baker did some cake and all he put on top was a little cinnamon and sugar or powder sugar lightly.. I told the baker that more would eat the cake if he made some and didn’t frost it.. anyway
The 1st Sgt got a new clerk.. the guy was definitely more fair . He was a weighlifter too.. to show it he had another person available to see and check the taping .. I was consistently weighing so to see my weight was staying down where it belonged.. that other clerk screwed with the scale.. I would weigh on on our scale at the DH and be 14 under max and the scale got calibrated every 3 months by the guys who did it.. I went to Squadron and weighed and I was only 8 lbs under max? I challenged it.. I showed a slip signed by my supervisor at the DH.. showing me 14lb under max.. I looked at the last time it was calibrated.. 2 years before.. wtf, it should be like the scale in the DH.. 1SGT accepted the Super’s signature on my wt.
(That was that 1st clerk’s doing)..<~
Part of why he was got rid of .. We had a few officers that got the screws put to them by that clerk..
what did Cmdr say? Not too much..
he thought the clerk was doing ok..
gave him a decent endorsement..
the weight and taping fiasco was a minor insignificant sitrep.. we couldn't Talk about it then because we were not supposed to know. I’m retired now.. so I can say.. we are all spread across the country.. and that guy’s actions is old stuff..
What you guys are going through
and putting up with isn’t right and the service branches wonder why good service members are separating..
I commented that a DOD needs to set the standard for All.. A happy medium for all and still meet the Standards.. Some guys cut a good physique in uniform , Some just barely make standard.. What works in one doesn’t in another..
I served in the AF as a cook and busted my arse to stay 10-14 lbs below my max wt for my ht. I thought I had a giood handle on it..
I did some weightlifting light weights, more reps.. I upped a little bit and see if I could do the reps..
I was doing ok Ht and wt wise .. I wasn’t doing annual chest measurement as I didn’t see the improvement or wasn’t paying attention.. my shirts still fit good so I wasn’t concerned.. I went and did my pt test and wt.. I got taped for my wt.. ok.. the clerk decided to measure my chest.. I got told to lighten my weight lifting or change what I was doing.. So I surmised I was doing ok.. if the clerk found improvement.. I asked the coach at base gym to measure me.. she gave
Me a measure 1-1/2 inches under what the squadron clerk did. Hmm.. s’thing wrong here! I found out the clerk had it in for weightlifters.. and consistently got them for minimally meeting standards and had them getting taped .. Our first shirt had a clerk in another squadron measure him (he didn’t trust his own clerk! I thought he did it to show fairness .. the clerk had had him showing minimum meeting of standard.. So he had a Airman at Base Aeromedical(the ones that do aircrew physicals) weigh and measure him.. it’s hard enough being a cook and being around all that food .. I still got my meat n potatoes, just more moderate Amts.
I still got gravy.. just enough drizzled over it all, not floating in it..
1 roll or half slice of rye or wheat bread.. if desert is fruit.. I get it.. if I didn’t get bread, I did get a piece of cake.. off came the frosting.. . We had have guy who tattled to the baker I was scraping the frosting off the cake.. so Baker did some cake and all he put on top was a little cinnamon and sugar or powder sugar lightly.. I told the baker that more would eat the cake if he made some and didn’t frost it.. anyway
The 1st Sgt got a new clerk.. the guy was definitely more fair . He was a weighlifter too.. to show it he had another person available to see and check the taping .. I was consistently weighing so to see my weight was staying down where it belonged.. that other clerk screwed with the scale.. I would weigh on on our scale at the DH and be 14 under max and the scale got calibrated every 3 months by the guys who did it.. I went to Squadron and weighed and I was only 8 lbs under max? I challenged it.. I showed a slip signed by my supervisor at the DH.. showing me 14lb under max.. I looked at the last time it was calibrated.. 2 years before.. wtf, it should be like the scale in the DH.. 1SGT accepted the Super’s signature on my wt.
(That was that 1st clerk’s doing)..<~
Part of why he was got rid of .. We had a few officers that got the screws put to them by that clerk..
what did Cmdr say? Not too much..
he thought the clerk was doing ok..
gave him a decent endorsement..
the weight and taping fiasco was a minor insignificant sitrep.. we couldn't Talk about it then because we were not supposed to know. I’m retired now.. so I can say.. we are all spread across the country.. and that guy’s actions is old stuff..
What you guys are going through
and putting up with isn’t right and the service branches wonder why good service members are separating..
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