April 16, 2025 • 15 mins
Everything you thought you knew about preparing for Ranger School just changed. The Army has unveiled a radical transformation of the Ranger Physical Fitness Test that will challenge candidates in entirely new ways starting April 2025.
The traditional assessment of push-ups, sit-ups, and a five-mile run? Gone. The new test is a grueling 14-minute continuous event featuring an 800-meter run, dead stop push-ups, sprints, sandbag lifts, farmer's carries, and combat movement drills—followed by a four-mile run under 32 minutes and six chin-ups. This isn't just a minor adjustment; it's a complete reimagining of what it takes to earn the tab.
According to Infantry School leadership, this overhaul serves a critical purpose: reducing injuries and increasing performance by filtering out unprepared candidates earlier. The previous test simply wasn't identifying who could withstand the sustained physical demands of Ranger training. Now, soldiers will face a more realistic preview of what awaits them, requiring functional strength and endurance rather than isolated fitness metrics.
For those with Ranger aspirations, it's time to revolutionize your training approach. Focus on high-intensity interval training, functional movements, sandbag work, and muscular endurance rather than traditional workout splits. The first class facing this new standard begins April 21st, 2025—will you be ready when your time comes? Whether you're actively preparing for Ranger School or simply want to understand these significant changes, this episode provides the insights you need to stay ahead of the curve. Download now, leave a review, and share your thoughts: Will this new test actually lower injuries, and is it the right move for the Ranger program?
Thanks for listening, please download and leave a review.
Remember, you don't have to embrace the suck, if you have the right tools in your ruck!
If you have any question comments, or ideas for the show you can send them to my Gmail account: rogersarnt@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So you think you're ready for ranger school?
Think again.
The Army just dropped a brandnew fitness test and it's
nothing like what you've trainedfor.
There's no more sit-ups,sandbags, sprints and combative
crawls.
There isn't just a tweak, it'sa total transformation.
(00:22):
The question is, are you readyfor it?
Roger Sarn, welcome back to theRoger Sarn Podcast, where we
talk all things Army and I'myour host, sarn Cruz.
Today, we're breaking down thebrand new Ranger Fitness Test
(00:43):
that's dropping this month,april 2025.
I'm going to show you exactlywhat the changes are and why the
Army actually made this moveand what it means, as in, for
you to shoot your shot and earnthe tab.
So, whether it's going to beyou being on orders, whether
it's going to be you being onorders prepping for the school,
(01:06):
or just wanting to know how tocrush this new challenge, that's
about you're in the right place.
Plus, I could probably give yousome training tips, even though
I ain't never been to rangerschool.
But I can also tell you theArmy's reasoning behind the
change and why.
Because that's the mostimportant part, right?
We like telling people why.
(01:27):
Why is it that this couldactually help lower injuries
Because that's the point andboost performances at Ranger
School.
So stick with me until the end.
I'll even cover how thischanges might even drop.
Like the change might even drop, like the rates and, uh and I'm
talking about success rates and, um, what you need in order to
(01:50):
do right now to stay ahead ofthis curve.
All right.
So, before I start, do me afavor, go ahead and download and
uh, leave a review when you're,when you're done, so, when we,
um, when I story, uh, I justcame up with some questions that
I think that you guys would uhprobably have in your head At
(02:10):
least they came to my head,right.
So I have a few points that Iwant to talk about.
The first one is what'schanging in the fitness
assessment?
Right, cause that's the firstthing, right.
So, first off, um, the testassessment.
Right, because that's the firstthing, right.
So, first off, the test itself.
Right, the old ranger, physicalfitness assessment it's gone.
(02:33):
Right, just told you, right,those sit-ups, they're gone.
Instead, the new test it lookssomething straight out of the
expert badges.
If you ask me, it's the samething.
Almost I would say that it isthe same thing, pretty much an
EPFT.
So if you've been through E3Bexpert, like the EFMB, eib, esbb
(03:05):
.
You've more than likely takenthis test in.
So the old ranger courseassessment they um, it consisted
of, uh, like the 49 push-ups,59 sit-ups and the file my five
mile run in 40 minutes and Ithink it was six chin-ups.
And now the new events.
(03:27):
They're going to be somethingalong the lines of you're going
to have the 800 meter run, thenyou're going to go into a dead
stop push-up, right, and that'skind of like the hand release
push-ups, just no arm extension.
Then you go into a 100-metersprint.
Then you go into a 16 sandbaglift.
(03:50):
They're 40 pounds a piece andyou have to lift them onto like
a 68-inch platform.
Then you're going to do 50meters of farmer's carry and
you're going to have two 40pound water jugs right, you know
the water cans.
Then you're going to move into50 meter movement drills and
(04:12):
that's the 25 meter high crawl.
Then you got the 25 meter threeto five second rush and if
that's not enough, another 800meter run and everything I just
mentioned is all in 14 minutes.
But wait, there's more.
It doesn't stop, ladies andgentlemen.
(04:32):
Then you're going to changeinto your PT uniform for a four
mile run and that has to beunder 32 minutes plus six
chin-ups.
So that's like a full bodyendurance heavy grinder.
It's just like a grindersession, uh, and that's really
(04:56):
just designated to to stress youout like in real combat
scenarios, would right.
So that's the comparisonbetween the old Ranger
assessment and this new onecoming up.
So the next thing that came tomy head is like hmm, now that
(05:18):
we're talking, we're we'relooking at both of them, is the
test harder or is it easier?
So I'm just going to be realwith you.
It's tougher.
Why, you say, I know youprobably asking why, even though
I just literally lift, listedeverything be before.
(05:40):
But you were like, why is ittough?
Why is it?
Why is it tougher?
And that's because this testisn't just about isolated
fitness anymore, right, it'sliterally about a continuous
functional strength andendurance type deal.
Right?
Because before you just, hey, Istand in line and I'm going to
(06:01):
do this event, boom.
Hey, I stand in line, I'm goingto do this event, boom.
And then you go into the nextevent and then the next event
and everything has like a littleweight, but not this one.
This one is one straight motion.
It's nine events, right?
So I guess they thought thatanyone can train for sit-ups.
Anyone can train for thepush-ups, you know, uh, but
(06:25):
sprinting, when it comes tosprinting, carrying weight,
crawling, lifting those sandbagsand doing it under uh, like a
time pressure that just hitdifferent.
If you ask me, it really doesthe Army itself.
They just want to raise the bar.
The Rangers want to raise thebar and this test will separate
(06:51):
the well-rounded from theone-dimensional.
And they're talking about me.
I'm one-dimensional, all right,but yeah, I think overall, yeah
, it is more difficult than theother one, and um, and it's more
, uh, like I said, it's moreit's, it's about continuous, uh,
functional strength andendurance.
So that's the second thing thatI thought, that I thought that
(07:13):
you guys might think of.
That be good to talk about.
The third thing that um came tomy head is like, why the change?
Like what's the goal?
What's the point?
Right, like we get it.
You're the roughest andtoughest, we get it.
It's difficult, we get it.
It's like every badgethroughout the years has gotten
more and more and more difficultto get, and there's a reason
(07:38):
for that because competition,right.
But um, yeah, I think the goalis, is it?
It's simple, it's to, it's justto create um, the test, uh, uh,
uh, to be like.
It's better.
It's a better predictor of whocan actually make it through
ranger school.
Right, instead, instead of justsitting there, just push up,
(07:59):
sit ups, run, right?
We're going to give you a smallsynopsis of what it's going to
be like for the next upteenmonths, right?
So if, according to like theinfantry school commander right,
he said this change is aboutreducing injuries and increasing
performance by filtering outunprepared candidates earlier in
(08:22):
the pipeline and it makes sense, right, and think about it.
I can pass pushups, I can passsit-ups, I can run the mileage
that they want me to do in acertain amount of time and do a
few chin-ups afterwards.
But if I'm not ready for rangerschool, if I'm not ready to be
in a continuous functionalstrength and endurance, body and
(08:49):
mind frame, then I am going toget hurt Because I haven't put
my body through that, I'm nottraining for that.
I'm training for isolatedevents versus continuous events.
So, yeah, what general, what?
What?
What general?
Um Ken Kennery said, is it?
I mean, obviously he knows whathe's talking about, but I agree
with it.
So, it, it does align with theACFT focus, right, because
(09:11):
that's on real world readinessand, uh, the old tests.
He just said it just ain'tcutting it anymore.
That was his line.
You know the bottom line.
So why did they change it?
To avoid injuries when troopsgo to the course.
(09:31):
And what was the goal?
It's to less injuries and,again, to weed out the weak.
So it it just, I thinkultimately and I'll talk about
this in a second it'll createless, less issues, and I'll talk
about what I'm talking about.
I'll talk about what I'mtalking about in a second.
I'll tell you what I mean in asecond.
(09:53):
So, um, the?
The fourth thing that came tomy head was is there guidance on
how to train for it?
So, how do you train for thisthing?
Right, how do you?
How do you do it?
I think the good news is wealready know what works.
There's, there's a ton ofinfluencers out there with tabs
(10:14):
that show how they made it, whatworked for them in the past and
how they actually stay fit,right, um.
So I think that, coupled withthose that are tabbed at your
brigades, they're also going tohelp out.
Um, we had a captain that wentto um, to, to, to, uh, rasp, and
(10:41):
um, our, uh, our tab guy wastraining them up, you know.
So it's just like e3b right itwas.
You got the train up periodbecause it gets you on the glide
path to be successful, and thatalso helps.
What you could also do I add mylittle two cents into it is just
focus on the following pillarsHit training right, high
(11:06):
intensity interval training, andthat's for like the run and
sprint run, sprint run portions.
Focus on sandbag and sled works, right For the lifting and the
dragging.
Focus on far on farmer'scarries and, uh, combative
crawls for the muscularendurance Cause, that's once
your muscles are just depletedwith oxygen.
(11:27):
You're done, son.
And then pushups and sit-upsfor upper body control.
Um, like I said, I mean thereare a plethora of ways to
prepare for this.
If you've prepared for E3B,that EPFA, you're going to at
(11:48):
least be able to help yourselfwith this.
So I think just build yourworkouts around functional
movements.
I think just build yourworkouts around functional
movements.
If you're still only doing thepush-pull splits, long distance
runs, you're more than likelynot preparing for the demands of
this test.
Right, and this is what I'mreferring to.
(12:13):
I'm not saying you're not readyfor ACFT, I'm not saying you're
not ready, that you're not fitor whatever it is, but for this
particular test.
If you're doing just isolatedstuff, then maybe it's not going
to work out, because there's alot of cardio in there and it's
short term, fast twitch muscles.
(12:34):
So the fifth thing that came upin my head is will this affect
Ranger School attrition rates?
And this is what I'm talkingabout.
That I said.
I would elaborate In short yes,in the short term, I would say
yes, probably yes.
The test itself is going to bedesigned, or what is designed to
(12:56):
filter out, like the unpreparedcandidates right Before they
even get into rap week.
So I think the failure rate atthe fitness gate may go up
initially, initially, but in thelong term, the goal that
(13:16):
General Ken Henry is referringto or wants to do, his vision,
is to lessen the injuries right,to have better prepared Rangers
and fewer dropouts after dayone.
So that kind of means if you'resmart, then start training now
(13:40):
so you'll have the upper handright, because at the end of the
day, preparation is going to bekey and they already gave it to
you.
The first class is going tokick off 21 April, the first
class to experience this Rangerassessment uh, ranger assessment
, unless they change it, but upas of right now, it's 21 April
(14:06):
and that will be the first timethat this test gets put into
action.
So what's the bottom line?
Um, the new Ranger physicalfitness assessment is here and
it's here to stay, and, unlessthey change it right, it's going
to be designed to challenge thefull spectrum warrior, right?
(14:26):
If you want this prestigioustab, start training now, because
the test, as of 21 April, willalready exist.
April will already exist.
Now I want to hear from you Doyou think the new ranger test
will lower injuries, and is it agood or bad thing that they
(14:52):
changed it?
And if you found thisinformation or this discussion
insightful, you could check outmy other video that I talk about
.
Are you?
I ask you a really goodquestion is are your PT sessions
effective or not?
So, as always, remember youdon't have to embrace the suck
If you got the right tools inyour ruck.
I'm Sarn Cruz and I'm out Peace.
So you think you're ready for ranger school?
Think again.
The Army just dropped a brandnew fitness test and it's
nothing like what you've trainedfor.
There's no more sit-ups,sandbags, sprints and combative
crawls.
There isn't just a tweak, it'sa total transformation.
(00:22):
The question is, are you readyfor it?
Roger Sarn, welcome back to theRoger Sarn Podcast, where we
talk all things Army and I'myour host, sarn Cruz.
Today, we're breaking down thebrand new Ranger Fitness Test
(00:43):
that's dropping this month,april 2025.
I'm going to show you exactlywhat the changes are and why the
Army actually made this moveand what it means, as in, for
you to shoot your shot and earnthe tab.
So, whether it's going to beyou being on orders, whether
it's going to be you being onorders prepping for the school,
(01:06):
or just wanting to know how tocrush this new challenge, that's
about you're in the right place.
Plus, I could probably give yousome training tips, even though
I ain't never been to rangerschool.
But I can also tell you theArmy's reasoning behind the
change and why.
Because that's the mostimportant part, right?
We like telling people why.
(01:27):
Why is it that this couldactually help lower injuries
Because that's the point andboost performances at Ranger
School.
So stick with me until the end.
I'll even cover how thischanges might even drop.
Like the change might even drop, like the rates and, uh and I'm
talking about success rates and, um, what you need in order to
(01:50):
do right now to stay ahead ofthis curve.
All right.
So, before I start, do me afavor, go ahead and download and
uh, leave a review when you're,when you're done, so, when we,
um, when I story, uh, I justcame up with some questions that
I think that you guys would uhprobably have in your head At
(02:10):
least they came to my head,right.
So I have a few points that Iwant to talk about.
The first one is what'schanging in the fitness
assessment?
Right, cause that's the firstthing, right.
So, first off, um, the testassessment.
Right, because that's the firstthing, right.
So, first off, the test itself.
Right, the old ranger, physicalfitness assessment it's gone.
(02:33):
Right, just told you, right,those sit-ups, they're gone.
Instead, the new test it lookssomething straight out of the
expert badges.
If you ask me, it's the samething.
Almost I would say that it isthe same thing, pretty much an
EPFT.
So if you've been through E3Bexpert, like the EFMB, eib, esbb
(03:05):
.
You've more than likely takenthis test in.
So the old ranger courseassessment they um, it consisted
of, uh, like the 49 push-ups,59 sit-ups and the file my five
mile run in 40 minutes and Ithink it was six chin-ups.
And now the new events.
(03:27):
They're going to be somethingalong the lines of you're going
to have the 800 meter run, thenyou're going to go into a dead
stop push-up, right, and that'skind of like the hand release
push-ups, just no arm extension.
Then you go into a 100-metersprint.
Then you go into a 16 sandbaglift.
(03:50):
They're 40 pounds a piece andyou have to lift them onto like
a 68-inch platform.
Then you're going to do 50meters of farmer's carry and
you're going to have two 40pound water jugs right, you know
the water cans.
Then you're going to move into50 meter movement drills and
(04:12):
that's the 25 meter high crawl.
Then you got the 25 meter threeto five second rush and if
that's not enough, another 800meter run and everything I just
mentioned is all in 14 minutes.
But wait, there's more.
It doesn't stop, ladies andgentlemen.
(04:32):
Then you're going to changeinto your PT uniform for a four
mile run and that has to beunder 32 minutes plus six
chin-ups.
So that's like a full bodyendurance heavy grinder.
It's just like a grindersession, uh, and that's really
(04:56):
just designated to to stress youout like in real combat
scenarios, would right.
So that's the comparisonbetween the old Ranger
assessment and this new onecoming up.
So the next thing that came tomy head is like hmm, now that
(05:18):
we're talking, we're we'relooking at both of them, is the
test harder or is it easier?
So I'm just going to be realwith you.
It's tougher.
Why, you say, I know youprobably asking why, even though
I just literally lift, listedeverything be before.
(05:40):
But you were like, why is ittough?
Why is it?
Why is it tougher?
And that's because this testisn't just about isolated
fitness anymore, right, it'sliterally about a continuous
functional strength andendurance type deal.
Right?
Because before you just, hey, Istand in line and I'm going to
(06:01):
do this event, boom.
Hey, I stand in line, I'm goingto do this event, boom.
And then you go into the nextevent and then the next event
and everything has like a littleweight, but not this one.
This one is one straight motion.
It's nine events, right?
So I guess they thought thatanyone can train for sit-ups.
Anyone can train for thepush-ups, you know, uh, but
(06:25):
sprinting, when it comes tosprinting, carrying weight,
crawling, lifting those sandbagsand doing it under uh, like a
time pressure that just hitdifferent.
If you ask me, it really doesthe Army itself.
They just want to raise the bar.
The Rangers want to raise thebar and this test will separate
(06:51):
the well-rounded from theone-dimensional.
And they're talking about me.
I'm one-dimensional, all right,but yeah, I think overall, yeah
, it is more difficult than theother one, and um, and it's more
, uh, like I said, it's moreit's, it's about continuous, uh,
functional strength andendurance.
So that's the second thing thatI thought, that I thought that
(07:13):
you guys might think of.
That be good to talk about.
The third thing that um came tomy head is like, why the change?
Like what's the goal?
What's the point?
Right, like we get it.
You're the roughest andtoughest, we get it.
It's difficult, we get it.
It's like every badgethroughout the years has gotten
more and more and more difficultto get, and there's a reason
(07:38):
for that because competition,right.
But um, yeah, I think the goalis, is it?
It's simple, it's to, it's justto create um, the test, uh, uh,
uh, to be like.
It's better.
It's a better predictor of whocan actually make it through
ranger school.
Right, instead, instead of justsitting there, just push up,
(07:59):
sit ups, run, right?
We're going to give you a smallsynopsis of what it's going to
be like for the next upteenmonths, right?
So if, according to like theinfantry school commander right,
he said this change is aboutreducing injuries and increasing
performance by filtering outunprepared candidates earlier in
(08:22):
the pipeline and it makes sense, right, and think about it.
I can pass pushups, I can passsit-ups, I can run the mileage
that they want me to do in acertain amount of time and do a
few chin-ups afterwards.
But if I'm not ready for rangerschool, if I'm not ready to be
in a continuous functionalstrength and endurance, body and
(08:49):
mind frame, then I am going toget hurt Because I haven't put
my body through that, I'm nottraining for that.
I'm training for isolatedevents versus continuous events.
So, yeah, what general, what?
What?
What general?
Um Ken Kennery said, is it?
I mean, obviously he knows whathe's talking about, but I agree
with it.
So, it, it does align with theACFT focus, right, because
(09:11):
that's on real world readinessand, uh, the old tests.
He just said it just ain'tcutting it anymore.
That was his line.
You know the bottom line.
So why did they change it?
To avoid injuries when troopsgo to the course.
(09:31):
And what was the goal?
It's to less injuries and,again, to weed out the weak.
So it it just, I thinkultimately and I'll talk about
this in a second it'll createless, less issues, and I'll talk
about what I'm talking about.
I'll talk about what I'mtalking about in a second.
I'll tell you what I mean in asecond.
(09:53):
So, um, the?
The fourth thing that came tomy head was is there guidance on
how to train for it?
So, how do you train for thisthing?
Right, how do you?
How do you do it?
I think the good news is wealready know what works.
There's, there's a ton ofinfluencers out there with tabs
(10:14):
that show how they made it, whatworked for them in the past and
how they actually stay fit,right, um.
So I think that, coupled withthose that are tabbed at your
brigades, they're also going tohelp out.
Um, we had a captain that wentto um, to, to, to, uh, rasp, and
(10:41):
um, our, uh, our tab guy wastraining them up, you know.
So it's just like e3b right itwas.
You got the train up periodbecause it gets you on the glide
path to be successful, and thatalso helps.
What you could also do I add mylittle two cents into it is just
focus on the following pillarsHit training right, high
(11:06):
intensity interval training, andthat's for like the run and
sprint run, sprint run portions.
Focus on sandbag and sled works, right For the lifting and the
dragging.
Focus on far on farmer'scarries and, uh, combative
crawls for the muscularendurance Cause, that's once
your muscles are just depletedwith oxygen.
(11:27):
You're done, son.
And then pushups and sit-upsfor upper body control.
Um, like I said, I mean thereare a plethora of ways to
prepare for this.
If you've prepared for E3B,that EPFA, you're going to at
(11:48):
least be able to help yourselfwith this.
So I think just build yourworkouts around functional
movements.
I think just build yourworkouts around functional
movements.
If you're still only doing thepush-pull splits, long distance
runs, you're more than likelynot preparing for the demands of
this test.
Right, and this is what I'mreferring to.
(12:13):
I'm not saying you're not readyfor ACFT, I'm not saying you're
not ready, that you're not fitor whatever it is, but for this
particular test.
If you're doing just isolatedstuff, then maybe it's not going
to work out, because there's alot of cardio in there and it's
short term, fast twitch muscles.
(12:34):
So the fifth thing that came upin my head is will this affect
Ranger School attrition rates?
And this is what I'm talkingabout.
That I said.
I would elaborate In short yes,in the short term, I would say
yes, probably yes.
The test itself is going to bedesigned, or what is designed to
(12:56):
filter out, like the unpreparedcandidates right Before they
even get into rap week.
So I think the failure rate atthe fitness gate may go up
initially, initially, but in thelong term, the goal that
(13:16):
General Ken Henry is referringto or wants to do, his vision,
is to lessen the injuries right,to have better prepared Rangers
and fewer dropouts after dayone.
So that kind of means if you'resmart, then start training now
(13:40):
so you'll have the upper handright, because at the end of the
day, preparation is going to bekey and they already gave it to
you.
The first class is going tokick off 21 April, the first
class to experience this Rangerassessment uh, ranger assessment
, unless they change it, but upas of right now, it's 21 April
(14:06):
and that will be the first timethat this test gets put into
action.
So what's the bottom line?
Um, the new Ranger physicalfitness assessment is here and
it's here to stay, and, unlessthey change it right, it's going
to be designed to challenge thefull spectrum warrior, right?
(14:26):
If you want this prestigioustab, start training now, because
the test, as of 21 April, willalready exist.
April will already exist.
Now I want to hear from you Doyou think the new ranger test
will lower injuries, and is it agood or bad thing that they
(14:52):
changed it?
And if you found thisinformation or this discussion
insightful, you could check outmy other video that I talk about
.
Are you?
I ask you a really goodquestion is are your PT sessions
effective or not?
So, as always, remember youdon't have to embrace the suck
If you got the right tools inyour ruck.
I'm Sarn Cruz and I'm out Peace.
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