Fitness YouTuber and former two-time Olympian track and field Nick Symmonds has put himself through a number of military-inspired challenges on his channel lately, including taking on the Navy SEAL Fitness Test Y take on an army infantryman in a fitness contest. In his latest video, Symmonds attempts to complete both of the physical fitness assessment tests that service members of the US Marine Corps must complete each year.
Also participating are several active Marines, whose performance Symmonds will try to match or exceed, including Corporal Kubinski, Corporal Lance Robles, Corporal Dofelice, Corporal Lance Anderson, Corporal Lance Chambliss and Sergeant Madrigal.
They begin with the US Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT), which consists of maximal pull-ups, a plank (which is in the process of officially replacing crunches in the PFT as a more realistic indicator of core strength)and a 3-mile run.
Symmonds gets the 21 pull-ups needed for a perfect score in the first round, then it’s board time. “Truly one of my least favorite exercises,” he says. “And we have to spend 3 minutes and 45 seconds to get a perfect score on this one.” Unfortunately, Symmonds hits failure at 2:25, and falls short of a perfect 100. “I just got my ass kicked,” he says. “Kids, don’t skip basic day.”
To continue earning a passing score, Symmonds now has to finish the 3-mile race in 18 minutes. “I’ve run over 300,000 miles in my life,” he says. “The 3 miles is never easy. It’s always a fight, it’s always exhausting, and this is where you have to dig in.”
He finally succeeds, reaching the finish line in 17:50. But the challenge isn’t over: the next step is the combat fitness test, which consists of three events: movement to contact (a total run of 800 meters in standard boots), ammo pick-up, and maneuver under fire.
Both Symmonds and Kubinski post perfect scores in the 800-meter dash with times under 2:50. In the ammo can lift, a variation of the overhead press, Symmonds has to lift a 30-pound can as many times as possible in 2 minutes, with over 100 repetitions required for a perfect score. He manages 98 in the allotted time, while Kubinski produces 131.
The final part of the test is the maneuvering obstacle course under fire, at which point Symmonds is more of a spectator than anything else. “I’ll do my best to hang on, but after five events my legs are jelly,” he says.
“This is combat fitness, combat readiness,” Symmonds concludes. “I have trained with some of the most successful athletes in the world, and I can say unequivocally that the Marines I trained with today are right up there with the best.”
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