Check out the official All-Marines Message, and the story on the Marine Corps Times:

CFT gets tougher

About seven years after the Combat Fitness Test was developed, data showed that Marines had clearly mastered the sprint, ammo-can lift and maneuver-under-fire events.

About 90 percent of Marines were scoring a first class on the CFT, Lukeman told Marine Corps Times last fall.

“The standards may have been too low when we established them to begin with,” he said.

Now things are about to get harder.

For example, male Marines through the age of 25 currently need to lift the 30-pound ammunition can overhead from shoulder height at least 45 times in two minutes to pass, and need 91 reps for a max score. The minimum requirement has more than doubled to at least 67 lifts, and between 106 and 120 reps will be needed for a max score, depending on age.

Most female Marines, who currently need at least 20 or 21 reps, will be required to belt out 30 and anywhere from 66 to 75 reps for the max score — a 42-percent increase for women in their late 20s.

In addition, roughly 10 seconds was cut from the time needed to get max score in the 300-yard maneuver under fire event, and 5 seconds in the 880-yard movement to contact.

“The new PFT and CFT standards raise the bar on physical fitness for all Marines,” said Maj. Gen. James Lukeman, commanding general of Training and Education Command. “Marines today are stronger, faster and fitter than ever and these changes reflect that. Bigger and stronger often means heavier, so tying performance on the PFT and CFT to changes to the Body Composition Program are improvements that we think the Marines will appreciate.”

Read more here at Marine Corps Times

Also see the ALMAR, CHANGES TO THE PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (PFT), COMBAT FITNESS TEST (CFT), AND BODY COMPOSITION PROGRAM (BCP)