Physical Fitness and Agility
What is being tested
This domain covers the fitness standards and training principles behind them: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, agility, and the ability to perform under load. The written questions test your understanding of training and safety; the physical tests reward consistent preparation.
Concepts to master
- Components of fitness: aerobic endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, and coordination.
- Training principles: progressive overload (gradually increasing demand), specificity (train the quality you will be tested on), recovery, and reversibility (fitness is lost without training).
- Session structure: warm-up, main effort, cool-down.
- Safety: hydration, correct technique, and recognising overuse injuries.
- Test events: typically a shuttle run or agility course, press-ups or sit-ups, and a timed run or carry.
Traps
Candidates confuse strength with muscular endurance (repeated contractions against light resistance) and agility with pure speed. Questions on progressive overload catch people who think more is always better - overload must be gradual and paired with recovery. Do not neglect the cool-down or hydration in scenario questions.
Rule of thumb
Apply the FITT idea - Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type - and increase only one variable at a time, roughly every week or two.
Worked example
A recruit can do 20 press-ups and wants 30. Rather than doubling daily volume, they add one set per week and one repetition per set, keeping technique strict, with two rest days. This is progressive overload applied specifically to muscular endurance, with recovery built in.