female marines struggle with pullups for fitness requirements

After discovering that more than 50 percent of females in boot camp cannot do three consecutive pull-ups, Marine Corps officials have announced that they will postpone the start of new fitness requirements that were set to kick in with the New Year. The Marines had recently revised their minimum standards for physical fitness so that more women could be eligible to take jobs in the military involving combat positions. With several branches of the military set to open more combat jobs to female candidates within the next two years, criticism is mounting that many women simply do not have the same physical strength for combat positions as do their male counterparts.

‘Women aren’t able to make the minimum standard of three pull-ups,’ Marine spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan told reporters on Friday.

Marine Corps ofrficials declined to say exactly when the new physical fitness rules, requiring female recruits to do at least three pull-ups in order to pass, with eight pull-ups considered a perfect score, would be implemented.

“The Marine Corps is extending the transition from the flexed-arm hang to pull-ups for the female Physical Fitness Test to allow for the further gathering of data to ensure all female Marines are provided with the best opportunity to succeed. All Marines are strongly encouraged to continue training under the assumption that pull-ups will remain a standard of measure for physical fitness.”

They admitted that when the new requirements were initially tested on female recruits training at the Marine facility at Parris Island, South Carolina, only 45 percent of the women tested could do even three pull-ups. The ability to do pull-ups is recognized as a reflection of having the physical strength necessary for combat action.

On The Web:
Marines delay female fitness plan after half fail pull-up test
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/02/marines-delay-female-fitness-plan-after-half-fail-pullup-test/