Military Academies

[tommyIRISH23]

I was just ready AF's injury report, and I was looking at the measurements of their players. My wonder is, I know the military has strict physical guidelines that the soldiers/cadets..etc have to abide by, how do the linemen whom are like 300lbs pass? Once they graduate, do they have to drop 80lbs? How does that work?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I was just ready AF's injury report, and I was looking at the measurements of their players. My wonder is, I know the military has strict physical guidelines that the soldiers/cadets..etc have to abide by, how do the linemen whom are like 300lbs pass? Once they graduate, do they have to drop 80lbs? How does that work?

The short and snarky answer is that they simply don't have 300 lb. linemen.

I just looked over AF's roster and their heaviest DL is their (injured) NT, at 265. Their heaviest OL (by far) is 285 lb. The rest of their linemen are all in the 250-260 range.

I'm no expert on the service academies, but I'd assume the military doesn't care how heavy you are as long as you can physically do everything they require of you.

 

[ulukinatme]

I can't remember there ever being a member of a military academy coming in over 300lbs, most are in that 250-260 range as Whisky pointed out. While thats over the weight range for most cadets, they do get leeway considering they're members of the football team. I'm not sure if they have to cut weight after graduation though. I assume they would drop weight over the next few years automatically since they won't be lifting as much and nutrution may change.

 

[NDPhilly]

I would imagine that's the reason for the service academies running the option.

 

[koonja]

They have height and weight requirements for entering, but it's not like they can kick you out for being too fat once you're accepted. They may not be able to deploy you if your weight is a liability and give you crappy assignments, but they can't force you to lose weight once you're in.

That's how I understand it.

 

[NDdomer2]

I believe pilots have height requirements, but obviously not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot.

 

[micks60]

I have sent out a text. I will work on an answer for this. I know an Air Force player really well.

 

[ulukinatme]

I'm taking an Army Lieutenant to the game Saturday. I'll ask him what happens if he gets fat

 

[PJWhitfield]

Here's what military times says: "Like the rest of the Air Force, cadets must meet weight and body composition standards. Athletes are no exception; the rules are just stretched a bit for those who play positions on teams — football or wrestling, for example — where extra weight provides a competitive edge. But after their last season before graduation, the athletes have to shed those extra pounds." See This article

 

[military_irish]

I am in the process of getting back in the military and talked with my recruiter. I am 5'9 and weigh 220, the required weight for a 5'9 male is 186. I am not fat just my natural build. I was told to lose weight but you can get a waiver if your BMI (Body Mass Index) is good. He told me I could have it done and if everything is good. I could get in without question.

Now I don't know if this is because I am reenlisting but I do know that once you are in the military they could careless about your weight unless it affects your ability to do you job or you can not do the PT test.

 

[koonja]

Like I said, once you can get in it doesn't matter.

Show me a case where someone was discharged because he/she could not maintain a certain weight.

 

[BobD]

Copied from Military.com :The Air Force now uses a system called "Body Mass Index," or BMI. Those with a BMI of greater than 27.5, regardless of age or sex, must undergo a body-fat measurement to check if they are within Air Force Body Fat standards to join, and those with a BMI of less than 19.0 will require a medical waiver to join.

The formula to compute BMI is weight (in pounds) divided by the square of height (in inches), multiplied by 704.5 (Don't worry about that though, the below chart shows the maximum and minimum weights using the formula).

When measuring height, round up for measurements of 1/2 inch or greater, and round down for measurements of less than 1/2 inch. When weighing, if the weight fraction is less than 1/2 pound, round down to the nearest pound. If the weight fraction is 1/2 pound or greater, round up to the nearest pound.

Applicants to join the Air Force who exceed weight requirements shown in the below chart are measured for body-fat. Body fat standards are no more than 20 percent for males under age 30, 24 percent for males age 30 or over, 28 percent for females under age 30, and 32 percent for females age 30 or over. Procedures to measure body fat can be found in DoD Instruction 1308.3, DoD Physical Fitness and Body Fat Programs Procedures.

 

[BGIF]

I was just ready AF's injury report, and I was looking at the measurements of their players. My wonder is, I know the military has strict physical guidelines that the soldiers/cadets..etc have to abide by, how do the linemen whom are like 300lbs pass? Once they graduate, do they have to drop 80lbs? How does that work?

All incoming academy students have to pass a physical including height and weight and a Fitness Test. There are minimums and maximums. Once they're in they can grow. David Robinson was 6-7 as an incomimg Navy plebe just below the 6-8 max. He was 6-9 by the time he played BB for Navy and grew to 7-0 before graduating.

If necessary a waiver could be issued ("For The Good Of The Service ...") but I expect it's accepted practice for football players to exceed weight limitations for obvious reasons. However once you're on active duty (post graduate) you have to comply with HT and WT. On that basis David Robinson was granted a discharge from active Navy duty. He was a Civil Engineer so sea duty wasn't necessary. He was landbased. Doorways might be taller than bulkheads but he wasn't pardon the pun, a good fit. He did his full 5 year duty requirement through a combination of Active Duty and then in the USN Reserves.

I looked at Navy's Depth Chart in Phil Steele. Their center is 6-3, 310 (BMI 38.7). Navy's NG is 6-5, 297 (BMI 35.2).

 

[Anchorman]

If you exceed the weight limits, they will issue a body fat percentage test. If you pass that, then there are no issues. If you fail, you'll be counseled. Athletes do have a temporary exemption, but must meet standards by graduation IIRC.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I am in the process of getting back in the military and talked with my recruiter. I am 5'9 and weigh 220, the required weight for a 5'9 male is 186. I am not fat just my natural build. I was told to lose weight but you can get a waiver if your BMI (Body Mass Index) is good. He told me I could have it done and if everything is good. I could get in without question.

Now I don't know if this is because I am reenlisting but I do know that once you are in the military they could careless about your weight unless it affects your ability to do you job or you can not do the PT test.

Like I said, once you can get in it doesn't matter.

Show me a case where someone was discharged because he/she could not maintain a certain weight.

Uhhh... in the army, they care very much about such things. Every year you get a weight test. If you don't make the standard (and I never will) they measure your waist and your neck (it's called a tape test, and it "measures BMI," like Military Irish said.). If you meet a certain ratio, you're fine. If not, you have a limited window of time to cut weight/belly size or be discharged.

Not sure how this translates to the Academy players, they definitely get some lee way and they also probably have huge necks.

 

[BeauBenken]

Like it's already been said, they do have to maintain a certain BMI even if on a sports team. I learned that from my assistant coach who was in the Army back in the day (the 80s, I think) and did some coaching while he was overseas.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Thanks for the answers guys, I appreciate it. And thanks to the guy who is going to ask an AF player

 

[Bubba]

I spent 20 yrs in the AF. You CAN be discharged for being overweight. If you are overweight, you will be required to enter a program that includes nutrition counseling, mandatory exercise program and monthly meetings/weigh-ins/progress checks. If you do not make progress each period, the discipline increases as you move through the program, ultimately ending in discharge if you fail to meet the standard.

 

[NDFan4Life]

Like I said, once you can get in it doesn't matter.

Show me a case where someone was discharged because he/she could not maintain a certain weight.

I was in the Navy for over 16 years. I've known quite a few people who were discharged because they couldn't maintain their body fat to acceptable standards. The military gives you ample opportunities to lose body fat, and they expect you to keep it at the acceptable level. You can't have a soldier, airman, or seaman weighing 400 lbs and expect them to be combat-ready.