BODY COMPOSITION

Fat vs. Muscle

Body Composition is the amount of body fat a Soldier has in comparison to their total body mass. To be eligible to enlist in the Army, you must meet the height and weight requirements for your age and height. If you are over the prescribed weight for your height, you can still qualify by being below the specified body fat composition for your age. A recruiter can help you with determining your body fat percentage, but you can also monitor your progress with the Body Mass Index calculator provided.

Improving your CR and muscle stamina will have a positive impact on your body's composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, and negatively affects your health. But a person's body fat depends on many factors, including body type, and you should not compare your body fat to someone else's.

Good body composition is best gained through proper diet and exercise. Examples of poor body composition are underdeveloped muscle groups, or excessive body fat. Poor body composition causes problems for the Army and the individual Soldier. For example, Soldiers with inadequate muscle development cannot perform as well as those with proper development. When a Soldier is overweight, his or her physical ability to perform declines and the risk of developing disease and injury increases. Also, Soldiers with high percentages of body fat often have lower APFT scores than those with lower percentages. Poor body composition, especially obesity, has a negative effect on appearance, self-esteem, and negatively influences attitude and morale.