APFT Calisthenics Exercises

Source: Department of the Army Field Manual, FM 21-20 Physical Fitness Training

The following are some common APFT calisthenic exercises.

Side-Straddle Hop
Position: Assume the position of attention.
Action: (1) Jump slightly into the air while moving the legs more than shoulder-width apart, swinging the arms overhead and clapping the palms together. (2) Jump slightly into the air while swinging the arms sideward and downward and returning to the position of attention. (3) Repeat action 1. (4) Repeat action 2.
Variation: (1) Jump slightly into the air while moving the left leg forward and the right leg backward, swinging the arms overhead and clapping the palms together. (2) Jump slightly into the air while swinging the arms sideward and downward and returning to the position of attention. (3) Repeat the jumping and arm movements of action 1 while moving the right leg forward and the left leg backward. (4) Repeat action 2.

Mule Kick
Position: Stand with the feet shoulder width apart.
Action: Jump up repeatedly while kicking the heels to the buttocks. To do the mule kick to cadence, do one repetition per count. Use a moderate cadence.

Ski Jump
Position: Stand with feet together, the hands placed behind the head with the fingers interlaced.
Action: (1) Keeping the feet together, jump sideways to the left. (2) Keeping the feet together, jump sideways to the right. (3) Repeat action 1. (4) Repeat action 2.

Flutter Kick
Position: Lie on your back with the hands beneath the buttocks, the head raised, and the knees slightly bent.
Action: Alternately raise and lower legs, keeping the knees slightly bent and the feet elevated 6 to 18 inches above the floor. To do the flutter kick to cadence, do one repetition per count. Use a moderate cadence.

Bend and Reach
Position: Stand in a wide, side-straddled position with the palms facing each other and the arms overhead and straight.
Action: (1) Bend at the knees and waist. Slowly bring the arms down, and reach between the legs as far as possible. Make sure the angle formed by the upper and lower leg in never less than 90 degrees. (2)Recover slowly to the start position. (3) Repeat action 1 (4) Repeat action 2. Use a slow cadence.

High Jumper
Position: Place the feet about shoulder width apart with the knees flexed. Bend forward at the waist, aligning the arms with the trunk and hips. Keep the arms straight at all times during the exercise. Keep the palms facing each other with the head and eyes initially to the front.
Action: (1) Take a slight jump into the air while swinging the arms forward and up to shoulder level. (2) Take a slight jump while swinging the arms backward, returning to the start position. (3) jump strongly upward while swinging the arms forward and up to the overhead position; at the same time, briefly look skyward. While descending, return the head and eyes to the front, and flex the knees. (4) Repeat action 2. Use a moderate cadence.

Squat Bender
Position: Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, thumbs in the small of the back, and the elbows back.
Action: (1) Bending the knees, lower yourself to a half-squat position while maintaining balance on the balls of the feet. With the trunk inclined slightly forward, thrust the arms forward to shoulder level with the elbows locked and the palms down. (2) Recover to the start position. (3) Keeping the knees slightly bent, bend forward at the waist, touching the ground in front of the toes. (4) Recover to the start position. Use a moderate cadence.

Lunger
Position: Start from the position of attention.
Action: (1) Lunge diagonally forward to the left by stepping in that direction with the left foot, placing the left knee over the left foot. At the same time, place the arms sideward at shoulder level, the palms up, and the head and shoulders squarely to the front. (2) Bend slowly forward and downward over the left thigh, hands grasping the opposite arms above the elbows. (3) Recover slowly to the second position by releasing the arms, straightening the trunk, and extending the arms sideward, palms up. (4) Resume the position of attention by dropping the arms and returning the left foot to the side of the right. Repeat the exercise to the right side. Use a moderate cadence.

Knee Bender
Position: Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the hips, the thumbs in the small of the back, and the elbows back.
Action: Bend at the knees, lean slightly forward at the waist with the head up, and slide the hands along the outside of the legs until the extended fingers reach the tops of the boots or the middle of the lower leg. (2) Recover to the start position. (3) Repeat action 1. (4) Repeat action 2. Use moderate cadence.

The Swimmer
Position: Lie prone with the feet together and with the arms together and extended forward in front of the body. Keep the arms and legs straight at all times during this exercise.
Action: (1) Move the right arm and the left leg up. (2) Return to the start position. (3) Move the left arm and the right leg up. (4) Return to the start position. Continue in an alternating manner. Use a moderate cadence.

Supine Bicycle
Position: Assume the supine position with the hips and knees flexed. Place the palms directly on top of the head with the fingers interlaced.
Action: (1) Bring the left knee upward while curling the trunk upward, and touch the right elbow to the left knee. (2) Repeat action 1 with the other leg and elbow. (3) Repeat action 1. (4) Repeat action 2. Use a slow cadence.

The Engine
Position: Stand with the arms straight and in front of the body. The arms should be parallel to the ground with the palms facing downward.
Action: (1) Bring the left knee upward to the left elbow. (2) Return to the start position. (3) Touch the right knee to the right elbow. (4) Recover to the start position. Be sure to keep the arms parallel to the ground through out the entire exercise. Use a moderate cadence.

Cross-Country Skier
Position: Assume the position of attention.
Action: Jump Slightly into the air, and move the left foot forward and the right foot backward, landing with both knees slightly bent. At the same time, move the right arm upward and forward to shoulder height and the left arm back as far as possible, always keeping the arms straight and the palms facing each other. (2) Jump slightly into the air, and move the right foot forward and the left foot backward. At the same time, move the left arm upward and forward to the shoulder height and the right arm back as far as possible. (3) Repeat action 1. (4) Repeat action 2. Use a moderate cadence.

Push-Up
Position: Assume the front leaning rest position with the hands placed comfortably apart, the feet together or up to 12 inches apart, and the body forming a generally straight line from the shoulders to the ankles.
Action: Keeping the body straight throughout the exercise, lower the body until the upper arms are at least parallel to the ground. Then, push yourself up to the initial position by completely straightening the arms.
Push-Up Variation: To train the muscles more completely, place the hands at varying widths. They may be wider apart or closer together than shoulder width. Elevating the feet to different heights makes push-ups more difficult. The higher the feet, the more difficult the exercise. Push-ups are also more difficult when the hands and feet are placed on boxes or chairs. This helps the soldier exercise through a fuller range of motion. To do extra repetitions when fatigued, drop to the knees while keeping the knees, hips, and shoulders in a straight line.

Sit Up
Position: Lie on the back with the feet together or up to 12 inches apart, the knees bent so that an angle of 90 degrees is formed by the upper and lower legs, and the fingers interlocked behind the head.
Action: Raise your upper body forward to the vertical position so that the base of the neck is above the base of the spine, then lower yourself in a controlled manner until the bottom of the shoulder blades touch the ground.
Sit-up Variations: Variations include keeping the feet elevated and crossing the hands on the chest.

Chin-Up (Pull-Up)
Position: Hang from a horizontal bar with the arms fully extended.
Action: Bend your elbows and pull yourself upward until your chin is above the bar; do not swing or kick your legs. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
Variations: Use overhand (pull-up), underhand (chin-up), or alternating grips, with the hands close together, far apart, or at shoulder-width. If unable to complete a chin-up, using proper form, elevate yourself to the up position with help and hang there, or slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Repeat this several times, gradually adding more repetitions from workout to workout.

Parallel Bar Dip
Position: Keep the feet off the floor and support the body’s weight on straight arms.
Action: Bend the arms and lower the body in a controlled manner until the upper arms are at least parallel to the floor. If necessary, bend the legs at the knees to keep the feet from touching the floor. Straighten the arms to return to the starting position.