Health & Fitness
Many Navy roles involve outdoor activity and a reasonable level of fitness is required. Regular exercise is an important part of service life, so you'll get paid to keep fit.
How fit must I be to apply?
During the application process you’ll be assessed through (1) completion of a questionnaire relating to your medical history, (2) a physical examination, and (3) a Pre-entry Fitness Assessment (PFA). During the PFA you’ll need to be able to complete a specified number of exercises:
Female
Under 35
Sit ups (feet held): 20
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (16:00) OR
5km Walk (44:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (5.5) OR
500m Swim (14:30)
35 - 44
Sit ups (feet held): 15
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (18:00) OR
5km Walk (46:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (5.2) OR
500m Swim (15:30)
45 - 54
Sit ups (feet held): 10
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (20:00) OR
5km Walk (47:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (4.9) OR
500m Swim (16:30)
55 - 59
Sit ups (feet held): 5
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (21:00) OR
5km Walk (49:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (4.6) OR
500m Swim (17:30)
Male
Under 35
Sit ups (feet held): 20
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (14:00) OR
5km Walk (43:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (6.1) OR
500m Swim (13:30)
35 - 44
Sit ups (feet held): 15
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (16:00) OR
5km Walk (45:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (5.7) OR
500m Swim (14:30)
45 - 54
Sit ups (feet held): 10
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (18:00) OR
5km Walk (46:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (5.3) OR
500m Swim (15:30)
55 - 59
Sit ups (feet held): 5
Choice of cardio component:
2.4km Run (19:00) OR
5km Walk (48:00) OR
Shuttle Run Score (5.1) OR
500m Swim (16:30)
Navy Divers must achieve 30 push ups, 25 sit ups and a shuttle run to level 10.1.
We’ve created a guide to help you to get started on your fitness journey, including practising correct techniques for your PFA.
A condition of entry is that you will have to pass a swim test (see below), and be tested for a variety of viral infections, including HIV and Hepatitis B and C. The presence of any of these infections could adversely affect your application.
During Navy Training, whether heading to Recruit School or Officer Training, you'll need to pass a swim test to graduate. It involves all of the components below:
- Safety jump off a 3m tower
- 10m underwater swim
- 50m swim using survival strokes
- Treading water or floating for 15 minutes
Note: You will be wearing your Navy uniform during the swim test.
What about weight?
The maximum allowable BMI for entry to the Navy is 32.9. BMIs of less than 18.5 are considered too low as they present a risk of injury during training.
Your BMI will be measured on Assessment Day and again on the day of entry to the Navy. You will not be able to join if you are outside the specified range so check your BMI well in advance and if necessary, talk to your doctor about any lifestyle changes you may have to consider.
{{$bmi.bmiVal | number:0 }}
{{$bmi.bmiHeading}}
{{$bmi.bmiHeading}}
{{$bmi.bmiInfo}}
Please note that the BMI result is indicative only, and there may be other factors that affect the result. An initial adverse BMI result or failing the pre-entry physical fitness test may not necessarily preclude you from into the ADF. However, some career paths apply stringent standards. For example some aircrew occupations must have a BMI between 18.5 to 29.9, however must have a body weight between 55kg and 105kg (in underwear).
Get fit enough to serve
Attaining the fitness required to join the Navy is well within most people's capability. The new ADF Active mobile app is the smarter, more efficient way to reach that level.
Initial Assessment
Take the Pre-Entry Fitness Assessment to see how close you are to Navy requirements. You can also check out your Body Mass Index.
Personalised Program
From your results, ADF Active creates a personalised program designed to get you to the required fitness level in time for your interview.
Technique training
You'll be shown the correct way to do push-ups and sit-ups, and complete a shuttle run (beep test), with step-by-step instructional videos.
Tracking & Guidance
Check how you're travelling with stats, graphs and badges, and along the way receive in-app advice and motivation from ADF PT Instructors.
How fit must I be to serve?
For many recruits into the Navy the physical exercise they do – which can be quite demanding during training – is all part of the fun. They enjoy improving their health in a supportive team environment.
The actual level of fitness you will be expected to reach varies greatly according to the role you've chosen. For instance, in combat roles the highest level is required while business-related roles require less.
It's also important that you maintain good levels of medical and dental fitness. Therefore regular medical checks, dental treatment and inoculations are compulsory, and all are provided free of charge to full-time personnel.