An Air Force policy rolled out in April ends the option of alternative exercises for basic and technical trainees taking the service's fitness test, leaving only the traditional pushups, situps ...

Lackland is where all Air Force recruits go through BMT — basic military training. Much of the Human Performance Squadron's work centers on teaching recruits how to run, and how not to.

The Air Force used only a 1.5-mile run as its annual test through the 1980s, according to a RAND study of Air Force fitness requirements published in 2021.

Air Force trainee Wendy Gallardo Gallegos, 18, completes a 1.5-mile run as part of a physical training exam at Lackland Air Force Base on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Air Force Basic Military Training lasts a total of seven-and-a-half weeks. PACER FORGE takes place during the sixth week of training.