SINGAPORE — Even with the tightened standards to achieve the silver and gold awards in the new Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), servicemen will probably continue to find it relatively easy to attain these awards, said fitness experts TODAY spoke to.

The bar for getting a silver or gold will be raised from the original standards announced last year to “challenge fitter servicemen”, but experts said the points-based system of the new test format will allow NSmen to earn the four additional points required with minimal improvements in each of three stations.

Mr Brandon Yang, fitness trainer at Anytime Fitness gym, said NSmen who achieved the gold or silver mark under the original standards would need to do only one to two points better in each of three stations. This could translate to an individual doing one to four more sit-ups and push-ups, and shaving about 10 seconds off his 2.4km run timing.

The challenge would be for NSmen who have already managed to achieve the maximum score for push-ups and sit-ups. This would then require them to dramatically improve their running performance to earn enough points.

Part-time trainer Matthew Yap, who also works in the finance industry, said a difference of four points in the 2.4km run would mean clocking 12 minutes 20 seconds instead of 13 minutes for a 25-year-old. “It would take three weeks to one month. Running is not as easy as some people think,” he said.

Generally, experts felt the new points-based system is still easier compared with the five-station format it replaces, even with the tougher standards for the silver and gold awards. This is because it does not require NSmen to achieve a minimum standard in each station, and allows an individual to focus on stronger stations to compensate for weaker ones.

Mr Yap, who has trained NSmen at several Singapore Armed Forces camps for about a decade, believes only those who are already close to achieving a silver or gold will be motivated to improve their performance to meet the raised standards. Most NSmen, he said, just want to pass and avoid remedial training.

Freelance designer Hendric Tay said he is confident of getting a gold, no matter what the format is. “I think I should be able to do well if I train. Push-ups are a lot easier to train for than pull-ups,” the 27-year-old added.

Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Ng Yi Shu, 21, is relieved that the standing broad jump and pull-up — his weakest stations — are no longer in the new IPPT, and he is content with just getting a pass. “The incentives (given to those who achieve a silver or gold) are good, but I won’t actively work for it,” he said.