Guides: read the standard, then check your number
Every guide pairs an explanation with the live calculator that applies to it — no page here is a static wall of text.
What Is WHtR and Why Did the Military Adopt It in 2026?
Waist-to-height ratio explained: the math, why it beats BMI and body-fat %, and the full story of the DoD swit…
Read the guide →Body-Fat Measurement Methods: DEXA, Calipers, BIA
Every way to measure body fat, ranked by accuracy, plus which methods the military accepts for the secondary b…
Read the guide →Military Enlistment Body-Composition Standards (2026)
What the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, and Coast Guard require on the way in: height, weight, W…
Read the guide →ACFT Preparation: Train the Six Events, Unlock the 540
A practical training plan for the Army Combat Fitness Test, why 540+ matters for body composition, and what th…
Read the guide →The Navy Body-Fat Formula: How the Tape Test Actually Works
Step-by-step through the circumference formula most branches use for the secondary body-fat evaluation — with …
Read the guide →The Army WHtR Standard Explained (AD 2026-13)
Everything a Soldier needs to know about the new Army waist-to-height screen: the 0.55 line, the 540 exemption…
Read the guide →Marine Corps Body-Composition & Fitness Standards (2026)
Why the Marines run a stricter 0.52 WHtR gate, how the PFT/CFT fit in, and what it means for a Marine on the l…
Read the guide →CPAT Preparation & NFPA 1580 Fitness Standards
Train for the eight CPAT events and understand the new NFPA 1580 aerobic-capacity rules that replaced the fixe…
Read the guide →Police Academy & State POST Fitness Standards: What
The physical agility tests used by law enforcement agencies, how they vary by state, and a training approach t…
Read the guide →BMI vs WHtR vs Body-Fat Percentage: Which Number Matters?
The three metrics compared side by side — what each measures, where each is used in the military in 2026, and …
Read the guide →Calories for the Mission: BMR & TDEE for Service Members
Why knowing your BMR and TDEE matters for ABCP weight loss, ACFT fueling, and staying strong through a body-co…
Read the guide →FFMI & Lean Body Mass: Muscle vs Fat in Military Standards
Why FFMI explains the muscular soldier who “fails” a weight table but passes WHtR — and how to track lean mass…
Read the guide →Calorie Needs by Age and Sex: The NIH Estimated Energy
The NIH Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) formula turns age, sex, height, weight, and activity into a mainten…
Read the guide →U.S. Army Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Army 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-performe…
Read the guide →U.S. Navy Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Navy 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-performe…
Read the guide →U.S. Air Force Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Air Force 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-per…
Read the guide →U.S. Marine Corps Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Marine Corps 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-…
Read the guide →U.S. Coast Guard Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Coast Guard 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-p…
Read the guide →U.S. Space Force Body Composition Standards (2026)
The Space Force 2026 body-composition program explained: the WHtR gate, body-fat limits by age and sex, high-p…
Read the guide →U.S. Navy PT & Fitness Test Standards (2026)
What the U.S. Navy physical fitness test requires in 2026, how it pairs with the new body-composition screen, …
Read the guide →U.S. Air Force PT & Fitness Test Standards (2026)
What the U.S. Air Force physical fitness test requires in 2026, how it pairs with the new body-composition scr…
Read the guide →U.S. Coast Guard PT & Fitness Test Standards (2026)
What the U.S. Coast Guard physical fitness test requires in 2026, how it pairs with the new body-composition s…
Read the guide →U.S. Space Force PT & Fitness Test Standards (2026)
What the U.S. Space Force physical fitness test requires in 2026, how it pairs with the new body-composition s…
Read the guide →U.S. Army PT & Fitness Test Standards (2026)
What the U.S. Army physical fitness test requires in 2026, how it pairs with the new body-composition screen, …
Read the guide →Firefighter Aerobic Standard Under NFPA 1580 (2025): The Percentile Switch
How the 2025 NFPA 1580 edition replaced the fixed VO2max line with ACSM age/sex percentiles — and what candida…
Read the guide →Police Hiring Fitness: How State POST Standards Vary
Law enforcement has no federal fitness standard — every state POST and agency runs its own agility test. What …
Read the guide →VA Combined Disability Rating: How Multiple Conditions Stack
The VA does not add ratings — it combines them with the bilateral/efficiency method. A worked example and the …
Read the guide →VA Disability Compensation 2026: Monthly Pay by Rating
The 2026 tax-free VA disability compensation schedule at each rating step, with dependent add-ons, drawn from …
Read the guide →100% VA Disability: Federal Benefits Beyond the Paycheck
What 100% P&T unlocks — commissary and exchange access, Chapter 35 education, TRICARE, and the state property-…
Read the guide →VA TDIU: 100% Pay When You Cannot Work
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability lets veterans below 100% schedular receive 100% compensat…
Read the guide →VA Dependent Add-Ons: How Spouse, Children & Parents Raise Pay
At 30% and above, VA compensation increases with dependents. The exact add-on amounts by rating and dependent …
Read the guide →State Property-Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans (2026)
Which states fully or partly exempt the home of a disabled veteran from property tax, and why you must confirm…
Read the guide →VA Disability vs SSDI: Two Different Systems
VA disability compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance are separate programs with different tests…
Read the guide →DoD Instruction 1308.03: The Body-Fat Corridor Every Branch Must Honor
The rule that caps how strict or loose any service body-fat table can be in 2026 — and why the WHtR screen sit…
Read the guide →Why the Military Replaced Height-and-Weight Tables with WHtR
The December 2025 DoD switch from static tables to waist-to-height ratio — what problem it solved and what it …
Read the guide →Disputing a Failed Tape Test: Supplemental Assessments That Count
If the circumference or WHtR screen flags you, what supplemental body-fat methods are accepted, and how to req…
Read the guide →National Guard vs Active Duty: Do Body-Composition Standards Differ?
Whether Guard and Reserve members face the same 2026 WHtR / body-fat screens as active duty, and how the asses…
Read the guide →Army ABCP: From Flag to Separation Timeline
What happens after an Army Body Composition Program flag — counseling, dietitian referral, progress expectatio…
Read the guide →Marine Corps Body-Composition Failure: The Path After 0.52
What happens when a Marine exceeds the tight 0.52 WHtR gate — the secondary evaluation, MARADMIN 066/26 progra…
Read the guide →Navy BCA Failure: What Happens After the Screen
The Navy Body Composition Assessment flow after a 0.55+ WHtR — circumference estimate, command-sponsored progr…
Read the guide →Pregnancy, Postpartum & the Military Body-Composition Screen
How the WHtR / body-fat program treats pregnancy and the postpartum period — the exemption window and return-t…
Read the guide →A Sustainable Weight-Loss Plan for a Body-Composition Program
How to lose 3–8 lbs/month without losing ACFT strength — the deficit, protein target, and training balance the…
Read the guide →Tape Test vs DXA: Which Body-Fat Number Is Real?
How the circumference tape method compares to DXA, Bod Pod, and BIA for accuracy — and which the military acce…
Read the guide →How VA Math Works
Combined ratings, the bilateral factor, rounding traps, and TDIU — with a live calculator.
Read the guide →