Military personnel need speed, power and endurance in abundance. So it's no surprise that Instagram creator Tom Holloway, who runs the @royalfitnesslondon account, has devised a brutal bodyweight challenge designed to test all three.
It's a high-intensity circuit featuring classic bodyweight movements, no rest and just a 3-minute timer. Holloway calls it 'the test of speed' – complete as many reps as possible in the allotted time and see how your score compares with his benchmarks.
‘No weights. No rest,’ he says. ‘Just you vs the clock. 30 seconds each exercise, 3 minutes total.’
The 3-Minute Military Fitness Test
A. Burpee x 30 secs
B. Push-Up x 30 secs
C. Squat x 30 secs
D. Mountain Climber x 30 secs
E. Plank x 30 secs
F. Burpee x 30 secs
Benchmarks
According to Holloway, these are the scores to aim for:
- Good: 100-139 reps
- Great: 140-159 reps
- Elite: 160+ reps
Why it Works
Despite lasting just 3 minutes, the workout challenges most major muscle groups. Your
quads, glutes, core, chest, triceps and shoulders all receive plenty of work, while the burpees add an additional cardiovascular challenge that quickly drives your heart rate upwards.
What to read next
The non-stop format means fatigue accumulates rapidly, particularly during the final 30-second burpee block. By that point, both your lungs and muscles will be under pressure, making the workout as much a test of mental resilience as physical conditioning.
Because of that, the session is better viewed as a muscular-endurance and conditioning challenge than a muscle-building workout.
To achieve an elite score, you'll need to average considerably more than 1 rep every 2 seconds. The plank only contributes a single rep, while burpees are relatively time-consuming if performed properly.
That doesn't mean sacrificing technique for speed, however. Maintaining strong form throughout will not only keep you safer, but also ensure you're getting the maximum benefit from each movement.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
