His arms are extended at his sides, palms down. His legs are together, and held straight so that there is no bend in the knees. Bank, one of the three men largely responsible for developing the new physical-conditioning program, is a real 'toughy.' A man lies on-his back with his legs held up in front of him so that they form a 90-degree angle with his torso. In testing men with this exercise, the Army considers that eight burpees done in 20 seconds is poor 10 burpees is fair 12 is good and 13 or better is excellent. But the Army doesn't consider him fit for the rigors of war until he can do it 40 or 50 times, in easy rhythm, without pausina. Even the rawest recruit can do this exercise a few times-slowly. The burpee is one of the seven exercises now being used to test a soldier's physical fitness as well as his improvement under the new toughening-up program. At 'three,' he jumps back to squatting position, and at 'four' he stands up. At 'two,' he throws his weight forward on his arms and then thrusts his legs straight back, so that his weight is resting on his hands and toes. At the count of 'one,' he goes down to a squatting position, with hands flat on the ground, and arms inside his knees. A man first assumes a standing position, with arms of his sides, and feet a couple of inches apart.
