IPPT should be a struggle that builds our strengths

It is commendable that measures have been taken to make it easier for those who find that they lack time to condition themselves for the current Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT). (“Change was to make IPPT ‘easier to train for’”; July 25)

It is more efficient in that, in the long run, the goal is to help many working adults pass this test with relatively less stringent criteria and segments.

This could potentially be detrimental, however, in that it might encourage a more lackadaisical attitude towards training for the IPPT.

While there have been bugbears, the current IPPT has been around since 1982. If we wish to imbue our soldiers with the mental tenacity and fortitude to forge on while surmounting physical limits, are these the changes we want?

The disturbing difference in the new IPPT is that pull-ups, which are beneficial to soldiers to cultivate physical strength to overcome obstacles, will be removed. While push-ups can be effective, these are already the punishment for full-time national servicemen who make mistakes.

It has thus been entrenched that push-ups are manageable. If the IPPT is a test of grit to surmount mental barriers, there seems to be little obstacle in the revised IPPT, which features three commonplace activities.

Also, the issue of time can be relative. Discipline entails putting aside excuses and languorous attitudes. In this case, fitness comes at a price.

It is worth the struggle, as training is an edifying experience and an opportunity to release oneself from the shackles of a hectic day.

The IPPT has been a symbol of one’s physical fitness and our psychological capacities. It galvanises us to relinquish ourselves for the nation.

While many are unable to pass the current test, I would rather fail after striving than reach the acme so easily. As former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “your struggles develop your strengths”, and not the other way round.