Pre-Enlistment Fitness in Singapore: 24-Week Plan Before BMT

What does a 24-week pre-enlistment plan look like?

Three phases over 24 weeks: base in weeks 1 to 8, ending in a full mock. Build in weeks 9 to 18, with a second mock in week 16 and the first pre-enlistee IPPT in week 17 or 18. Then sharpen and taper, weeks 19 to 24.

The milestone: for enlistees graded PES A or B1, 61 points with at least 1 point per station, at least two weeks before the PTP enlistment, skips the 8-week Physical Training Phase (PTP vs BMT has the booking rules and BMT lengths). Count back from the 2027 enlistment dates CMPB publishes. A BMI above 27.0 means a 19-week BMT, per CMPB's pre-enlistee IPPT and BMI page: at 1.75m, about 82.7kg.

Book early enough for a second attempt. A result is valid for a year, so passing in month four leaves the last two months for the strength and marching base BMT tests. A miss: the 8-week pass plan structures the second. Run sessions paced from your target: the 2.4km run training plan.

Only 12 or 8 weeks before enlistment?

Compress the plan instead of skipping parts of it: a short base, the build block, and a first attempt early enough to leave room for a second. CMPB sends the Enlistment Notice about two months before enlistment, leaving about six weeks, so do not wait for it.

Do not double the volume: same sessions, fewer weeks of each. A shin injury in week 5 costs more than a slow first mock. Both versions leave at least two weeks between attempts, as running fitness takes weeks to move. The last test date is at least two weeks before enlistment (PTP vs BMT has the rule and CMPB's 2027 dates).

What should your mocks add up to at weeks 8 and 16?

About 50 at the week 8 mock and about 65 at week 16, so you book the first attempt with a few points to spare over 61. Both mocks are in test order, scored on the NS Portal's IPPT calculator.

These are coaching milestones, not official figures, and any mix that adds up works: 40, 40 and 14:00, or 30, 30 and 12:10 on PTP vs BMT, and 26, 33 and 12:20 on IPPT score by age, all 61 under 22. The rule, 61 points with at least 1 at each station: PTP vs BMT.

Short on a mock? Look at the run first, the most points and the most reward for starting early. A skipped station fails the attempt whatever the total.

What should you build first?

The run first, because it is 50 of the 100 points and the slowest to change. Then push-ups and sit-ups as short daily sets, because they respond within weeks. Underneath both, a basic strength base of squats, hinges, rows and carries.

That base is for BMT as well as IPPT. CMPB's preparing for NS page notes soldiers often carry heavy loads over long distances on foot. CMPB's Basic Military Training page lists IPPT training, strength training, the standard obstacle course, swimming, route marches and a field camp for combat-fit recruits.

For enlistment from October 2027, MINDEF's description of BMT Programme 1 names the IPPT, the Standard Obstacle Course, route marches and field training.

1. 01RunThree times a week from week one. Easy runs first, intervals and tempo later.
2. 02Push-ups and sit-upsFive minutes most days, a timed minute twice a week.
3. 03StrengthTwo sessions a week: goblet squats, split squats, hip hinge, rows, farmer's carries.
4. 04Feet and legsWalk more, in the shoes you will train in. BMT punishes soft feet and weak calves.
5. 05Sleep and heatSeven hours or more, and train outdoors at the times of day you will be tested.

The walking is not filler. Route marches carry a load over distance, and CMPB publishes no walking plan, so this progression is our coaching practice: a long walk each week, from 45 minutes to two hours by month four, a light backpack only once that feels easy, in the trainers you run in. It is also the safest way to add volume for anyone carrying extra weight.

Do you need to swim before BMT?

Yes, in the sense that CMPB says swimming is a basic skill every recruit needs in the basic training curriculum. Neither CMPB nor the NS Portal publishes the distance, stroke or time of the BMT swim test, so we do not quote one. Figures on forums and blogs are unofficial.

If you cannot swim comfortably, book lessons in the months before enlistment so the pool is one less new thing in BMT, and keep them on a day that does not clash with your hardest run.

How do you avoid the injuries that derail enlistment?

Increase running gradually. In our coaching experience, the injuries that most often derail pre-enlistees are shin pain, knee pain, ankle sprains and lower-back strain, and most come from doing too much too soon.

1. 01Start slowHealthHub's advice for anyone finding their way back to exercise: start slow, then increase intensity and duration as fitness improves.
2. 02Small stepsAdd a little weekly running, never speed and distance in the same week, and keep one rest day.
3. 03Pain that changes how you walkA reason to stop and get checked by a doctor or physiotherapist, not to push through.

If you have an existing condition, an old injury, asthma or anything a doctor has flagged, get cleared before starting a plan and declare it at your medical. This page is general information, not medical advice. A 17-year-old who has not run since Secondary 2 should start easier than feels necessary.

What can a parent usefully do?

Track the steps CMPB sets out, mark the deadline, then step back.

Then keep the fridge stocked with real food and find a run route safe at 7am and 7pm: a park connector, a stadium track or the estate loop. A coach who is not a parent is often the difference for a 17-year-old, since the plan comes from someone they do not argue with, at home, the condo gym or an HDB fitness corner: IPPT and NAPFA coaching.