A physical training uniform is a military or organizational uniform used during exercise, calisthenics, drills, and in some cases, very casual periods of time (off-duty time during Initial Entry Training in the U.S. Army, for example). Most militaries, especially the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

and their auxiliaries (e.g.

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

and

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

components) require use of a physical training (PT) uniform during unit exercise (including formation runs,

calisthenics Calisthenics (American English) or callisthenics (British English) () is a form of strength training that utilizes an individual's body weight as resistance to perform multi-joint, compound movements with little or no equipment. Calisthenics sol ...

, and conditioning exercises). All items worn by military personnel conducting PT as a group are subject to uniformity, at commander discretions, however, some U.S. military units produce unique T-shirts with their unit insignia and motto, and for special events, this shirt is part of the uniform. Occasionally, exercise will also be conducted in that branch's utility uniforms, normally with the blouse removed and the undershirt exposed (also known as "''boots and utes''" ). For unit runs, ''

esprit de corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...

'' or special occasions, commanders may have personnel wear unique T-shirts with the

distinctive unit insignia A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...

and unit colors. Recruit-training-1

Physical training uniforms of the United States Armed Forces

Army

The Army Physical Fitness Uniform (APFU) consists of: *Shirts: Black long-sleeve and short-sleeve shirts with gold ARMY lettering on the front. *Shorts: Black with same gold ARMY lettering on the left leg. Multipurpose: can be worn alone for swimming and exercise, or under the black pants. *Pants: Black with Army Star logo and lettering on the left thigh. *Jacket: Black with gold chevron across the front and back and same Army Star logo and lettering on the left chest. *Socks and Shoes: Commercial calf-length or ankle-length, plain white or black socks with no logos, and approved, well-fitting, comfortable running shoes with no color restriction; Five-toed shoes are prohibited. *Inclement weather gear: Micro fleece cap, Compression shirt and shorts, and reflective belt.

Marine Corps

The Marine Corps PTUs consist of: *Shirt: Plain olive-drab green short-sleeve shirt (logos can be authorized.) *Shorts: Plain OD green shorts (logos can be authorized for this also.) *Sweatsuit: OD green with black Marines logo and USMC lettering on the left chest of sweatshirt, and the same design on the left thigh of sweatpants. *Tracksuit: OD green with reflective piping, reflective Marines logo on the left chest and MARINES lettering in red with gold outline centered on the back of jacket, and same logo on the upper left thigh and vertical USMC lettering in the same design on the lower right leg of pants. *Socks and Shoes: commercial calf-length or ankle-length, plain white or black socks with no logos, and shoes with appropriate civilian design; excessively bright coloring or designs are prohibited. *

Hydration pack A hydration pack or drink bag is a type of hydration system built as a backpack or waistpack containing a reservoir or "bladder" commonly made of rubber or flexible plastic. The reservoir contains a capped mouth for filling with liquid and a ho ...

: green or coyote brown (or subdued colors if personally owned packs are authorized.) *Inclement weather gear: Compression shorts, OD green thermal shirt and pants, and reflective belt.

Navy

The Navy PTUs consist of: *Shirt: Navy blue short-sleeve shirt with gold eagle-and-anchor logo on the left chest and the statement "America's Navy: Forged By The Sea" in gold on the back. *Shorts: Navy blue with gold NAVY lettering on the left leg. *Tracksuit: Styled similar to the Marines' except dark navy blue with same gold NAVY lettering on the left chest and on the back of jacket, only larger, and styled vertically on the lower right leg of pants. *Sweatsuit: Navy blue with reflective NAVY lettering on the same areas on sweatshirt with optional hood, and on the left thigh of sweatpants. *Shoes: Approved, well-fitting, comfortable running shoes with no color restriction. *Inclement weather gear: Compression shorts and reflective belt.

Air Force

The Air Force Physical Training Gear (AFPTG) consists of: *Shirts and Sweatshirt: Light-grey short-sleeve, long-sleeve, and sweatshirt with reflective Air Force logo on the left chest, reflective stripes on the sleeves, and reflective AIR FORCE lettering centered on the back. As similar to the Navy, the sweatshirt has an optional hood. *Shorts: Blue runner and regular-length shorts with reflective stripes on the legs and same AF logo on the left leg. *Pants: Blue with same reflective stripes on the lower legs and same AF logo on the upper left leg. *Jacket: Blue with same AF logo on the left chest, and same reflective stripes on the sleeves and upper back. *Socks and Shoes: Athletic-style shoes with no color restriction, and white and black socks; small logos are authorized. Additionally, for Air Force training, soft & comfortable shoes are best for walking & running. A retirement period for the IPTU is currently taking place until 2026, after 20 years of use.

Space Force

The Space Force PTU consists of: *Shirt: Styled similar to the Air Force's except dark-grey with Space Force logo on the left chest, reflective USSF lettering on the sleeves, and reflective SPACE FORCE lettering centered on the back. *Shorts: As similar to the Air Force, black runner and regular-length shorts with same SF logo on the left leg. *Pants: Black with same SF logo on the left leg, like the shorts. *Jacket: Black with same logo and lettering as on the shirt, but with additional SF logo on the upper back, only larger.

Coast Guard

The Coast Guard PTUs consist of: *Shirt: Grey short-sleeve shirt with reflective Coast Guard logo with blue outline and lettering on the left chest, and COAST GUARD lettering in the same design centered on the back. *Shorts: Mesh-designed navy blue shorts with white COAST GUARD lettering on the left leg. *Sweatsuit: Navy blue with COAST GUARD lettering in orange with white and dark reflective outline centered on the front and 7 dark reflective stripes on the back of sweatshirt, and USCG lettering in the same design on the sides of both legs of sweatpants. *

Swimsuits A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn ...

: Plain blue gender-standard swimsuits. *Socks and Shoes: White and black socks (small logos are authorized), and athletic-style shoes; excessively bright coloring or designs are prohibited. *Inclement weather gear: Watch cap, gloves, earmuffs, and reflective belts.

Non-military use

In many parts of the world outside of use in militaries, physical training uniforms are primarily used in

schools A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...

, law enforcement academies, and in some cases,

scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

firefighter training A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

and

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

systems.

References

{{US Army uniforms Military uniforms History of fashion