Physical fitness requirements for NDA

Indian Army: Height and Weight Requirements for Female candidates:

Height (cm)	Weight (kg) with respect to age (yrs)
	Minimum weight for all ages	Age: 17 to 20 yrs	Age: 20+01 day – 30 yrs	Age: 30 + 01 day – 40 yrs	Age: Above 40 yrs
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.8
145	37.8	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
146	38.4	46.9	49.0	51.2	53.3
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3

Height and Weight Standards for Male Candidates for NDA (Army)

Height (cm)	Weight (kg) with respect to age (yrs)
	Minimum weight for all ages	Age: 17 to 20 yrs	Age: 20+01 day – 30 yrs	Age: 30 + 01 day – 40 yrs	Age: Above 40 yrs
140	35.3	43.1	45.1	47.0	49.0
141	35.8	43.7	45.7	47.7	49.7
142	36.3	44.4	46.4	48.4	50.4
143	36.8	45.0	47.0	49.1	51.1
144	37.3	45.6	47.7	49.8	51.8
145	37.8	46.3	48.4	50.5	52.6
146	38.4	46.9	49.0	51.2	53.3
147	38.9	47.5	49.7	51.9	54.0
148	39.4	48.2	50.4	52.6	54.8
149	40.0	48.8	51.1	53.3	55.5
150	40.5	49.5	51.8	54.0	56.3

Indian Navy: Height and Weight Standards for Male and Female candidates in Indian Navy

Height (In cms)	Weight (in kgs) for Different Age Groups
	20 years	18 years	16 years
152	46	45	44
155	47	46	45
157	49	47	46
160	50	48	47
162	52	50	48
165	53	52	50

Indian Air Force:  Height and Weight Standards for Male candidates in Indian Air Force

Height in cm	Weight in kg for Different Age Groups
	16-17 years	17-18 years	18-19 years
152	42.5	44.0	45.0
155	43.5	45.3	47.0
157	45.0	47.0	48.0
160	46.0	48.0	49.0
162	48.0	50.0	51.0
165	50.0	52.0	53.0

 

Height (in cm)	Age Range (in Years) / Weight (in Kgs)
	15-16	16-17	17-18	18-19
147	38	40	41	42
148	39	40	42	43
149	39	41	42	43
150	40	41	43	44
152	41	42.5	44	45
155	42	43.5	45.3	47
157	43	45	47	48
160	45	46.5	48	49

For NDA (joining Army)

• Acceptable variation is 10% on the upper side of average.
• Height might be relaxed by up to 2 cm if the Medical Board certifies that the candidate will develop and reach the requisite level upon completion of his training.
• Candidates from the Lakshadweep area are permitted a 2-centimetre height exemption.
• Female candidates must be 152 cm tall to join the armed services, while male candidates must be 157cm tall.
• Applicants from the North Eastern Hills of India, the Garhwal and Kumaon areas, and Gorkhas will be permitted to enter with a minimum height of 148 cm for females and 152 cm for males.
• Candidates under the age of 18 will be given a growth allowance of 02 cm.
• The candidate must be in good physical and mental health, free from illness, and without any disabilities.

For Navy

Aspirants who wish to join the Navy are required to fulfil the following requirements –

• Sitting Height: The minimum of 81.50 cm and the maximum is 96 cm
• Leg Length: The minimum of 99 cms and a maximum of 120 cm
• Thigh Length: Maximum of 64 cm

For Air Force

• The Flying Branch has minimal height criteria of 162.5 cm. 

• For Gorkhas, the minimum permissible height will be 5 cm less than the standard, and for people from Uttarakhand’s hilly regions and North-Eastern India, it is (152.5 cm). 
• The minimum permissible height for candidates from the Lakshadweep area can be less than 2 centimetres from the standard (155.5 cm).

How to prepare for NDA physical test?

NDA physical test is conducted to determine certain aspects of a candidate, such as strength, stamina, willpower, endurance, overall fitness, and other areas that are necessary during their training and day-to-day activities. 

candidates are advised to keep themselves in good shape to qualify for the physical fitness test in NDA. Many candidates might not have the required standards; therefore, they must work on reaching the standard criteria before the commencement of the physical fitness test.

How to meet the standard physical fitness requirement for NDA?

1. Running can be of great help. The candidates can start running daily for at least 2.5 kilometres. Also, the running should be timed by the candidate. For instance, NDA running time to run for 2.5 kilometres in 17-18 minutes. 
2. Candidates can practice skipping as a part of physical conditioning. A daily practice of 1 to 2 hours can be very effective in achieving the standard physical fitness requirements of NDA. Skipping enhances the capacity and strength of both your arms and legs.
3. Functional Training: Functional fitness is an integral part of the defence sector. This is because Functional training potentially provides enhanced physical and mental alertness in a changing operational environment. essential for NDA physical tests. Functional fitness helps to improve balance by boosting power, strength, flexibility, speed, endurance, agility and coordination.
4. There are different ways to enhance your overall functional fitness, but Push-ups and Sit-ups have proven to be very effective compared to other forms. Applicants must try at least 20 of each daily, and the number can be increased every five days based on improved endurance.
5. Candidates can also try 8-10 chin-ups every day. There are other formats of functional fitness, such as crunches, burpees, jumping jacks, etc. These exercises help significantly boost the stamina of the candidate.
6. For endurance building, candidates can practice stair climbing, chest touches, forward and reverse rolls, and rope climbing exercises, as they are quite effective in endurance building. Candidates can use 3 to 4 meters of rope for rope climbing. 

Candidates must be physically and mentally fit to qualify for NDA. Therefore, aspirants must check all the details of fitness requirements and ensure that they fall into the specified standard category. Hard work and perseverance can help candidates achieve their goal of working for the Defence sector.

Aspirants can check detailed NDA eligibility criteria in the linked article.

Related links:

NDA Notification	NDA Syllabus and exam pattern
NDA Salary	NDA Result
Competitive Exam Preparation Strategies