FORCE Fitness Profile FAQs

The FORCE Fitness Profile currently serves as a tool to: 

• Demonstrate whether or not you meet Universality of Service (U of S), which is an age and sex free standard. 
• Inform you of your combined level of Operational and Health Related Fitness, based on your age and sex. 

Operational fitness predicts your ability to meet or exceed the minimal physical rigours of the military (Universality of Service). Your Operational fitness score is determined by converting your times on each of the four FORCE Evaluation tasks to a point scale. If you meet Universality of Service and are therefore operationally fit, you will plot above the black line which means you passed the FORCE Evaluation. If you do not meet Universality of Service, you will plot below the black line which means you failed the FORCE Evaluation and are not operationally fit. 

Health-Related fitness is the combination of your aerobic capacity (VO2max), which is derived from your FORCE Evaluation results and represents 75% of your Health-Related score, and your waist circumference, which represents 25% of your Health-Related score. These two values determine if you have low health-related fitness (orange zone), marginal health-related fitness (yellow zone), or high health-related fitness (green zone). 

There are no career sanctions related to your Health-related fitness. The Health-related fitness score is an indicator to you that you may be at increased risk of developing health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers. 

All CAF personnel are required to be operationally fit and as such must meet U of S, which is an age and sex free standard. U of S is represented by the horizontal black line on the FORCE Fitness Profile. 
 
By combining your scores for both Operational fitness and Health-related fitness, you will either plot in the orange, yellow, or green zone, or you will plot in the Incentive levels. Where you plot is based on your age and sex category. 

Based upon the results of over 35,000 FORCE Evaluations performed in the CAF, frequency distributions were produced by sex and 5-year age group. Within each group, age and sex-specific scoring tables were developed for each of the four FORCE Evaluation components, wherein each test element is scored on a scale of 100 points,for a total of 400 points on the overall test. 
 
It is important to note at this stage that although the incentive program structure was approved by Armed Forces Council (AFC) in February 2015, the logistics of assigning and administering rewards are currently being addressed by the Chief of Military Personnel within the CAF, and the rewards themselves could change prior to their scheduled implementation in April 2017. 
 
Starting in April 2017, participants who score above average on their Fitness Profile will be eligible for the Incentive Program. This motivational program is designed to recognize fitness in the CAF. 
 
The Incentive Program has four tiers: 

• Bronze: you have a result better than or equal to 50% of the CAF population in your respective age and sex group. 
• Silver: you have a result better than or equal to 84% of the CAF population in your respective age and sex group. 
• Gold: you have a result better than or equal to 98% of the CAF population in your respective age and sex group. 
• Platinum: you have a result better than or equal to 99.9% of the CAF population in your respective age and sex group. 

AFC directed the development of a promotion Selection Criteria (SCrit) scheme, based on the Incentive Program (bronze and above), to be used by promotion selection boards. FY 16/17 FORCE results will be used to assess different SCrit courses of action by Director General Military Careers, in order to determine the full impact of this initiative and provide a final recommendation to AFC in 2017. 

CAF leadership has not only a legal obligation to ensure that you can meet the demands of service and have a healthy career, but also a moral obligation to ensure your health and wellness extends into retirement. Your WC measurement provides an indication of abdominal fat, as well as  excess fat around the waist and upper body. The recommended measurements used ( < 102 cm for men and < 88 cm for women) are based on findings by the World Health Organization (WHO). Clinical evidence shows that the WC measurement is an accepted indicator of health risk, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and some cancers. We hope that educating and informing all CAF personnel of their risk levels and encouraging the CAF to adopt a healthy lifestyle will lead to a successful career and a long and healthy retirement. Please use the links below for more information: 

• Health Canada - Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults​ 
• The WHO Consultation on Obesity reported its findings in Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic  
• Link: Obesity in Canada Report​ from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Institute for Health Information. 

Yes. However, all the relevant research indicates that WC is the best ONE measurement you can take to assess anthropometrics for health reasons. Regardless of height, a WC near, at, or above 102 cm (40 in.) for men, and 88 cm (35 in.)  for women, is associated with an increased risk of developing health issues. Most health organizations have moved away from BMI measurements, as they only take into account one’s weight in relation to their height, and do not consider whether that weight is composed of fat or muscle. 

No. Where you plot on the x axis (Health-Related fitness) is based on your age and sex category. It is an estimation of your cardio-respiratory fitness (VO2max - which is derived from your FORCE Evaluation results, age, sex), and WC measurement. 

Yes. We are all certified by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) at various levels and as such are trained and qualified to measure your WC. 

No. Your WC only makes up 25% of the total equation. The other 75% of that equation comes from your predicted VO2max, which is based on your results of the four components of the FORCE Evaluation (performed to max). 

We have folding mats set up to form a barrier for your privacy. We can also offer you a private room and will ensure that one other person is in that room during the measurement at all times. You may also specifically request one of us to measure your WC, if that makes you feel more comfortable. 

If a CAF member does not get their WC measured, they will not plot on the FORCE Fitness Profile and as a result, will not be eligible for the FORCE Rewards Program. They will however be allowed to complete their evaluation but will only get information on whether or not they have met the Universality of Service (pass or fail). Since the results can’t be accounted for in the FORMeFIT Report, the CAF member’s CO will be informed of the situation. 

Large-scale epidemiology studies have shown that the health issues related to anthropometrics/body composition are mainly linked to the amount of fat which is stored around the abdominal organs.  A person’s height has no bearing on this relationship - height is a function of the length of your bones. Please use this link for more information. 

A recent Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) (ADM(RS)) audit of the CF Health and Physical Fitness Strategy (2008) highlighted the requirement for more robust performance measures and reporting mechanisms relating to health and fitness in the CAF.  The electronic Fitness Evaluation System addresses that requirement by providing CAF personnel with a Fitness Profile, and by providing an efficient means of tracking and reporting evaluation results. 
 
Determining where you plot on the Fitness Profile involves complex calculations that are quite tedious to complete with pen and paper. The Fitness Evaluation System completes these calculations for us and as such proves useful to the CAF in several ways: 

• CAF personnel have a better understanding of their own fitness level, and will be empowered to take actions to address issues where they may exist. 
• FORCE Evaluators have a better basis from which to direct CAF personnel to resources to assist in increasing their fitness (e.g., Health Promotion, fitness classes, DFIT.ca, etc.). 
• Results are automatically transmitted to the Human Resource Management System (HRMS), which takes away the need for paper filing, providing PSP fitness staff the ability to put more focus into programming. 

Everyone in the CAF will have a Fitness Profile, regardless of if they were evaluated with the Fitness Evaluation Sytstem or not. You can see where you plot on the Fitness Profile by inputting your FORCE Evaluation results along with your age, sex, and waist circumference into the Fitness Profile Calculator which is accessible from DFit.ca. 

Immediately after your evaluation, local PSP will receive a confirmation within the Fitness Evaluation System that results have been successfully uploaded to HRMS. All results should be visible in HRMS within 24 to 48 hours. In the event that results do not get uploaded to HRMS, the Fitness Evaluation System will display those that were not sent. PSP will reattempt the upload and if that fails, they will contact HQ Admin or [email protected]. 

You'll be able to verify that your evaluation has been uploaded to HRMS by accessing your Employee Member Access Application (EMAA) account, your Member’s Personal Record Resume (MPRR), or by accessing HRMS directly. 

If you do not see your results in HRMS within 5 business days, contact your local PSP Fitness Staff no later than 30 days after your evaluation. If the problem persists, please contact HQ Admin or email [email protected].