UPDATE - Tuesday, January 6, 2026

* Per the Secretary of War's guidance, the Spiritual Domain of H2F is under programmatic review. *
 

WHAT IS P3T?

The Army’s Pregnancy and Postpartum Performance Training (P3T) program provides safe, standardized physical training and education designed to enable pregnant and postpartum Soldiers to maintain their health and fitness.

 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been shown to especially benefit women during pregnancy and postpartum. Getting enough sleep, consistently participating in physical activity, eating a nutritious diet, and including stress management in your daily routine will help pregnant Soldiers maintain their health and fitness throughout their pregnancy and reduce physical discomforts. It is safe for Soldiers to continue or start most types of exercise during a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy. Physical activity does not increase risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, or premature delivery. The benefits of exercise during pregnancy include:

DECREASED RISK OF
PREGNANCY-RELATED
MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

 

REDUCED
BACK PAIN

 

HEALTHY WEIGHT
GAIN DURING
PREGNANCY AND
HEALTHY WEIGHT
LOSS AFTERWARDS

 

IMPROVED MAINTENANCE
OF OVERALL PHYSICAL
READINESS AND HEALTH

The postpartum component of P3T is designed to improve the readiness of postpartum Soldiers by focusing on regaining pre-pregnancy fitness levels for successful integration back to unit physical readiness training, with the goals of getting back to Army physical fitness and body composition standards within 365 days postpartum.

P3T POLICY

AR 350-1

    • Enrollment in the P3T Program is mandatory for all pregnant and postpartum Soldiers who do not elect delayed notification to Commanders.
    • Once profiled and enrolled, Soldiers will attend P3T as their place of duty in place of regular unit physical training for the duration of the pregnancy. During pregnancy and for 365 days after termination of pregnancy Soldiers are exempt from meeting AR 600-9 body composition standards.
    • Soldiers are required to participate in P3T for at least 180 days postpartum but are encouraged to participate for up to (but no more than) 365 days postpartum. If a Soldier requests to be disenrolled from P3T after 180 days postpartum, or in accordance with childbirth and perinatal loss guidance, they must do so in consultation with a health care provider and provide a signed medical release to the program lead. A Soldier may still elect to postpone record AFT and body composition assessments until 365 days postpartum. 


Army Directive 2025-02 (Parenthood, Pregnancy, and Postpartum) was published in February 2025 and incorporates evidence-based health and wellness guidance aimed at improving opportunities for Soldiers to advance their careers while providing the time and flexibility needed to care for growing families. The policy exempts pregnant and postpartum Soldiers from body composition standards and physical fitness testing for 365 days (12 months) after the conclusion of pregnancy (to include Soldiers who experience perinatal loss). Soldiers are also exempt from other regular unit physical readiness training requirements (such as diagnostic physical fitness tests, timed distance runs, timed distance ruck marches, and order of merit list (OML)-generating physical requirements).

P3T PROGRAM LEADER COURSE

 

The P3T Program Leader course is a train-the-trainer course that provides guidance to P3T Program Coordinators (PC), Medical Experts (ME), or Education Coordinators (EC) that have been designated to support their local P3T. The course covers the components required to establish and operate a consolidated P3T program for the installation, or a decentralized P3T program at the unit level. P3T Program Leaders learn how to lead P3T physical readiness training sessions, implement standardized instruction for training Exercise Leaders (ELs), provide safety recommendations for pregnant and postpartum Soldiers, support pregnant and postpartum Soldiers with resources and education, and collect and report program data to demonstrate utilization and outcomes. 

 

Prospective students can reach out via email to usarmy.jble.imt.mbx.p3t@army.mil for more information, including instructions for accessing the optional MS Teams P3T Program Leader course pre-read materials.

 


 

 

 

 

PREREQUISITES

COURSE DATES
AND LOCATIONS