What he heard from past recruits did not help either. “The stories my relatives told me were scary. They shared stories about screwing up and getting punished,” he says.
Six months before his enlistment, he decided to do something about his physical fitness. “I knew that if I didn’t prepare myself, I would suffer,” he says.
He picked up running and started going to the gym. He also changed his diet, avoiding sweet food and carbs.
His efforts worked. By the time he was due to enlist, his weight was down to 76kg, which put him in the overweight range. But he did not take the IPPT, or the Individual Physical Proficiency Test, before enlistment, as he reckoned he would not have passed it anyway.
On Aug 13, he joined several hundred recruits at Pasir Ris Bus Interchange to board the shuttle bus that would take him to SAF Ferry Terminal in Changi. From there, he took the ferry to the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong, embarking on the rite of passage that all Singaporean men go through.
Without an IPPT pass, he is among a few thousand pre-enlistees who had to do an additional eight weeks of physical training to improve their fitness. Pre-enlistees undergo medical checks and tests before enlistment to determine their NS training and vocation.
Every year, some 15,000 to 20,000 recruits enlist in NS. MINDEF declined to give the percentage of each cohort who fail or do not do the IPPT.
“I do feel jealous that my peers need to serve just nine weeks of BMT, but I’m not sure how to improve my fitness. So, as long as I improve, I’m fine with the extra weeks,” says Mr Goh.
To be exempted from this additional eight-week Physical Training Phase (PTP), pre-enlistees graded PES A or B1 – which refers to the Physical Employment Standard suitable for combat vocations – are required to attain 61 points or more from their three IPPT stations. They need a minimum of one point each from push-ups, sit-ups and the 2.4km run.
The early days
Mr Haravin Shaun Sivakumar had another worry apart from fitness: adapting to military life.
The 20-year-old, who graduated with a diploma in biomedical science from Singapore Polytechnic in 2025, put off shaving his head for as long as he could. He was among the minority of fresh recruits who arrived on Pulau Tekong with a full head of hair.
“I wanted to keep my hair for a few more days,” says the former school hockey player, who fell sick on the day of the IPPT and did not take the test before enlistment. He came down with a cough soon after enlistment and missed the first test in camp.
Although he played hockey regularly, he found the first few weeks on Pulau Tekong, especially the strength training drills, challenging. Most dreaded were push-ups.
Strength training includes circuit training and IPPT skills training. There are callisthenics, which require using an individual’s own body weight as the primary source of resistance. There are also dumbbell and medicine ball drills involving weights to develop strength.
“I’m not someone who does a lot of physical training constantly. There were moments when I felt ‘maybe I’m not cut out for this’ and I didn’t want to do it any more,” he says.
The days felt long, especially at the start.
Lights out was at 10.30pm and reveille, or the signal to wake up, was at 5.30am, which he found hard to adjust to.
“I used to go to sleep only at 5am, playing video games or staying up with my friends,” he recounts.
Physical exhaustion aside, the most challenging aspect was having his freedom curtailed and being inducted into the military way of life.
“It’s a sudden change compared with civilian life and I underestimated how much of an adjustment this would be,” he says.
This meant fixed times for meals, training and rest. “At home, I eat whenever I want, and I took that for granted. It is a luxury to be able to walk around to buy your own drink and food,” he adds.
But by the fourth week, he found himself getting stronger, not just physically but also mentally.
“During tough moments in BMT, I tell myself, ‘This, too, shall pass.’ The mental state is the biggest power, to keep pushing forward during difficult times,” he says.
Training safety and recruit well-being
Mr Aniq Afhami Hamir fainted three times the year before he enlisted.
Subsequent medical checks cleared him for NS, but he overslept on the day he was supposed to take his pre-enlistment IPPT.
The fitness buff, who does weight training at home, decided to do the eight extra weeks of training rather than reschedule the IPPT.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I have more time to train and get to know the others, and it’s not so rushed,” says the 22-year-old. He dropped out of a marine engineering diploma course in 2025 and took up gig work before he enlisted.
He has been doing callisthenics exercises almost every day over the last two years, but his mother had concerns because of his fainting episodes. She was glad he was given a smartwatch to track his heart rate during training.
In recent years, MINDEF has adopted data-driven, science-based training approaches to strengthen the physical fitness of recruits. Wearable technology like smartwatches allow training to be customised.
For instance, the metabolic circuit training incorporates heart rate zone training principles, where recruits use the smartwatch to monitor their own physiological metrics, so they can aim for fitness outcomes based on existing abilities.
“I told my mum I would check my heart rate so she didn’t have to worry,” he says.
His biggest concern was making friends because, at 22, he was older than many others.
He was picked to be Song IC, tasked to lead his platoon in cheers and songs.
“At the start, I thought having to lead the whole platoon to sing was scary. Now, no one can do it better than me. I have the loudest voice,” he says with a grin, four weeks into his enlistment.
With his fitness, he also leads by example. He passed his first IPPT less than two weeks after enlistment, performing best in his company with 70 push-ups.
The highlight for him was rallying everyone through the IPPT. “The best moment was during IPPT when I could see everyone trying. I motivated the rest and said: If I pass, so can you all,” he says.
His concerns about getting along with younger bunkmates proved unfounded. “It’s been quite good, we all have the same kind of humour. Imagine if I didn’t get along with them. Living together every day would be dreadful,” he says.
A month into enlistment, he is aiming to be the best recruit and to go on to Command School. He is even thinking of signing on as an army regular.
Adapting to cookhouse food
Mr Connor Francis Foster, 18, was nervous about army food as he is a fussy eater who dislikes vegetables.
The only son of a Singaporean mum and British dad, who is a Singapore permanent resident, he was born in Singapore and lived in Hong Kong for a few years. He returned to Singapore in 2017 and graduated from Dover Court International School.
He eats vegetables such as corn and potato, but not leafy green ones.
He has been eating mostly meat and rice for his meals, prepared by NTUC FoodFare, which is in charge of supplying all Pulau Tekong cookhouses.
“I can survive, but over time, it gets kind of boring. So, recently, I’ve been taking those chilli packets to add a variety of taste and it’s helped,” he says. “Sometimes, if I’m really hungry, I’ll take some vegetables. But otherwise, I stick to meat and rice.”
Two months in, he says he is used to army food. “Some days, there’s very nice food. I’m still picky, but not as much,” he says.
Food aside, adjusting to life on Pulau Tekong has been easier than expected.
Without a helper at home, he is used to making his bed and helping his mum with chores such as mopping the floor.
He was initially worried about bunk living with others, as he was not completely familiar with local culture.
“Being around Singaporeans was new to me. At first, I felt like an outsider. But now, I’m more relaxed and enjoy myself. I go with my bunkmates to eat at the hawker centre when we book out,” he says.
Having played rugby in school and dabbled in mixed martial arts, he is fit but missed his pre-enlistment IPPT because of a scheduling conflict. He passed his first IPPT less than two weeks after enlistment.
The best moment for him came three weeks after enlistment, when he was presented with his rifle. “When I first held the rifle, it was nerve-racking. It’s a big responsibility,” he says.
He sees NS as a chance to improve his fitness and gain as much military experience as he can.
“In the international school, we had to make sure our shoes were polished and uniforms tucked in. But here, everything is much more dialled up and intense,” he reflects.
Looking ahead
Six weeks after enlistment, Mr Goh, now 75kg, finally passed his IPPT.
“Seeing my fitness improve from Day One means a lot to me and makes me really happy,” he says.
He no longer feels negative about NS. “I’ve hated running since a young age and would always stop after running for a while. Now, I’m able to complete all the running exercises without stopping.”
The physical training phase was not as bad as he imagined. “My experience here has been memorable and even fun. So, it’s different from the stories I’ve heard,” he says.
He is excited – if a tad nervous – about the next training phase, which is nine weeks of BMT where recruits learn basic military skills and weapon handling.
“I am looking forward to live firing, but also worried about outfield because I’m not an outdoor or sporty person,” he says.
On the other hand, Mr Aniq loves the outdoors and is enthusiastic about the upcoming field camp, which will happen midway through BMT.
“People don’t like outfield. But being out in the jungle for five days will be tiring, but also fun for me,” he says.
As for Mr Haravin, eight weeks on, he is looking forward to passing his IPPT. Push-ups still stumble him. “I’ve been giving my all and trying to push myself and not give up,” he says.
Mr Foster adds: “Even though the commanders are easy on us for the first few weeks, I know from here, it is only going to get harder.”
The Sunday Times team visited Pulau Tekong 10 times over the course of four months to produce this story. Click here for Part 2 of The BMT Journey to follow the four recruits through their nine-week basic military training, featuring live firing exercises, field camp and a route march.