No Prior Military Service

• If you have no prior military service and are interested in joining the Air Force Reserve, you must be at least 17 years old and no older than 34. The Air Force Reserve also requires new entrants to be of good character and strong physical health. This means you should not have a criminal record and should be in reasonably good shape. The Air Force has weight requirements that are proportional to varying heights. A 6-foot man, for example, should weigh no more than 202 pounds. The Air Force Reserve's weight requirements apply to men and women.
  
  In addition, you should complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. This is a set of academic and psychological assessments. Among other things, ASVAB results can help you identify a military occupational specialty.
  
  

Prior Military Service

• If you have previously served in any branch of the U.S. military, the age requirement for joining the Air Force Reserve differs from that for men and women with no military experience. Men and women with prior military service can join the Air Force Reserve if their adjusted age is less than 40 years. To determine your adjusted age, take your actual age in years and subtract your military service credit. For example, a 43-year-old man with 8 years of prior military service would have an adjusted age of 35, making him eligible for service in the Air Force Reserve.
  
  

Basic Training

• If the Air Force Reserve is your first exposure to military life, you must complete the Air Force's basic training program. Basic training is a rigorous, eight-week course of physical training, as well as instruction in Air Force culture, at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Reservists with prior military experience are not required to complete basic training.
  
  

Fitness Standards

• To successfully complete basic training, male Air Force Reserve members must be able to run 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes, and complete 45 push-ups and 50 sit-ups. Female reservists must run 1.5 miles in less than 14 minutes, as well as complete 27 push-ups and 50 sit-ups.
  
  

Considerations

• The Air Force advises men and women who wish to join the Air Force Reserve and have not served in the military to get in shape for basic training by starting an exercise regimen at least six weeks before starting basic training. They should exercise at least three to five times a week to get in shape.