ARLINGTON, Va. — Sailors can now use an exercise bike instead of running 1.5 miles as part of their Physical Readiness Tests, the Navy has announced.

The move comes after the Navy announced last year that sailors could use elliptical trainers in lieu of the run portion of the PRT.

The exact models of the exercise bike and elliptical trainer approved for the test are spelled out in NAVADMIN (Navy Administrative Message) 011/07.

The exercise bike will give another option for sailors at sea, who don’t have the room to practice running for the PRT, and sailors with medical issues, such as knee surgery, said Heather Pouncey, director of the Navy Physical Readiness Program.

Pouncey noted that sailors who pass the running portion of the PRT using the exercise bike will still face the rest of the test, including push-ups, curl-ups and sit-reaches.

With both the exercise and elliptical trainers, sailors will have 12 minutes to burn off as many calories as possible, said Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Finlayson, program manager for physiology and fitness.

Once sailors complete the allotted time, a command fitness leader will calculate how long it would have taken them to burn off the same amount of calories by running, Finlayson said.

To find out what running times are acceptable to pass the PRT, go to OPNAV Instruction 6110.1H, available at: www.npc.navy.mil/Com mandSupport/PhysicalReadiness/

The site also offers a calculator for sailors practicing on the bike or elliptical trainer to determine their run scores.

Sailors who use the bike will have their body-fat content measured 24 to 30 hours before the test, as opposed to between 24 hours and 10 days before the test if they run, Finlayson said.

As with the elliptical, sailors must get their commanders’ permission to use the bike in lieu of running for their PRT, and they must practice on the bike before they take the test itself, officials said.

For more information, go to: www.npc.navy.mil