Beginning next year, the Navy will relax the body fat standards of its physical fitness assessment (PFA). To compensate for this adjustment, however, it will also decrease the number of attempts servicemen have to pass their PFA.

The Navy announced that it would reform the infamous tape test and loosen body fat requirements back in May. Using the neck-waist tape test to measure specific height and weight thresholds, the Navy found, was an inaccurate way to determine a sailor’s level of fitness. After all, a muscular sailor who is five feet tall could fail the tape test while a weaker, yet taller sailor could comfortably pass.

Starting January, the tape test will only measure the waist for male sailors and the waist and hips for female sailors.

A sailor can scrape by with higher body fat content, but they can be booted from service with two PFA failures in three years. After the first failure, the sailor will be enrolled in a remedial exercise and nutrition program. After the second failure in a three year period, the sailor will be dismissed. The goal is to promote year-round fitness and decrease the amount of sailors dismissed every year for failing their PFA.