ACFT For Dummies. Angela Papple Johnston
The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the official test of record for American soldiers all over the world, and like all the moving parts in the Army, it’s governed by its fair share of field manuals, technical manuals, and Army regulations. When you’re training for the ACFT, you need the right equipment, but don’t sweat it, because your on-post fitness centers and your unit are supposed to have it on hand. Your unit needs special equipment to administer the test, too, which I cover later in this chapter.
With gender- and age-neutral scoring requirements, every soldier is required to meet the same scoring standard. The six-event ACFT covers it all: muscular strength and endurance, balance, agility, cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic endurance, and range of motion. Unlike the old APFT, you can’t just show up on test day and expect to perform well. This one requires plenty of preparation because it’s about functional fitness — not just push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run.
Reading Up on the Army’s Resources and Requirements for the ACFT
The Army has a variety of rules for both you and the test site on the big day. The following sections break down some of these requirements.
Checking out Army regs and training resources
Soldiers are still subject to AR 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness; AR 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia (the APFU is the only authorized uniform for the ACFT, in case you were wondering whether you can wear yoga pants); AR 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development; and AR 600-9, The Army Weight Control Program.
Field Manual 7-22, Holistic Health and Fitness, is the Army’s newest training resource to prep soldiers for the ACFT. Additionally, CALL Publication 20-09 goes into detail about the test itself, ATP 7-22.01 regulates testing, ATP 7-22.02 covers conditioning and training drills, and the Army set up a special webpage to address ACFT basics at www.army.mil/acft.
Surveying site and equipment requirements
The Army is very specific about the type of PT field units can use to conduct the ACFT. It has to be a flat field space approximately 40 meters by 40 meters, and it should be well-maintained and cut grass or artificial turf that’s generally flat and free from debris. Check out Chapter 3 for more information on the ACFT field’s required setup. For the Two-Mile Run course, the start and finish point must be close to the Leg Tuck station. The Sprint-Drag-Carry can be performed on properly maintained grass or artificial turf with a standard 90-pound nylon sled, or it can be performed on wood, packed dirt, vinyl, or smooth concrete with a 180-pound nylon sled. You can’t perform the SDC on unimproved dirt, gravel, rubberized floors, ice, or snow.
When the field is sorted out, units can only administer the ACFT with specific equipment. In addition to a measuring pointer, cones for marking lanes and distance, stopwatches, and an outdoor timing clock, these are the major equipment components for the ACFT, which I cover in greater detail in Chapter 3:
Hex bars
Bumper plates
Sled with pull strap
10-pound medicine ball
40-pound kettlebells
Metric measuring tape
Climbing bars or a climbing pod
Each unit should have the right equipment for modified ACFTs, too, which I cover in the “Biking, Rowing, or Swimming Your Way through the Alternate Events” section of this chapter. The stationary bike must feature adjustable handlebars and an adjustable seat, as well as an accurate odometer. The rower must be stationary and feature a seat, handles, and rail that can accommodate soldiers of different sizes. It has to have an accurate odometer that measures time, distance, and resistance level.
Getting used to gender- and age-neutral scoring requirements
No matter who you are or where you are in your military career, you’re held to the same ACFT standards as every other soldier in your military occupational specialty. The ACFT has gender- and age-neutral scoring requirements, which means females and males must achieve the same minimum scores on the test (although the test does have three physical demand categories that apply to different MOSs, which I cover in Chapter 4). Whether you’re an enlisted soldier, a warrant officer, or a commissioned officer, you have to meet the same standards as your peers across the board, based on your job.
Diagnostic ACFTs versus record ACFTs: Pinning down test frequency
The Army’s policies on taking the ACFT are considered “living documents,” which means the higher-ups can change them as necessary. Because the test is new in the grand scheme of things — the APFT dominated physical fitness for four decades — the frequency of testing may change. As of this writing, the Army expects the administration part of the ACFT to be very similar to the APFT. That means your unit can schedule a test at any time.
WHAT ABOUT THE OPAT?
If you joined the Army within the last few years, you’ve probably taken an Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT. All recruits take it to see whether they’re fit to fight in certain MOSs, and even some soldiers who reclass to a different MOS are required to take it. The OPAT is entirely separate from the ACFT, but it does have some similarities. The OPAT has four physical demand categories: Heavy, Significant, Moderate, and Unqualified. (Soldiers who are reclassing to an MOS with a higher physical demand category than the one they currently have must take the test.) The OPAT requires soldiers to perform a standing long jump, a seated power throw, a strength deadlift, and an interval aerobic run. So what happens if someone fails the OPAT? If the recruit or soldier can’t eventually pass, recruiters and retention personnel may be able to renegotiate to allow him or her to enter an MOS with a lower physical demand category.
AR 350-1 says, “Commanders may administer the APFT as often as they wish; however, they must