Tag Archives: ACFT

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Missing the Forest for the Trees

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Professional journals, news articles and opinion blogs are rife with both praise and criticism for the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).  While supporters laud the ACFT for its comprehensive assessment of multiple fitness domains and its foundation in the physical demands of combat, critics decry logistical and equipment challenges, controversial scoring standards, and the potential for increased injury rates.  Broad consensus regarding the ACFT’s efficacy is further complicated by the congressional halt of full-scale implementation as the test undergoes a third-party review.  Regardless of the merits and drawbacks of the ACFT, it is but a single piece in a much larger investment in how we understand, assess, and improve the health and fitness of the force. Specifically, this broader and more fundamental policy shift is the implementation of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system.

Army Spc. Kiana Malbas participates in an Army Combat Fitness Test at the University of California, Los Angeles, July 17, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Oposnow)

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BCAP, AIM, and now the DA Photo?…Oh My!

Focusing on Constants in a Time of Change

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The Army zeitgeist in 2019, and into the foreseeable, future is change. The Chief of Staff of the Army is not shy about how his past assignments influence his current vision. He assembled an entire Army Talent Management Task Force under a 2-Star General–Maj. Gen. McGee–to lead the effort. In 2019, the force experienced a new, interactive marketplace to match officers and open assignments. Eager majors and lieutenant colonels participated in an NFL Combine-type event (BCAP) to determine who will command at the O-5 level. And units across the Army started gearing up, literally, for a new Army Combat Fitness Test. Some are even calling to get rid of the DA Photo! How are we to interpret these changes? Here are a few constants from my foxhole.

Soldiers from 1-21 Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division conduct platoon live fires to simulate realistic training, Hawaii, Jan. 15, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Geoffrey Cooper)
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ACFT Training on a Budget

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The countdown to the Army-wide adoption of the ACFT as the official test of physical fitness has begun, but your unit’s ACFT equipment still isn’t here…or maybe there isn’t enough to go around. Whatever the case, you have to start training for the ACFT or risk getting left behind. So what do you do? Well, you can hope for the best and continue doing pushup/situp drills or you can get creative. Below, I’ve listed a few ideas for how to workout, without. Some ideas involve nothing more than the ground or a pullup bar, and some involve a little arts and crafts. But hey, that beats waiting in line at the gym for those kettlebells, right?

The top command sergeants major from across the U.S. Army Reserve perform the leg tuck for a practice Army Combat Fitness Test at Fort Eustis, Va., Oct. 25, 2019, during the Army Reserve Senior Enlisted Council. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)
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ACFT Calculator & Tracker

A New Systems Tool on The Rucksack

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With the introduction of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), tracking the performance of our soldiers has become even more important in tailoring our unit physical training plans.  With proper analysis we will be able to identify weak spots in our PT plans and strengthen them.  Although this was possible with the APFT, with only three events, it was harder to identify trends.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Daniel R. Walrath, commanding general of U.S. Army South, performs the three repetition maximum deadlift during an Army Combat Fitness Test on Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Jan. 24, 2021. The Army Combat Fitness Test will better connect fitness with combat readiness for all Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joshua Taeckens)
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Coming to a Company Near You

A TDG for Administering the ACFT

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Much has been said about the Army’s new fitness test. The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the replacement for the Army Physical Fitness Test, and there are no shortage of opinions on it. Just take a look here, here, or here. Even Business Insider is getting in on the fun. But, barring slight changes from the ongoing field testing, it looks like the ACFT will be coming to a company near you in the near future. So let’s prepare for it. You’ve read the ACFT handbook (TRADOC 18-37); consulted the dietician, physical therapist, and strength & conditioning (S&C) coach assigned to your battalion; and integrated exercises and recommendations into your unit’s health and fitness program. With all that preparation complete, how would you plan a company-level execution of the new ACFT? What does that day look like?

A Soldier with the Washington National Guard positions a 10-pound medicine ball as part of the standing power throw test event during a pilot Army Combat Readiness Test Aug. 4, 2017, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. (Stephanie Slater/Army). Retrieved from Army Times.