INTRODUCATION

What is ACFT? If you’ve been around the Army anytime in the past few years, you’ve heard people talking about the ACFT—some praising it, others complaining about it, most just trying to figure out how to pass it. The Army Combat Fitness Test isn’t just another fitness assessment that the Army dreamed up to make soldiers’ lives harder. It represents a fundamental shift in how the military thinks about physical readiness and what actually prepares soldiers for the demands they’ll face.
I’ve watched this test evolve from its early rollout through various adjustments and implementations. I’ve seen soldiers struggle with it, excel at it, and everything in between. What’s become clear is that the ACFT measures something genuinely different from what the old APFT tested, and understanding those differences helps you appreciate why this change happened and what it means for military fitness.

Let me break down everything you need to know about the ACFT—not just the basic facts, but the real story behind why it exists and what it’s actually measuring.

The Real Story Behind Why the Army Needed a New Fitness Test

For decades, the Army Physical Fitness Test served as the standard for measuring soldier fitness. It was simple, easy to administer, and everyone knew exactly what to expect: push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run. You could argue it worked well enough for what it was designed to do.

But here’s the problem that gradually became impossible to ignore. During operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army medical personnel started noticing a troubling pattern in their casualty data. A huge percentage of soldiers being evacuated from theater weren’t being injured by enemy action. They were breaking down physically from the demands of modern combat operations.

We’re talking about musculoskeletal injuries from carrying heavy loads day after day, joint problems from long dismounted patrols in full gear, back injuries from lifting equipment or moving casualties, and overuse injuries from the repetitive stress of combat operations. These injuries weren’t happening because soldiers were weak or unfit according to APFT standards—many of these soldiers could max the APFT without breaking a sweat.

The issue was that the APFT measured a narrow slice of fitness that didn’t actually correlate well with the physical demands soldiers faced in combat. Being able to run a fast two-mile and crank out 80 push-ups doesn’t necessarily mean you can safely deadlift heavy equipment, drag a casualty to safety, or carry ammunition cans while sprinting between positions.

Army leadership looked at this data and realized they had a fundamental mismatch. The fitness test was measuring one set of qualities, but combat demanded a different, broader set of capabilities. Soldiers needed to be stronger, more powerful, more functionally capable across multiple physical domains—not just good at cardiovascular endurance and bodyweight exercises.

That realization drove the development of what eventually became the ACFT. The goal wasn’t to make fitness testing harder for the sake of being harder. The goal was to create a test that actually measured the physical qualities soldiers needed to survive and succeed in combat while reducing the injury rates that were pulling soldiers out of the fight.

Understanding What Physical Qualities Actually Matter in Combat

To appreciate why the ACFT looks the way it does, you need to understand what modern combat actually demands from soldiers physically. This isn’t about running marathons or benching massive weight—it’s about functional capability across multiple domains.

Muscular strength forms the foundation of almost everything soldiers do. You need raw strength to lift heavy equipment, move obstacles, carry gear, handle weapons systems, and perform casualty evacuation. Without adequate strength, soldiers are more likely to get injured and less capable of performing essential tasks under pressure.

Explosive power matters for movements that happen quickly under stress. Jumping over barriers, rapidly changing position, generating force quickly when needed—these all require the ability to produce maximum force in minimum time. Combat doesn’t give you the luxury of slowly building up to a movement.

Muscular endurance determines how long you can sustain repeated efforts. Can you perform push-ups, lifts, or carries repeatedly over time? Can you maintain capability during extended operations? Endurance in specific muscle groups affects your ability to keep fighting when missions extend beyond initial expectations.

Anaerobic capacity governs your performance during intense bursts of activity. Sprinting between positions, engaging in close combat, rapidly moving under fire—these activities rely on your anaerobic energy systems. You need to be able to go all-out for short periods, recover quickly, and do it again.

Aerobic endurance still matters for sustained operations. Long foot patrols, ruck marches, multi-day operations—these depend on your cardiovascular fitness. While the old APFT overemphasized this quality relative to others, it remains important for overall soldier capability.

Core stability ties everything together. Your core stabilizes your spine under load, transfers force between your upper and lower body, and protects you from injury during dynamic movements. Nearly every combat task depends on core strength to some degree.

The ACFT was specifically designed to test all six of these qualities rather than just focusing on two or three like the APFT did. Each event targets one or more of these domains, giving a comprehensive picture of a soldier’s overall functional fitness.

Breaking Down the Six Events and What They Actually Test

The ACFT consists of six distinct events performed in a specific order. Each one measures different capabilities, and together they create a comprehensive assessment of combat-relevant fitness.

The Three-Repetition Maximum Deadlift Opens the Test

The ACFT starts with the deadlift, which might seem unusual if you’re used to fitness tests that begin with lighter warm-up activities. But starting with a maximum strength effort when soldiers are fresh makes sense—you want to measure true strength capacity, not strength while fatigued.

Soldiers perform three consecutive deadlift repetitions using a hexagonal trap bar loaded with weight they select. The trap bar design is safer for most people compared to conventional barbells and allows them to lift more weight, which better measures their true strength capacity.

Weight options typically range from 140 pounds up to 340 pounds, though the exact range can vary. Soldiers choose their attempt weight, and they get one shot at completing three clean reps. Choose too light and you’re leaving points on the table. Choose too heavy and you might fail to complete all three reps, which seriously hurts your score.

This event measures primarily lower body and posterior chain strength—hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and core. But it’s really a total body exercise that requires grip strength, upper back stability, and coordinated full-body effort.

The combat relevance is obvious once you think about it. Soldiers constantly need to lift heavy objects from the ground: ammunition cans, equipment cases, rucksacks, even injured personnel. The deadlift directly measures your capacity to perform these essential tasks safely and effectively.

Stronger soldiers can handle heavier loads with less injury risk. They can assist teammates more effectively. They can sustain operations that require repeated lifting without breaking down. The deadlift isn’t just an arbitrary strength test—it measures functional capability that directly impacts mission success.

The Standing Power Throw Tests Explosive Capability

Immediately after the deadlift, soldiers move to the standing power throw. This event uses a 10-pound medicine ball that soldiers throw backward over their head for maximum distance.

Ten pounds might not sound heavy after just deadlifting several hundred pounds, but generating maximum throwing distance requires explosive power, not just strength. This tests your ability to produce force rapidly through a coordinated full-body movement.

Technique matters enormously here. The throw begins with the ball held in front of you, arms extended. You swing it down between your legs while loading your hips back, then explosively extend through your entire body—ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders, arms—releasing the ball at roughly a 45-degree angle for maximum distance.

Your feet must stay planted throughout the throw, which is harder than it sounds. The natural impulse is to step or jump forward to generate more power, but that invalidates the attempt. Learning to produce maximum power while keeping your feet grounded requires practice.

You get two attempts, and your best throw counts. Most soldiers see improvement from their first to second throw as they adjust to the movement and shake off any nervousness.

This event measures explosive power through hip extension and full-body coordination. In combat terms, this translates to jumping capability, rapid lifting, explosive position changes, and any movement requiring maximum force production in minimal time.

Soldiers with better explosive power can react faster to threats, move more dynamically in complex terrain, and generate force quickly when situations demand immediate action. It’s a quality that’s hard to measure with traditional fitness tests but matters immensely in actual combat.

Hand-Release Push-Ups Measure Upper Body Endurance

The third event tests upper body muscular endurance through hand-release push-ups. This isn’t just about cranking out as many push-ups as possible—the hand-release component ensures quality and full range of motion on every single rep.

Soldiers have two minutes to complete as many proper hand-release push-ups as they can. Each rep requires lowering your entire body until your chest and hips contact the ground simultaneously, lifting both hands completely off the floor, then pushing back up to full arm extension.

The hand-release requirement eliminates partial reps and ensures everyone is held to the same standard. You can’t cheat the depth or bounce off the ground to make reps easier. Every rep goes through the complete range of motion or it doesn’t count.

Pacing strategy makes a huge difference over two minutes. Most soldiers who struggle with this event make the mistake of starting too fast, burning out after 45 seconds, and then barely completing any additional reps. A more sustainable pace throughout the two minutes typically produces higher total scores.

This event measures upper body pressing endurance—chest, shoulders, and triceps primarily, with significant core stability demands to maintain proper body position throughout. In combat, this translates to pushing heavy objects, climbing over obstacles, maintaining weapon positions for extended periods, and rapidly changing body positions during operations.

The endurance component matters because combat doesn’t give you unlimited rest between efforts. You might need to perform multiple demanding upper body tasks with minimal recovery. This event tests whether your upper body can sustain repeated efforts over time.

Sprint-Drag-Carry Creates Controlled Chaos

The fourth event is where things get really intense. The sprint-drag-carry combines five different movements into one continuous test of anaerobic capacity, strength under fatigue, and ability to transition between different task demands.

You work on a 25-meter lane marked with lines at each end. The complete sequence involves sprinting down and back (50 meters total), dragging a 90-pound sled down and back, performing lateral shuffles down and back, carrying two 40-pound kettlebells down and back, and finishing with a final sprint down and back.

That’s 250 meters of total distance, but the varying movement patterns and resistance make it far more challenging than a simple 250-meter sprint. You’re moving as fast as possible throughout, with no scheduled rest between the five different tasks.

Most soldiers complete this event somewhere between 90 seconds and 3 minutes, though times vary widely based on fitness level and body size. Elite performers might finish in under 90 seconds, while soldiers still building fitness might take three minutes or longer.

Each segment tests different capabilities. The sprints measure top-end speed and acceleration. The sled drag tests your ability to move heavy resistance quickly using leg drive and back strength. The lateral shuffles assess agility and ability to move efficiently in directions other than straight ahead. The kettlebell carry tests grip strength and ability to move quickly while loaded. The final sprint measures whether you can still run fast while heavily fatigued from the previous segments.

Combat relevance is perhaps more obvious in this event than any other. The SDC directly simulates the chaos of combat movement—sprinting between positions, dragging casualties, carrying ammunition or equipment, rapid direction changes, all performed under time pressure and mounting fatigue.

Soldiers who excel at the SDC can sustain high-intensity efforts, recover quickly, and perform multiple different tasks in rapid succession. These are exactly the qualities needed when combat situations demand immediate action across varying physical demands.

The Plank Tests Core Endurance Under Fatigue

After the brutally demanding sprint-drag-carry, soldiers move into the plank hold. This might seem like a relief after the previous event, but holding a quality plank position while already fatigued presents unique challenges.

The plank measures core endurance and stability. Soldiers hold a forearm plank position—supported on forearms and toes, body forming a straight line from head to heels—for as long as possible up to a maximum time limit.

Form standards must be maintained continuously. Hips can’t sag down or pike up. Head stays in neutral position. Elbows stay directly under shoulders. If form breaks and you can’t immediately correct it, the test stops.

The Army initially planned to use the leg tuck as the primary core event but switched to the plank after implementation challenges. The plank is more accessible to soldiers of all body types while still effectively measuring core endurance, which is what actually matters for combat tasks.

Core strength and endurance affect virtually everything soldiers do. Your core stabilizes your spine when carrying heavy loads, transfers force during dynamic movements, protects your lower back from injury, and maintains posture during extended operations. Soldiers with weak cores are more injury-prone and less capable overall.

The mental challenge often exceeds the physical challenge during the plank. Holding position for multiple minutes while your core burns requires mental toughness and the ability to push through significant discomfort. This mental element actually makes it a better test of combat-relevant qualities than many people realize.

The Two-Mile Run Concludes the Assessment

The ACFT finishes with a two-mile run, the one event carried over from the old APFT. But unlike the APFT where you ran fresh, the ACFT has you run after completing five other demanding events over the past 45 to 60 minutes.

Running while pre-fatigued better simulates combat conditions where you might need to cover distance after already being physically taxed by other activities. Your cardiovascular system has to perform when you’re not fresh and your legs are already tired from deadlifts, sprints, drags, and carries.

This event measures aerobic endurance, which remains important despite the ACFT’s increased emphasis on strength and power. Long foot patrols, ruck marches, sustained operations—all depend on cardiovascular fitness. Soldiers still need a strong aerobic base to sustain multi-day operations and recover effectively between high-intensity efforts.

The challenge is managing pace and mindset when you’re starting from a place of fatigue. Smart pacing strategy and mental toughness often matter as much as pure running fitness during this final event.

How Scoring Actually Works and What It Means

Each of the six events is scored individually on a scale from 0 to 100 points. Your total ACFT score is the sum of your six event scores, with a maximum possible score of 600 points.

To pass the ACFT, you must achieve the minimum standard on every single event. You can’t compensate for failure in one event by excelling in others—you either meet the minimum on all six or you fail the entire test.

The minimum passing total score is 360 points, which averages out to 60 points per event. However, since you must pass each individual event, you can’t just score 60 across the board and call it good. You need to meet the specific minimum standard for each event, which varies based on your age and gender.

Score standards are scaled by age group to account for natural physiological changes as people get older. A 22-year-old and a 45-year-old aren’t held to identical performance standards—the older soldier has slightly more generous scoring while still being held to rigorous standards for their age group.

Recent iterations of the ACFT also incorporate gender-specific scoring standards, which was a significant change from the initial vision of a completely gender-neutral test. The reality of physiological differences between men and women led to adjusted standards that maintain high fitness requirements while being appropriate for each group.

Some military occupational specialties have additional requirements beyond the basic passing standard. Jobs with particularly high physical demands might require soldiers to score higher on certain events or achieve a higher total score to be considered fully qualified.

The scoring system creates meaningful differentiation between fitness levels. A soldier scoring 400 points is noticeably more fit across multiple domains than one scoring 360. A 500-point score represents elite fitness that goes well beyond minimum standards. The system rewards balanced capability across all six events rather than allowing soldiers to be one-dimensional in their fitness.

Why This Test Makes Soldiers More Combat Ready

The ACFT’s design philosophy differs fundamentally from the APFT’s approach. Instead of measuring a narrow slice of fitness that might or might not correlate with combat capability, the ACFT directly tests functional qualities that matter in military operations.

Training for the ACFT forces soldiers to develop balanced fitness across multiple domains. You can’t just run a lot and expect to pass—you need strength, power, core stability, and more. This creates more well-rounded soldiers who are physically prepared for diverse challenges.

The variety of movements and demands builds resilience and reduces injury risk. Soldiers training properly for the ACFT develop stronger muscles, more stable joints, better movement patterns, and greater overall robustness compared to soldiers who only run and do push-ups.

Research and real-world implementation have shown that soldiers with higher ACFT scores have lower injury rates during training and operations. The test doesn’t just measure fitness—it drives training behaviors that build more durable, capable soldiers.

The functional nature of the movements also improves skill transfer to actual military tasks. The deadlift directly prepares you for lifting heavy objects. The power throw builds explosive capability needed for various combat tasks. The sprint-drag-carry simulates real movement patterns you’ll use in the field.

Perhaps most importantly, the ACFT changes the conversation around military fitness. It’s no longer enough to be a good runner with decent push-up endurance. Soldiers now need to prioritize strength training, power development, and comprehensive conditioning—all of which make them more effective in their primary job of being soldiers.

Who Actually Has to Take This Test

The ACFT applies to essentially all Army personnel in some capacity. Active duty soldiers across all components take the ACFT as their official fitness assessment. National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers are tested according to the same standards during their drill periods and training events. New recruits entering the Army face the ACFT at various points during initial training and upon arrival at their first duty station.

The universality of the standard is intentional. The Army wants every soldier meeting the same basic fitness requirements regardless of their component or duty status. Combat doesn’t care whether you’re active duty, Guard, or Reserve—you either can perform the required tasks or you can’t.

Some soldiers initially serving under the old APFT may have grandfathered provisions or transition periods, but the general direction is clear: the ACFT is the standard for the Army going forward. Every soldier needs to be prepared to meet its demands.

The Training Shift This Test Requires

Preparing for the ACFT demands a different training approach compared to the APFT. You can’t just run every day and expect to pass six diverse events testing multiple physical qualities.

Successful ACFT training requires structured strength work at least two to three times per week. This includes deadlifts, squats, presses, rows, and other compound movements that build functional strength. Soldiers who never touched weights before now need to make strength training a regular part of their routine.

Power development needs dedicated attention. Medicine ball throws, jump training, Olympic lifting variations, and explosive movements build the fast-twitch capability tested in the power throw and SDC. This type of training might be completely new for soldiers who previously focused only on cardio.

Core training must go beyond basic sit-ups. Planks of various types, anti-rotation exercises, loaded carries, and comprehensive core development become essential. The core demands of the ACFT exceed what most soldiers experienced under the APFT.

Conditioning work needs to include both aerobic development for the two-mile run and anaerobic capacity for the sprint-drag-carry. This means interval training, sprint work, and high-intensity conditioning in addition to steady-state cardio.

Event-specific practice matters more than it did with the APFT. You need to actually practice deadlifts, power throws, hand-release push-ups, SDC simulations, and plank holds regularly—not just train generally and hope it transfers.

Many soldiers benefit from structured programs that balance all these training elements systematically. Random workouts or focusing too heavily on one area while neglecting others typically produces poor results. The multi-domain nature of the ACFT rewards balanced, comprehensive training.

Recovery becomes more important when training across so many different physical qualities. Adequate sleep, proper nutrition, mobility work, and rest days allow your body to adapt to training stress and improve over time. Soldiers who try to go hard every single day without adequate recovery often stagnate or get injured.

Common Challenges Soldiers Face With This Test

The ACFT presents different challenges for different soldiers depending on their background and natural capabilities. Understanding these common struggles helps you address potential weak points proactively.

Soldiers who were primarily runners under the APFT often struggle with the strength and power events. Years of focusing on cardio fitness doesn’t prepare you for heavy deadlifts or explosive throws. These soldiers need to dedicate significant time to building strength and power they may have never developed previously.

Conversely, soldiers who are naturally strong and muscular sometimes struggle with the endurance components, particularly the two-mile run. Being able to deadlift 400 pounds doesn’t automatically translate to a fast two-mile time, especially when running after five other events.

The sprint-drag-carry trips up many soldiers regardless of background because it combines so many different demands in rapid succession. You might be strong enough for the sled drag but lack the anaerobic conditioning to sustain speed throughout all five segments. Or you might have the conditioning but lack the strength to move the implements quickly.

Body weight relative to strength affects performance significantly on several events. Heavier soldiers often excel at the deadlift where absolute strength matters most, but might struggle with push-ups and the run where you’re moving your own body weight. Lighter soldiers face the opposite challenge—they might crank out push-ups easily but struggle to deadlift competitive weights.

Technique deficiencies limit scores even when underlying fitness is adequate. Soldiers with poor deadlift form can’t safely lift weights their strength would otherwise support. Bad throwing technique reduces power throw distance despite having adequate explosive power. Learning proper technique for each event becomes essential.

Time constraints make comprehensive training challenging, especially for Guard and Reserve soldiers who don’t have daily access to Army fitness facilities. Finding ways to train all six events with limited equipment and time requires creativity and planning.

The Bigger Picture of What This Test Represents

The ACFT is more than just a new fitness test—it represents the Army’s evolving understanding of what physical readiness actually means in modern warfare. It acknowledges that comprehensive functional fitness matters more than excelling at a few narrow skills.

The test also reflects broader trends in fitness culture toward functional training and away from purely aesthetic or single-dimension fitness goals. The movements tested in the ACFT look more like what you’d see in a well-designed strength and conditioning program than a traditional military PT session.

Implementation hasn’t been perfectly smooth, and the test has gone through various adjustments since initial rollout. Standards have been refined, equipment specifications have been clarified, and administrative procedures have been improved based on real-world experience. This evolution demonstrates the Army’s commitment to getting it right rather than stubbornly sticking with an imperfect initial design.

Looking forward, the ACFT will likely continue evolving as more data accumulates on injury rates, performance trends, and correlation with combat effectiveness. The core concept of measuring comprehensive functional fitness seems sound, even if specific details might adjust over time.

For soldiers, the ACFT sets a clear standard for what level and type of fitness the Army expects. It’s not asking for unrealistic capabilities—every event is achievable with proper training. But it does require dedication to developing balanced fitness across multiple domains rather than just being good at one or two things.

Final Perspective on the Army Combat Fitness Test

Understanding what the ACFT is means looking beyond just the six events and scoring system. It’s a philosophy about combat readiness that values functional capability over abstract fitness measures. It’s a training driver that pushes soldiers toward more comprehensive physical development. It’s an injury prevention tool based on research showing that stronger, more balanced soldiers break down less frequently.

Whether you love it or hate it, the ACFT represents where Army fitness assessment is headed. Soldiers who embrace its challenges and train appropriately will find themselves stronger, more capable, and better prepared for the physical demands of military service. Those who resist or only train minimally to squeak by will likely struggle not just with the test but with the actual physical tasks their job demands.

The ACFT isn’t perfect, and no single test can perfectly measure combat readiness. But it’s a significant improvement over what came before, measuring qualities that genuinely matter for military effectiveness. Understanding what it tests and why helps you prepare more effectively and appreciate the reasoning behind this major change in Army fitness standards.