The ACFT, for those who may not know, is the Army Combat Fitness Test. It is a 6 event fitness test used by the United States Army to gauge the overall fitness of a soldier. We polled 225 tactical athletes to find out what the 3 hardest ACFT events are in their opinions. We're counting down the results from 3 to 1.
Fortunately for me, these results coincide with the 3 events in the ACFT that I am able to max every time, so I can speak to them better than if it had been the Standing Power Throw...let's go!
NUMBER 3: PLANK (123 votes)
The plank is a test of core endurance. You might think core just means your abdominals, but really a plank incorporate your quads, glutes, hip flexors, musculature in your shoulders (no doubt you feel that after the Hand Release Pushups) and more. Planking is boring, so I get why people may struggle with it. Besides gradually increasing your Plank times by incorporating Planks into your training regularly, I HIGHLY recommend Side Planks, Bicycles, Bird-Dogs, Hanging Leg Raises, and Russian Twists to develop a strong core overall. These exercises done at higher repetitions/times (as is appropriate for your fitness level) will help you last much longer on the Plank. My max ever was 5:34...doubt I could do that now. I think I'd crumble in the low 4's at this point.
We created a 4 Week workout program for those who want to improve their ACFT score. It's enough time and training to take your score up by at least 20 points for most soldiers, and we made the price as low as possible so that cost wouldn't be an issue for anyone. Try our ACFT Mastery - 4 Weeks To Success program!
NUMBER 2: 2 MILE RUN (147 votes)
Running form and cadence help a ton. However, with all of the other training that soldiers/tactical athletes have to do, it's hard to find dedicated time for form work. I get that. If you want to improve your time for ONLY 2 miles, I recommend running 2x per week at a slow, steady pace for 30-40 minutes, as well as incorporating 1 high intensity session per week. This could be 30-60's, 60-120's, 400m intervals, 800m intervals, or other similar high intensity training. All of those will help increase your anaerobic ability for the 2 mile run. If you have steep hills near you, or access to a treadmill, you can also incorporate Hill Sprints or Incline Treadmill Sprints. My fastest 2 mile time ever was 11:07, and when I'm in good shape it's in the 11:40's. My running volume has been down a lot of late though, so I'm hovering in the 12:30 range now.
NUMBER 1: SPRINT, DRAG, CARRY (166 votes)
While I don't like the lateral shuffles because I don't see a good transfer in fitness to a tactical situation, I LOVE the Sprint Drag Carry as a test. Dragging weight, carrying weight, moving quickly over short distances and changing direction...it's a very good test in my opinion. To improve your performance here, work on HIIT training and Circuit Training. It doesn't have to be fancy or special. Below are 2 sample workouts you can do that will absolutely help improve your SDC time if done 1-2 times per week over 4-8 weeks. My best time for this Event is 1:30. Sometimes I miss maxing it by 1-3 seconds...that's always frustrating.
Sample Workout 1: Complete each round as quickly as possible.
10 Calories Airbike (Assault Bike/Echo Bike)
Farmers Carry: 30lbs per hand for 50 meters
Sprint down and back 20 meters (20 meters each way)
*Rest 3 minutes, repeat 3x*
Sample Workout 2: Complete each round as quickly as possible.
Rower x 400 meters
Kettlebell Swings x 20 reps (30lbs)
Lateral Shuffle x 20 meters (20 meters each way)
Burpee x 10
*Rest 2 minutes, repeat 4x*
Thanks for reading, and thank you to the 225 athletes who provided data for this article. If you'd like to connect with us, our social media links and contact information are below. Good luck on your next ACFT!
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Text: 610-222-7155
Email: info@triofitlife.com
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