CAMP ATTERBURY — National Military Appreciation Month is the nation’s opportunity to honor the service and sacrifice of military members and their families.
However, not everyone is cut out to join the military — only those who can pass the Army Combat Fitness Test.
The test consists of six events that are scored according to age range and gender.
The ACFT includes:
- Three repetition maximum dead-lifts
- Participants lift the maximum weight possible three times using a 60-pound hex bar and plates
- Standing power throw
- Participants throw a 10-pound medicine ball backward and overhead as far as possible
- Hand-release push-ups
- Participants will complete as many hand-release push-ups as possible in two minutes
- Sprint-Drag-Carry
- Participants complete five 50-meter shuttles (sprint, drag, lateral, carry, sprint) as fast as possible using two 40-pound kettlebells and a 90-pound sled
- Plank
- Participants will maintain a plank for as long as possible
- Two-mile run
Participants must score a minimum of 60 points on each of the six events in order to past the test. The maximum score per event is 100 points.
The minimum score you can get to pass is a 360.
The grading scale is as follows:
The test is required to be taken at least once a year and every time someone wants to advance in their career.
“[The test] is very important. You don’t always know if you’re going to have adequate resources,” Command Sgt. Maj. Dave Routson said. “You might run out of fuel, or your batteries may go dead. The one thing you can always rely on is your individual fitness. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can gain in one day. You have to try at it every day and then it’ll be there for you, just like education.”
The new rendition could be daunting to some as it has twice as many components as the previous version.
However, military officials say the test needed to evolve. The last fitness test was created in the mid-80s.
“The key to passing is to be active and do multiple things,” Routson said. “Basically cross-train because all components replicate something that we anticipate on the battlefield. Just get involved and do a variety of things.”
Camp Atterbury will hold a Community Day on June 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will have military vehicle displays, tours of the base, food trucks, games and more.
