How to pass the Army Fitness Test

The Army Fitness Test replaced the ACFT on June 1, 2025. It kept five of the six old events and dropped the standing power throw. Each event is scored from 0 to 100 on a table for your age group and sex, or on a single sex-neutral table if you hold one of the 21 combat specialties. The general standard needs 60 points in every event and 300 in total. The combat standard needs 60 in every event and 350 in total.

That structure matters more than any single exercise tip. Every event has its own 60-point floor, so one weak event fails the whole test no matter how well you do elsewhere. A soldier can have a 400 total and still fail. The first job is to find your weakest event and get it well clear of 60. Chasing a 100 in your best event comes second.

Score yourself first with the AFT calculator. It shows what you need for 60 and 100 points in your age group, which tells you exactly how far you are from each line.

Deadlift

Hex bar, three reps.

Hand-release push-ups

Two minutes.

Sprint-drag-carry

Five 50 m shuttles.

Plank

Straight line, for time.

2-mile run

Run last.

1. Three-repetition maximum deadlift

You lift a 60-pound hex bar loaded with plates three times in a row, and your score is the heaviest weight you complete for all three reps. The hex bar puts the load at your sides rather than in front of your shins, which makes the lift more like a squat than a straight-bar deadlift.

Where points go. The deadlift is the most trainable event on the test. Strength comes up quickly when you lift heavy twice a week, and someone new to the lift can often add 20 or 30 pounds in six to eight weeks. Soldiers lose points here by picking a starting weight that is too heavy, failing the third rep, and then having less in the tank for the next attempt.

Technique. Stand in the middle of the bar, grip the handles, push your hips back and set your back flat before the bar leaves the ground. Drive through the whole foot and stand tall without leaning back at the top. Lower the bar under control; dropping it isn't a clean rep.

Training. Two sessions a week of 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps at a weight that leaves one rep in reserve is enough for most people. If you only have a straight bar, train with it and get a few sessions on a hex bar before the test so the grip and stance feel familiar.

2. Hand-release push-ups

You do as many correct reps as you can in 2 minutes. At the bottom of each rep your chest touches the ground and you lift your hands off it before pressing back up. That pause at the bottom removes the bounce you get from a normal push-up, so the event tests pure pressing strength and endurance.

Where points go. Reps that don't count. The body has to rise as one straight piece. If your hips sag or your chest comes up before your hips, the grader won't count it. The other common loss is going out too fast: a soldier does 25 reps in the first 40 seconds and then can't press off the ground for the last minute.

Technique. Pick a pace you can hold for the full 2 minutes, for example one rep every three to four seconds, and rest only in the up position. Keep your core tight the whole time so the body moves as one piece.

Training. Three short sessions a week. One is a timed 2-minute test. The other two are sets of 60 to 75 percent of your max with a minute of rest, plus some heavier pressing such as weighted push-ups or dumbbell bench press.

3. Sprint-drag-carry

Five 50-meter shuttles for time, run down a 25-meter lane and back: a sprint, a backward drag of a 90-pound sled, a lateral shuffle, a carry with a 40-pound kettlebell in each hand, and a final sprint. It is short, but it is hard on the legs and lungs, and it comes before the plank and the run.

Where points go. The turns and the transitions. Every shuttle has a turn at the 25-meter line, and the time you lose decelerating, touching the line and changing direction adds up fast across ten turns. The drag is the slowest leg for most people, so a strong backward drag is worth more than a fast sprint.

Technique. On the drag, stay low and take short, quick steps backward with your arms straight. On the lateral, keep your hips low and don't cross your feet. On the carry, keep the kettlebells close and walk fast or jog rather than running and letting them swing.

Training. Practice the full event once a week if you have the equipment. On other days, sled drags, farmer's carries and 10 to 30-meter shuttle sprints with turns cover most of what it asks for. Heavy deadlift training also helps the drag.

4. Plank

You hold a forearm plank in a straight line from head to heels for as long as you can. The table rewards time, and the event ends when you can't hold the position.

Where points go. Form breaks. Hips rising or sagging, knees touching the ground, or lifting a forearm end the event early. Many soldiers could hold longer than they do but stop when it starts to shake. Shaking is normal near the end; a break in the straight line is what ends it.

Technique. Elbows under your shoulders, forearms flat, feet hip-width apart. Squeeze your glutes and brace as if someone were about to poke your stomach. Breathe in short, steady breaths instead of holding your breath.

Training. Three or four sessions a week. Hold for about 70 percent of your best time, rest a minute and repeat three times. Once a week, do one max hold. Side planks and dead bugs help the parts of your core the front plank doesn't load.

5. Two-mile run

Two miles on a measured, mostly flat course, as fast as you can. It comes last, so you start it already tired from four events.

Where points go. Pacing. The most common mistake is running the first quarter mile at a pace you can't hold. The run pace chart shows the per-mile and per-lap split for every target time, so you can practice the exact pace you need.

Training. Three runs a week covers most people: one easy run of 25 to 40 minutes, one interval session (for example 6 x 400 meters at slightly faster than goal pace with 90 seconds of rest), and one steady run at or near goal pace for 1 to 1.5 miles. Add a fourth easy run only if your legs feel fine.

Putting a training week together

Five or six weeks of focused work is enough to move most scores by a meaningful amount. A simple week:

• Monday: deadlift (heavy), hand-release push-ups (sets), plank.
• Tuesday: interval run.
• Wednesday: sprint-drag-carry practice or sled drags and carries, plank.
• Thursday: easy run.
• Friday: deadlift (lighter, faster), 2-minute push-up test, plank max hold.
• Saturday: steady run at goal pace.

The 8-week PT test plan lays out the progression week by week. Take the last four or five days before a record test easier: keep the movements, cut the volume roughly in half, and skip any max attempts.

Test day

• Eat a normal breakfast you've eaten before training, two to three hours before the test.
• Warm up for 10 minutes with easy jogging and the movement drills, then a few light deadlift reps.
• Have a starting deadlift weight you know you can make for three, and a second weight you'd try if it moves well.
• Use the rest time between events to walk around and drink water rather than sitting down.
• Run your first lap of the 2-mile at goal pace, not faster.

Body composition is separate

A high AFT score does not exempt you from body composition. Under Army Directive 2026-13 every soldier must have a waist-to-height ratio under 0.55. Check yours with the Army body composition calculator and read how to measure your waist so your home number matches the official one.