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The U.S. Army Is Replacing Its Fitness Test After 41 Years, Could You Pass The New Requirements?

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New U.S. Army Fitness Test (ACFT 3.0) Requirements After 41 Years

iStockphoto / chapin31


  • The U.S. Army is set to update its fitness test with new requirements and overhaul an outdated test that’s been in place since 1980
  • The 1980 Army fitness test requirements are pretty darn easy by modern standards which begs the question, could you pass the new U.S. Army fitness test requirements?
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The current U.S. Army fitness test has been in place since 1980 and it’s both straightforward and easy. That 41-year-old test consists of two minutes of sit-ups, two minutes of pushups, and a 2-mile run.

Most of the people in my life could do that without training and I think everyone would expect that a member of the U.S. Army should be able to complete that test with ease.

Now the U.S. Army fitness test is going to be overhauled after 41-years and modernized. It will feature six exercises instead of 3, and it has a lot of people talking about whether or not they’d be able to complete the new requirements.

Here’s what the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT 3.0) will look like:

  1. Max Deadlift: 3 reps, minimum weight of 140 pounds
  2. Standing Power Throw: throw a 10-pound medicine ball overhead/backward, minimum of 4.5 meters (~15 feet)
  3. Hand Release Pushup: Complete as many pushups as possible in 2 minutes, minimum of 10
  4. Sprint-Drag-Carry: five 50-meter shuttles of ‘spring, sled drag, lateral, medicine ball carry, and sprint’ in 3 minutes
  5. Leg Tuck / Plank: Hold a plan for as long as possible or complete as many leg tucks as possible. Minimum plank time of 2 minutes, 9 seconds
  6. 2-Mile Run: a 2-mile run on a flat course must be completed in under 21 minutes

This update to the U.S. Army’s fitness test that’s been in place since 1980 will 100% lead to a flurry of people attempting this workout at home. I’m confident I could do that with relative ease. The Plank would be miserable so I’d probably opt for the Leg Tuck but either is doable.

 

According to an article in Bloomberg, a 2020 report found an estimated 17% of the Army was classified as ‘obese’ and over 50% of soldiers suffered an injury in 2019. A more rigorous Army Combat Fitness Test will theoretically lower the risk of injury.

I can’t even imagine how much money was spent developing a new fitness test after 41 years when in the end someone was like ‘yup, let’s use these six extremely common exercises and we’re good.’