Physical Fitness and Health
Physical Fitness and Health tests the Army’s fitness standards, the components of the current fitness test, and the habits that sustain performance: progressive training, recovery, hydration, sleep, and injury prevention.
Core rules
- The current Army Combat Fitness Test has six events: maximum deadlift, standing power throw, hand-release push-up, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run.
- Standards are age- and gender-normed and scored against published tables. A failure in one event can fail the test, so train every event rather than only running.
- Use progressive overload: increase volume or intensity gradually, alternate hard and easy days, and include recovery. Strength, power, endurance, and mobility all matter.
- Prevent heat and cold injury with proper hydration, work-rest cycles, and clothing. Watch for early heat illness: dizziness, headache, nausea, confusion, and stopping sweating.
- Sleep and nutrition are performance factors, not extras. Report injuries early and follow medical profiles.
Worked example
A soldier can pass the run but fails the plank. The plan is to practice the plank three times a week, build trunk endurance with shorter holds, and pair it with deadlift and push-up training. Reasoning: the plank tests core endurance; only running does not address the failed event, and gradual practice improves both form and time under tension.
Traps that cost marks
Training only the two-mile run; ignoring the standing power throw; training through an injury; using unproven supplements; and starting a hard program without recovery. Also do not assume a good score in one event offsets a failed event-each event counts.