Evaluation Of The New Army Combat Fitness Test In ROTC Cadets

Abstract

In 2020, the U.S. Army will replace the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) with the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Little is known on how this change may impact evaluating Army personnel, particularly Reserve Army Officer Training Corp (ROTC) cadets. PURPOSE: To evaluate the ACFT in U.S. Army ROTC cadets. METHODS: Eighteen ROTC cadets volunteered to participate in the study (mean ± SD; age = 21.9 ± 3.4 y, height = 172.4 ± 7.9 cm, mass = 75.1 ± 10.4 kg, % fat = 16.3 ± 7.4%). Participants performed the APFT & ACFT seven days apart. Physiological data were collected for the ACFT using a bioharness monitoring device which included: physiological load (PL), physiological intensity (PI), maximal heart rate (MHR), and average heart rate (AVGHR). Pearson moment correlation coefficients were calculated to determine relationships between selected variables. RESULTS: Mean ACFT scores were 453.7 ± 88.1 with a 72% pass rate and APFT scores were 265.4 ± 26.9 with a 100% pass rate. Significant relationships were found between scores for the ACFT hand-release push-up and standard APFT push-ups (r = 0.75, p < 0.01) as well as the ACFT and APFT 2-mile runs (r = 0.96, p < 0.01). There was not a significant relationship between total scores of the ACFT and APFT (r = 0.28, p > 0.05). Body fat percentage and total ACFT score were significantly related (r = -0.55, p < 0.05). Physiological data for the ACFT were: MHR= 197 ± 18, AVGHR = 123 ± 29, PL = 454.5 ± 141.8, and PI = 6.1 ± 2.0. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that high performance in the APFT may not translate to high performance in the ACFT. In addition, the ACFT requires moderate to vigorous effort throughout the duration of the test. The results of this study are useful as Army leaders prepare to train cadets and soldiers for successful completion of the new ACFT.