Press Release
☷SMDC begins training Soldiers for ACFT
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
May 06,2022
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Sgt . 1st Class Byron Barksdale , G - 1 noncommissioned officer in charge , U . S . Army Space and Missile Defense Command , performs the sprint - drag - carry event during physical training on May 5 , 2022 , at the command ' s Redstone Arsenal , Alabama , headquarters . He is preparing for the Army Combat Fitness Test , which is being implemented in October . ( U . S . Army photo by Ayumi Davis ) REDSTONE ARSENAL , Ala . – U . S . Army Soldiers have until October 2022 to prepare for their first official Army Combat Fitness Test . They have until April 2023 to complete the test . To help its Soldiers prepare for the test , the U . S . Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company will conduct weekly physical training sessions at Redstone Arsenal and Peterson Space Force Base , Colorado . “They’re not exercises everyone does every day , ” said Capt . Jonathan Maginot , commander of USASMDC HHC . Maginot is hosting PT every Thursday at 6:30 a . m . at the command’s Redstone Arsenal headquarters and every Friday at 6:30 a . m . at Peterson Space Force Base’s track . The track on Redstone Arsenal , located behind the Candlewood Suites , is the official PT and testing site . However , it is currently under construction and likely will not be used until the third week of May , Maginot estimated . While the Army requires one diagnostic , or practice , test before taking the test for official record , USASDMC HHC will conduct at least one diagnostic test each month until October 2022 to allow Soldiers to familiarize themselves with the events and equipment related to the ACFT . “The previous test is very different from this new test so we want to give people the opportunity to experience the new events , ” Maginot said . “If you have not practiced the new events , you’re not going to do as well as you could otherwise , so it’s [the diagnostic test] giving people a chance to get out there and try them before actually doing it in a testing environment . ” While the monthly diagnostics allow Soldier to familiarize themselves with the test , they also allow multiple chances to pass the test . For the first “for record” test , a Soldier may elect to use one of their scores from a monthly diagnostic in lieu of taking an “official” test . Diagnostic tests will only be conducted until the official implementation of the ACFT . There have also been a couple of changes made to the ACFT , such as the implementation of age and gender performance - normed scoring scales . This was done to more accurately evaluate an individual’s physical fitness goals while taking into account age and gender . The ACFT is also adding a 2 . 5 - mile walk as an alternate aerobic event and switching the leg tuck for the plank as the core strength assessment event . A study conducted by RAND Corporation found that the leg tuck required a minimum prerequisite amount of upper body strength , making it difficult to proportionately measure core strength among Soldiers . The plank was added as the sole way to test core strength . The ACFT will be required biannually and must be completed with at least 120 days between test dates .
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