Fitness and Injury Prevention

NEW & Popular in Men's Fitness

• Keep fit through regular exercise to fight fat as you age​ (Jun 2023)
  
• ​​Did you know? The Department of Defense​ 2022 policy on body composition​ allows individual services to implement policies that exempt body fat standards if service members attain high scores on physical fitness tests. 
• Army Soldiers who score 540 points or more on their Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) with a minimum of 80 points in each event, may be exempt from the Army body fat assessment per an Army Directive 2023-08 (Army Body Fat Assessment Exemption for Army Combat Fitness Test Score)​. Army Directive 2023-08 implements the change to AR 600-9, the Army Body Composition Program. This new Army policy helps avoid flagging Soldiers who score exceptionally high on the ACFT but exceed Army weight or body fat standards​.
  
• ​Does Body Mass Define Soldier's Fitness? news article (2022)​
  
• Why Fitness Matters: History of Army physical fitness testing news article (2022) 
  

​​Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)

The ACFT is the Army official test of record for fitness​, the final ACFT revision posted 23 March 2022​ includes 6 events (dead lift, standing power throw, hand-release push up, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and 2-mile run). 

During ACFT development, key changes included replacing the leg tuck with the plank, a 2.5 mile walk may be used as alternate to the run, and a switch from a single standard to now gender- and age-adjusted standards that are supported by scientific evidence. In the 2022 Health of the Force report (page 85), a recent study found that as male service members' age increased, their fitness performance ACFT decreased.

In October 2022, the ACFT replaced the 40-year old Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), a 3 event test (push up, sit up, 2-mile run). The ACFT is considered a more robust assessment of various aspects of fitness than the older APFT. Going from the APFT to the ACFT was a big change for some during the 3 years of its development​. However, basic tactics for preventing injuries are the same across both tests.

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Fitness Requirements for All Services

In accordance with the Department of Defense March 10, 2022 policy on body composition (DODI 1308.03: DOD Physical Fitness/Body Composition Program), all service members “will maintain physical readiness by possessing the necessary body composition and aerobic and anaerobic fitness...to successfully perform in accordance with their service-specific requirements, missions, and military specialties." 

The cornerstone of the DOD policy is the body fat standard that defines the acceptable body composition range for active-duty service members. The percent of a person's body fat, or “%BF," is a scientifically valid physical indicator for assessing health status. The policy differentiates standards for men and women due to well-established physiological gender differences in body fat. Active-duty men must maintain %BF between 18 and 26, and women must maintain %BF between 26 and 36.​

Does Body Mass Define Soldier's Fitness?​ news article (2022) 

Injury Prev​ention

Injuries, especially overuse musculoskeletal injuries, are the leading cause for active-duty service member medical visits. Evaluate your personal situation – are you injury prone? Learn about injuries caused by military activities such as physical training, ruck marching, parachuting, weight training and other causes, and how to reduce your injury risk. Click HERE for factsheets and articles.