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Revised Army Combat Fitness Test!

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The Revised Army Combat Fitness Test Events and Implementation Timeline

On March 23rd, Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth issued an Army Directive outlining a time-phased implementation of a revised ACFT as the Army’s general physical fitness test.

Changes made to the ACFT incorporate feedback from Soldiers and independent analysis of test performance.

Among the key changes announced by the Army are new age-and-gender-performance normed scoring scales; the replacement of the leg tuck with the plank for the core-strength assessment; and the addition of the 2.5-mile walk as an alternate aerobic event.

Revised ACFT Grading Scales are based on age and gender

A common concern identified by the Army’s independent analysis and the RAND study was that a gender-neutral test might not accurately measure all Soldiers’ general physical fitness levels. The Army designed the new scoring scales from nearly 630,000 ACFT performance scores, historical performance rates from the APFT, and scoring scales used by other military services.

New Cadet Command Fitness Assessment Implemented for Students Looking to Contract into Army ROTC

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In October the Army implemented its new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) which made the prior Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) obsolete.  Besides being the fitness test of record for many years, the APFT was also used as the fitness test to contract college students into Army ROTC.  Recently U.S. Army Cadet Command revised its fitness test requirement to reflect the ending of the APFT.  The new fitness test is called the Cadet Command Fitness Assessment (CCFA).

The Pushup
EWU Army ROTC Cadet, Marcos Sanchez conducts the pushup event during an Army Physical Fitness Test.

All new Cadets who wish to contract will now have to pass the CCFA.  The events in this new test include 1-minute of pushups, 1-minute of modified situps, and a 1-mile run.  Just like the old APFT the standards to pass the assessment are based on gender.  The below chart shows the minimum standards to pass the CCFA:

Cadet Command Fitness Assessment
The new CCFA requires Cadets to pass a minimum number of pushups and modified situps in 1-minute and complete a 1-mile run.

For retention and commissioning the ACFT will be the test of record for contracted Cadets.  Cadets will be required to take an ACFT at least once a semester or quarter.  Cadets commissioning will need to complete an ACFT at least 120 days before graduation.  Currently no administrative action will be taken against Cadets that fail an ACFT, they just need to complete it.  Cadets will be allowed to commission as long as they meet all the other appointment criteria outlined in USACC Regulation 145-9 and CC Form 145-5-1 (USACC Appointment Checklist).

If any Cadets have questioned about the new fitness test requirements feel free to leave a comment or contact your Military Science instructor for more information.

Fighting Eagles Cadets Conduct Morning Ruck March Around the EWU Campus

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This morning the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) conducted a 7-mile ruck march around the EWU campus.  Each Cadet from the Fighting Eagles battalion carried 35 pounds plus additional equipment in their rucks during the march.  Ruck marching tests the endurance and strength plus pushes these future Army leaders to new limits.

Being able to conduct ruck marches is a basic soldier skill trained as part of the EWU ROTC program.  The morning ruck march is part of the build up to train Cadets for the end of quarter 12-mile ruck march.  Besides being an important soldier skill, conducting a 12-mile ruck march is one of the events Cadets need to pass when they attend Advanced Camp at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

For anyone looking to push themselves to new limits, become Eagle Strong by joining the EWU ROTC Fighting Eagles battalion.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

Fighting Eagle Cadets Conduct Winter 2019 Army Physical Fitness Test

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This week Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted the Winter quarter Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) inside the EWU Fieldhouse.  The APFT is a three event test that measures the muscular and cardiovascular endurance of the person taking the test.  The first part of the APFT is the pushup event where the Cadets each had to do as many pushup repetitions as possible within a 2-minute timeframe.

The second part of the APFT is the situp event.  During this event each Cadet had to do as many situp repetitions as possible with their hands behind their neck within a 2-minute timeframe.

The third and final event of the APFT is the 2-mile run.  Due to inclement weather conditions the 2-mile run was executed on the indoor track inside the Fieldhouse.  The Cadets had to complete 16 laps around the Fieldhouse to complete the 2-mile run portion of the APFT.

Being able to pass the APFT is an important milestone within the ROTC training program.  Receiving a passing score as well as meeting Army height/weight requirements allows Cadets to contract into ROTC and access scholarship benefits, a $420 monthly stipend, apply for ROTC sponsored internships, and attend advanced military training.

For anyone thinking of joining ROTC that may be concerned that they are not in shape to pass the APFT, don’t worry because most new Cadets do not have the fitness level to pass.  The ROTC process is about building leaders and developing physical fitness is part of the program.  EWU ROTC conducts physical training (PT) each weekday morning that prepares Cadets to pass and excel at the APFT.  Most new Cadets after completing a quarter of ROTC see dramatic improvements in their fitness level.

For anyone interested in improving their fitness and exploring ROTC please give our Enrollment Officer Mr. Rob Riedel a call at 509-359-6109.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

EWU ROTC Cadets Execute Their First Army Combat Fitness Test

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The Army has recently announced that it is moving away from the current Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) that measures the fitness of all Army troops.  The APFT consists of three events:

  • pushups
  • situps
  • 2-mile run

The APFT is scheduled to be replaced within the next two years by the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).  The ACFT replaces the APFT with six new events:

  • Deadlift
  • Power Throw
  • Hand Release Pushups
  • Sprint-Drag-Carry
  • Leg Tuck
  • 2-Mile Run

To prepare for the ACFT, Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program recently conducted the ACFT in the university’s Fieldhouse.

Deadlift

The first event in the ACFT is the deadlift exercise.  For the deadlift the Cadets had to do a three repetition lift of a minimum of 140 pounds.

Power Throw

The second event of the ACFT is the standing power throw.  With this event the Cadets had to throw a 10 pound medicine ball as far as they could over their heads.  The minimum distance for the power throw is 4.6 meters.

Hand Release Pushups

The third event is the hand release pushup.  Unlike the current pushup event in the APFT, the hand release pushup required the Cadets to place their chests on the ground and completely lift their hands off of the ground per every repetition.  The minimum requirement for this event is 10 repetitions.

Sprint-Drag-Carry

For this event the Cadets had to sprint 50 meters and then drag a 90 pound tire for 50 meters.  They then had to do a 50 meter lateral followed by carrying two 40 pound weights before finishing with a 50 meter sprint. The minimum time to complete the event is 3:35 minutes.

Leg Tuck 

The fifth event, the leg tuck, required the Cadets to hang from a pull-up bar and then raise their legs and touch their knees to their elbows.  The minimum requirement is 1 leg tuck.

2-Mile Run 

The only event in the ACFT that carried over from the APFT is the 2-mile run.  Due to the added events in the ACFT, the minimum two mile run time has been decreased to 21 minutes, 7 seconds.

Way Ahead

The Army plans to implement the ACFT within the next two years.  Unlike the current APFT, the ACFT will be both age and gender neutral.  Instead the test will be scaled by a Soldier’s job.  Non-combat MOS’s have the lowest minimum standard while Combat Arms have the highest standards.  The grading scale can be seen below:

The new Army Combat Fitness Test is going to be a major cultural change for the US Army in the next two years which the EWU ROTC program is training its Cadets to lead.

Go ROTC!  Go Fighting Eags!

EWU ROTC Cadets Conduct Physical Training at Reese Court

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This week the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted physical training at Reese Court on the EWU campus.  Physical training focused on pushup & situp improvement, sprint intervals, and a lot of stair climbing which Reese Court is a great place to conduct this training at.  Pictures of the Cadets conducting physical training can be see below.