(60) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ARMY COMBAT FITNESS TEST AND A LABORATORY TESTING BATTERY

The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is a newly acquired testing battery utilized to evaluate physical fitness capabilities of military personnel. However, the relationship between the measurements obtained through the ACFT and commonly utilized laboratory tests of physical capabilities is less understood.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between ACFT scores and laboratory measurements of body composition, maximal isometric strength, explosive power, anaerobic power and capacity, and aerobic capacity.

Methods: Thirteen members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) men (n=10) [mean (SD)] [age = 21.2 (2.4) y; mass = 80.1 (10.2) kg; height = 176.3 (6.8) cm; fat mass = 14.6 (5.3) %; V̇O_2peak = 54.9 (8.9) mL/kg/min] women (n=3) [age = 19.3 (0.5) y; mass = 64.9 (8.1) kg; height = 167.0 (5.8) cm; fat mass = 21.3 (4.9) %; V̇O_2peak = 40.0 (6.4) mL/kg/min] volunteered to participate in the study. Participants attended two testing sessions on separate days. One laboratory session involved participants performing a series of countermovement jumps (CMJ) followed by two maximal isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) on a pair of portable force plates respectively. Then, participants performed a Wingate test that involved maximal-effort cycling for 30-seconds at a load of 7.2% of their body mass. The relative peak (W_peak) and mean (W_mean) watts were recorded and represented anaerobic power and capacity, respectively. On a separate day, anthropometrics and estimates of body fat percentage (%Fat), through air plethysmography, were obtained followed by graded exercise test on a treadmill to determine peak oxygen consumption (V̇O_2peak) via circuit spirometry. Laboratory measurements were collected within two weeks of participants completing the ACFT which included the following: 3-repetition maximum hex bar deadlift, standing power throw, hand release push-ups, sprint drag carry, plank, and a 2-mile run, consolidated into an aggregate score. Pearson product moment correlations were performed on all metrics to evaluate the relationship between all measurements and interpreted as: very weak: < 0.20; weak: 0.20–0.39; moderate: 0.40–0.59; strong: 0.60–0.79; and very strong: >0.80. RESULTS: Results indicate CMJ, V̇O_2peak, %Fat, and W_mean were significantly associated with the majority of the ACFT tests, see Table 1. Maximal strength via IMTP had a strong association with the standing power throw, deadlift, and sprint drag carry.

Conclusion: Our results suggest higher explosive power, relative aerobic and anaerobic fitness, along with lower body fatness are associated with a better overall ACFT performance score. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: For military personnel, such as ROTC members, it is important to improve explosive power, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, along with maintaining a lower body fat percentage to optimize ACFT performance. Furthermore, it appears values of absolute strength may be less important when training for the ACFT.

Acknowledgements: This research was funded by an internal seed grant supported by Mayo Clinic Health System and the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.