Angela Papple Johnston - ACFT For Dummies

By the time you take the ACFT, you should know what MDL weight is right for you. The time to get familiar with what your body can handle is now, before you even show up for a record ACFT. You don’t necessarily have to expend your energy figuring out your weight after the test has begun; if you’ve been practicing, you’ll know how much you can lift on test day.

The test administrators hand out scorecards (if they weren’t handed out before), and the OIC or NCOIC instructs everyone to fill in personal information. See Chapter 4for a copy of the scorecard and more information on how it works. You must carry your scorecard to the first event and give it to your grader. You get it back after the MDL and hand-carry it to the SPT. From there, your grader keeps the card for the duration of the test.

The OIC or NCOIC then reads this statement:

You will continue to observe the ACFT test area and follow instructions from the OIC or NCOIC throughout the test. During the events, you may conduct your choice of preparation activities. During the test, you may observe all events and offer appropriate verbal motivation to test takers. It is your responsibility to complete proper preparation and know the event standards prior to taking the ACFT. What are your questions about the event standards?

After you determine what MDL weight you’re lifting for the test, you line up behind it with the other soldiers who are lifting the same weight. Graders ensure each MDL lane has an even distribution of soldiers, trying to keep it at five or fewer. Soldiers can assist graders with changing weight plates if necessary. When all the soldiers are lined up, the NCOIC begins the event.

The 3 Repetition Maximum Deadlift represents your ability to safely and effectively lift heavy loads from the ground. You use a 40- to 60-pound hex bar and weighted plates to demonstrate your strength through the MDL. You use a lot of muscles on this exercise — primarily those in your legs, forearms, and back. Figure 2-1 shows the muscles the MDL targets.

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FIGURE 2-1:Muscles used in the 3 Repetition Maximum Deadlift.

The starting position for the MDL is inside the hex bar with your feet about shoulder-width apart. This event has three phases of movement:

Preparatory: On the command of “Get set,” step into the hex bar, bend at your knees and hips, and grasp the center of each handle. Extend your arms fully, keep your back flat, and keep your head in line with your spine. Keep your head and eyes to the front (or slightly upward) and your heels on the ground. All your reps begin from this position.

Upward movement: On the command of “Go,” stand up and lift the bar by extending your hips and knees. Your hips can’t rise before or above your shoulders, and your back should remain straight. Stand up straight and pause slightly to reset your spine.

Downward movement: After you pause at the top, flex your hips and knees slowly to lower the bar to the ground. Control your movement the entire time and keep your back straight. Don’t let go of the bar! The weight plates have to touch the ground before you start the next repetition.

You have to execute three continuous reps with the same weight. If you lose control of the hex bar, you can retest at a lower weight — but you only get one additional chance. If you successfully complete three reps on your first try, you can choose to take another attempt at a higher weight. If you fail at the higher weight, no big deal; your grader counts your lower-weight score instead.

Whether to try the MDL at a higher weight after you successfully lift a lower weight is up to you. However, like the old APFT, saving some energy may be wise if you know you’re going to struggle with one or more of the following five events.

Your grader can call out a safety violation. For example, if you allow your knees to move together, round your back or shoulders, or lose your balance, he or she can stop the event and tell you to go to another lane with a lower weight. If your grader sends you to another lane, it doesn’t count against you.

Stay safe when you’re lifting the hex bar. Don’t move your hips above your shoulders, don’t round your shoulders, and keep an eye on your knees — don’t let them collapse inward. Keep your movements controlled and avoid dropping the weights on the ground.

The big scores to remember on the MDL: 140 pounds for 60 points, 180 pounds for 65 points, and 200 pounds for 70 points. Want to max it out? Slap 340 pounds on your bar for 100 points.

The Standing Power Throw represents your ability to execute quick, explosive movements that you may use to move equipment or people. You use a 10-pound medicine ball for this test event, which works muscles in your legs, core, shoulders, and back. Figure 2-2 shows which muscles you use for the SPT.

The STP requires you to hold the medicine ball at hip level while you’re standing with your heels at the starting line. You can prepare to throw while flexing at your trunk, knees, and hips while you lower the ball between your legs. Figure 2-3 shows the STP from start to finish.

You get two chances to show your stuff on the STP. You grasp the ball, lower it between your legs (like a kid at a bowling alley), and use your reserves of explosive power to throw it over your head and behind your back.

Drive your entire movement with power from your quadriceps. Get into a deep squat and explode upward and backward. If you only use your arms, you run the risk of sending the ball straight into the ground behind you.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 2-2:Muscles used in the Standing Power Throw.

You can’t put your heels on or over the starting line during the STP, but your feet can leave the ground when you throw. If your feet touch the line (even when you land), your grader gives you a raw score of 0.0 meters, and it counts as your first shot. If you fault on your second attempt by stepping on or over the line, you get another raw score of 0.0 meters. In that case, you get one final attempt — only because your first two were faults — and if you fault again, your event is terminated as a failure. (If you have a valid score on either the first or second throw, you don’t get that third attempt.)

If you accidentally throw your medicine ball into another lane, the distance of your throw stops where the other lane begins. For example, if you throw the ball to the right and it crosses the line at 6 meters, even if it lands at 10 meters, it’s scored as a 6-meter throw.