In what order must the AFT be performed?

Prepare for the Washington Army National Guard Test. Study with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question provides hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

In what order must the AFT be performed?

Explanation:
The order of events in the Army Fitness Test is fixed to reflect how fatigue builds and to protect performers while properly assessing each component. The sequence starts with the three-repetition maximum deadlift, then moves to hand-release push-ups, followed by sprint-drag-carry, then the plank, and finishes with the two-mile run (with an alternative event allowed if the two-mile run can’t be performed). Starting with the 3RM deadlift makes sense because it’s a maximal effort lift that benefits from being done while fresh. Jumping into a max lift after running or doing cardio would undermine performance and could increase injury risk. After that heavy lift, moving to hand-release push-ups evaluates upper-body endurance while the body is still relatively fresh from the deadlift, but not fatigued to the point of compromising form. The sprint-drag-carry comes next as a demanding, multi-domain drill that blends sprint speed, hips- and grip-related work, and carrying strength, so placing it after the push-ups balances different fatigue factors rather than stacking too many pure cardio demands early. The plank is a static core test, so performing it after those dynamic tasks checks core endurance under accumulated fatigue without introducing additional high-impact or sprint loads. Finishing with the two-mile run provides the cardio endurance assessment once muscular fatigue has accumulated, which is the intended testing context. The final note about an alternative event recognizes that some policies allow substitution for the last event if needed. So the sequence that aligns with this structure—max deadlift first, then push-ups, then sprint-drag-carry, then plank, then the two-mile run (or an approved alternative)—is the one that fits the standard testing order.

The order of events in the Army Fitness Test is fixed to reflect how fatigue builds and to protect performers while properly assessing each component. The sequence starts with the three-repetition maximum deadlift, then moves to hand-release push-ups, followed by sprint-drag-carry, then the plank, and finishes with the two-mile run (with an alternative event allowed if the two-mile run can’t be performed).

Starting with the 3RM deadlift makes sense because it’s a maximal effort lift that benefits from being done while fresh. Jumping into a max lift after running or doing cardio would undermine performance and could increase injury risk. After that heavy lift, moving to hand-release push-ups evaluates upper-body endurance while the body is still relatively fresh from the deadlift, but not fatigued to the point of compromising form. The sprint-drag-carry comes next as a demanding, multi-domain drill that blends sprint speed, hips- and grip-related work, and carrying strength, so placing it after the push-ups balances different fatigue factors rather than stacking too many pure cardio demands early. The plank is a static core test, so performing it after those dynamic tasks checks core endurance under accumulated fatigue without introducing additional high-impact or sprint loads. Finishing with the two-mile run provides the cardio endurance assessment once muscular fatigue has accumulated, which is the intended testing context. The final note about an alternative event recognizes that some policies allow substitution for the last event if needed.

So the sequence that aligns with this structure—max deadlift first, then push-ups, then sprint-drag-carry, then plank, then the two-mile run (or an approved alternative)—is the one that fits the standard testing order.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Passetra

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy