This week, a female Army soldier asked me about the week prior to taking the Army Fitness Test (AFT):
On Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Women’s Mentorship Group put on an Army Combat Fitness Test team-building event to boost deadlift and leg tuck scores on April 14, 2021. (S. Sangster/U.S. Army)
Stew, "What is it that you recommend doing 7-10 days out from your AFT? Is it similar to preparing for a marathon and tapering a few weeks before it? I have a few questions about adjusting my workouts in preparation for the fitness test. My current scores are below:
3RM Trap Bar Deadlift: 200 pounds
Hand Release Pushups: 25
Sprint Drag Carry: 2:05
Plank: 3 minutes
2 mile Run: 18 minutes
NOTE: As of 2025, this is the most up-to-date Army Fitness Test soldiers must take. The leg tuck has been replaced by plank pose, and the med ball throw has been removed.
I have developed a new philosophy on test-taking. While it is fine to taper and reduce your workouts by 50% a week prior, I don’t like a fitness test to interfere with a training week. No need to ruin a good workout because you have to take a fitness test. However, if this test is a meaningful one for career development or selection, then a slight deload week with a day or two off, combined with some mobility work, is ideal. For a Saturday morning test, I would take Thursday off and do a Mobility Day on Friday. However, you do want fresh legs, so lay off any squats, lunges, or heavy leg lifts 3-4 days before test day.
Everyone in the Army takes this test. Start preparing regardless of your MOS.
What is a De-load Week?
There are many ways to "DELOAD". But if you want to be well recovered and ready for a fitness test, it also starts with your sleep and nutrition. These are the top two methods for preparing for events that test us. When it comes to adjusting your training routine, here is how to do that (many ways - pick a few or all):
- Reduce the amount of time you are training each day. Cut your training day of 33-50%, but still train.
- Reduce your running mileage and focus on your pace; however, any longer cardio sessions can be completed with non-impact cardio options. Avoid rucking this week if possible.
- Reduce volume and training in calisthenics and weighted events
- Reduce the intensity of the overall workout by adding longer rest periods, decreasing speed, etc.
- Reduce the weight of any weighted events. Focus on technique/strategy.
- Add in a mobility day or two this week (See Mobility Day)
- Reduce 50% of Training Days - try every other day for training, with recovery, mobility, or days off in between.
Specific Questions From This Soldier:
1) For 3RM deadlift, when is the last day you recommend doing max weight? Give it three or four days. But you can take a practice test a week before the test date. You should have recovered from the prior deadlift/leg days in that time. If you have deadlifts on Monday or Tuesday and are taking the test on Saturday, you are fine to do the lifts, but make sure to include a mobility and recovery day or two before test day.
2) What would you recommend for maintaining fitness when not doing max weight for deadlift? I don’t think maintenance is needed when there are only 3 to 4 days between them. It is literally a recovery period, not a deconditioning period. I would still do running or non-impact cardio, however. I have found that rest from lifting typically makes you stronger. Resting from cardio often feels like you haven't run in ages (personal experience).
3) When do you recommend doing the practice test on the last day? The more you take the test a month out (weekly), you will develop strategies on how to pace yourself, when to exert, fueling strategies that work/don't work for you, hydration, etc. Practicing at the same time of day as scheduled is also smart, as you will need to eat before the test and bring some quick fuel (carbs, not caffeine) that works best for you. You only know if you have tried them before. Don't do something new on test day - that can go wrong if your stomach is not used to something.
I would not worry too much about taking a week off or anything like that. Give yourself a mobility day and a day off prior to the test, and you will be ready to crush that testing event. As stated above, "No need to let a fitness test ruin a week of training."
Nutrition Advice (Fuel and Recovery) - Eat foods that are moderate in fat, higher in protein, and high in complex carbohydrates. Personally, a green leafy salad or spinach with lean chicken or tuna is a great example of the types of food that can help you have more energy and aid in recovery. Of course, these foods should be part of your regular weekly diet for optimal physical results. Drinking water to stay super-hydrated with electrolytes if hot/humid will help you regulate your body temperature during the PFT as well as other muscular-skeletal benefits.
One day before the AFT should be a day off. Take a light walk, run, or bike for 15-20 minutes, followed by an equal amount of time spent on stretching (also known as mobility day). The night before the test should be spent relaxing and eating foods high in protein and carbohydrates, such as pasta, green leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, fish, chicken, and lean meats.
Day of the AFT - Have a breakfast of normal foods such as water, yogurt, fruit, and juice. Foods higher in carbohydrates, like apples, bananas, and carrots, are great snacks to add glycogen to your muscles and give you that extra kick in the AFT. When you push yourself to muscle failure and maximum effort you will expend the glucose you consumed, so make sure you eat these one hour before the AFT and have some light carbs to sip on during the test as that 2 mile run on the back end of this level of exertion is tough on glycogen/blood sugar stores.
During the AFT - Know that butterflies are normal. It simply means you are preparing yourself to push hard. Do not let your nerves get the best of you. Focus on your breathing and give the "jitters" a name, such as "pre-game jitters". By naming it, you tame it. In between events, be sure to warm up your muscles for the next one. Where this is most important is on the two-mile run after having maxed out on deadlifts, push-ups, sprinting, and sled pulls, as well as the plank pose. Make sure you are carbed up and get those legs ready to run at pace by going for a quick 2-3 minute jog, shaking out your upper body along the way. The goal is to get your blood back to your legs so that when you do start running, the process of increasing heart rate can pump blood from your legs to your heart and lungs, and does not have to be pulled from pumped-up arms.
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