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The Influence of Interindividual Factors on Army Combat Fitness Test Performance
Timothy A Murray1, John H Sellers, Karl E Friedl
1U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|July 9, 2026
Summary
Males generally outperform females on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), but age and BMI also impact scores. Significant performance overlap exists between sexes, and many females can meet male standards with training.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Military Performance Analysis
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Interindividual factors significantly influence physical performance.
- Muscle mass variations contribute to sex-based differences in strength and power.
- Physical performance typically declines with advancing age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of age, sex, and Body Mass Index (BMI) on the U.S. Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of over 1.3 million ACFT scores.
- Population-level data including male and female test results were analyzed.
- Linear regressions and pairwise comparisons assessed group differences.
Main Results:
- Males scored higher than females on all six ACFT events, with notable differences in the power throw.
- Significant overlap (50.9%) in performance distributions between sexes was observed.
- Higher BMI correlated with lower overall ACFT scores, but improved deadlift performance. Age negatively affected performance across all events.
Conclusions:
- While males generally achieve higher ACFT scores, substantial overlap in performance exists between sexes.
- Age detrimentally impacts ACFT performance for both males and females.
- Training can enable many individuals, both male and female, to meet high performance standards.
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