Maximal Aerobic Capacity as a Predictor of Performance on ACFT Total Score of ROTC Cadets.

The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is a newly developed test that assesses the combat readiness of U.S. Army soldiers. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to determine if VO can predict performance outcomes of the ACFT in ROTC cadets. This understanding can provide a better understanding of the aerobic demands of the ACFT. Cadets (50 males, 14 females; aged 21.43 ± 4.10 years) completed the 6-event ACFT (maximum trap-bar deadlift [MDL], standing power throw [SPT], hand-release pushups [HRPU], sprint-drag-carry shuttle run [SDC], plank [PLK], and 2-mile run [2MR]). The cadets conducted a maximal treadmill running test following the Bruce protocol. The ability of VO (mL·kg·min) to predict ACFT performance was determined with a linear regression model. Significance was set at < 0.05. VO was significantly and positively correlated to MDL ( = .253, = .044), HRPU ( = .486, < .001), SDC ( = .495, < .001), PLK ( = .628, < .001) 2MR ( = .612, < .001) and overall ACFT score ( = .619, < .001) but not SPT ( = .203, = .108). VO significantly explained 38% ( < .001) of the variance on the total ACFT scores with a beta coefficient of 4.338. There is a gap in understanding how VO impacts performance in the newly implemented ACFT. For every 1 mL·kg·min increase in VO, ACFT total scores increased by 4 points. These findings support the need for further research due to the trends of U.S. Army personnel failing the 2MR, which can be associated with an insufficient aerobic capacity.