Happy Halloween

**And welcome to Mettlecraft Month 2026!**

METTLE MAKER #521: The AGFT Fitness Test Week 1

The inspiration for this year’s test comes from the fantastic article, “Are you as fit as a World War II GI?” over at the Art of Manliness. If you haven’t been there, treat yourself. The AOM website is an absolute treasure trove of information and fun for folks with a rough ‘n’ tumble worldview.

Here is a modified version of the AFGT scorecard from FM20-21 purpose built for this month’s test. Test once per week and record your score.

This year’s Mettlecraft challenge will be to see how high we can score on the AGFT — the Army Ground Forces Test.

No man left behind — everybody participates. See instructions befow for those with setbacks.

The Army Ground Forces Test — INDOOR VARIANT

Pullups (1 set to failure)
Squat Jumps (1 set to failure)
Pushups (1 set to failure)
Situps (As many as you can in 2 mins)
Squat Thrusts (As many as you can in 1 min)

These exercises differ from modern exercises. Refer to the descriptions in the chart.

Scoring

Perform each exercise in turn, in the same order listed on the card.
Don’t risk injury for the sake of some stupid test. Modify, adapt, and overcome. That said, A violent attacker isn’t going to lower his level of aggression because you’re old or have arthritis, and Mother Nature isn’t going to downgrade the severity of the survival situation you’ve been thrust into because you’ve got a bum knee or a cranky rotator cuff. Therefore, to gauge your fitness relative to others, take a score of zero on any exercise you have to modify. But also compete with yourself. Record your reps with the modified exercise so that you can watch yourself get stronger over the next four weeks. See “MODS FOR FOLKS WITH SETBACKS” below.
Allow 2 minutes of rest between each exercise. This is not mentioned in FM 21-20. But the logistics involved in moving entire companies of troops from one exercise to the next must have caused a significant delay between exercises — probably far more than 2 minutes!
Record rep count on the card.
Score the card after all exercises have been completed. Refer to the scoring chart at the bottom of the page. Find rep count in the appropriate column, then trace the line over the left to find the score. Record score on card.
Understand the score. The data from which these scoring tables were derived is based upon the performance of troops in good physical condition. The mean or average score is 50 points and the range is from 0 to 100 points. Thus a score of 50 represents the average score of individuals in good physical condition. Not more than 1 percent of a well-conditioned unit will score above 100. Not more than 1 percent of a well-conditioned unit fails to score at all.
A note for older folks. According to FM 21-20, “the standards tend to drop one point for each year beyond 30. Thus, a score of 50 made by a man of 40 is equivalent to a score of 60 made by a man of 30 or younger.” You should strive to score as well as you can regardless. Adjusting the score for age only gives you a comparison vs. the mean for your age group.

SUGGESTED MODIFICATIONS FOR FOLKS WITH SETBACKS

Pullups: Substitute Hanging Knee Raises, Legovers (hooking the bar with alternating legs), or hangs for time.

Pushups. Do them on knees, with hands on a bench or wall, or Planks for time.

Squat Jumps. If your knees and back can’t take ballistic movements, do Russian Squats instead.

Situps. If you have lower back issues, substitute Jackknives, Ploughs, Split Ploughs, or Sky Reaches.

Squat Thrusts. These can be hard on wrists, back, and knees. For wrist issues, put on gloves and do them on fists instead of palms. To reduce stress on back and knees, put your hands on a sturdy box or bench. Another great option is a Plank-to-Pike or an Inchworm. Start off in Plank position. Keeping hands stationary, walk feet up hands and back out to Plank.

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Sunday 11/1 is the solemnity of all saints

HONOR THE MEMORY OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF THE CHURCH

SACRED READING FOR THIS SUNDAY

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