Army Leg Tuck ACFT – The Ultimate Guide

The Army Leg Tuck Event – As we all saw in the initial testing of the ACFT, the Leg Tuck Event was the number one failed event for both males and females. A higher percentage of females did fail compared to the males but that doesn’t matter.

What does matter, is this event is a problem and we need solutions! I am going to do whatever it takes to give useful information to Soldiers so they can pass the ACFT Leg Tuck Event. I have built this Ultimate Guide to Army Leg Tucks for all soldiers who want to better themselves or NCOs / Leaders who want to help those in need. Let’s Get started.

Be sure to comment or email us at ArmyCombatfitness@gmail.com if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Quick Links / Page Layout

---

What is an Army Leg Tuck?

An Army Leg Tuck by short definition is:

1. Grab pull up bar with an Alternate Grip
2. Hang off the bar – Body in a straight line
3. Bend Elbows (no exact degree of angle)
4. Bring both knees to both elbows
5. Bring legs back to starting position (straight dead hang)
6. When performing another rep you can NOT swing or use momentum (aka kipping) at the bottom to assist in getting next rep.

For a full explanation on this event go to ACFT Events Explained.

---

Army Leg Tuck Standards

We all need to know what the Army expects from us. The Standards for the leg tuck are listed below.

You will need to perform the following for each category

• Heavy = 5 reps
• Significant = 3 reps
• Moderate = 1 rep

If you are not sure what your MOS standards are, please go to see the ACFT Standards by MOS page. Here you will see what category you fall under.

Grading a Leg Tuck

https://youtu.be/GodsUy-YJXs

Grading the leg tuck can get a little tricky. The main points I want to point out are:

1. You ONLY need to break your elbows. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO A FULL PULL UP.
2. There is no exact degree of angle the Army wants you to bend your elbows. Just make a slight bend in the elbows, that is all.
3. You are allowed to swing a little bit at the bottom. You just are not allowed to go all Cross-Fitted out and get crazy at the bottom of the rep.

I highly recommend you read the full explanation on proper grading here: Grading the ACFT

The link above will let you know everything you need to know about grading ever event on the ACFT.

Leg Tuck Alt. Event – 2 Min Plank

As of June 15, 2020 the Army has created a temporary Alternate Event for the Leg Tuck Event on the ACFT.

• Once a Soldier has attempted a Leg Tuck and does not meet the standard, that Soldier may now substitute the LTK with a 2-minute plank.
• Performing the 2 min plank (with proper form) will earn the 60 points required to pass the LTK event.

Can’t Do A Leg Tuck – 3 Reasons Why.

The are 3 main reasons why a Soldier can not perform a Leg Tuck:

1. You are not strong enough
2. You are too heavy
3. Both

1. Not Strong Enough

Lack of strength for the Leg Tuck Event is due to many reasons. We can sit here and debate on the fact if I am right or wrong all day. Have fun. I am going to state my opinion now and wither you disagree or agree please let me know and maybe you can change my mind. I do not know everything and I am always open for new perspectives.

In My Opinion Soldiers are not strong enough due to:

• A lot of Units run away from the pull up bars at PT
  • NCO/PT Leaders fail to plan workouts catered to muscle in the back (AKA: Pull Muscles)
  • Putting together and performing a “Pull” workout is not easy to do. Therefore Pull Workouts are avoided.

IN GENERAL

For a long time now the Army has been neglecting “Pull Exercises”. We need to start concentrating on these exercises or we will see a lot of ACFT failures in the near future.

Female Soldiers will tend to have a much stronger lower body than upper body. This is why we see many females struggle with the Leg Tuck Event.

In male Soldiers we see a lot of Leg Tuck failures due to the lack of strength in the Pull Muscles (Lats, Rear Deltoids and Biceps) and Over-Strength in the Push Muscles (Chest, Front Deltoids and Triceps). Meaning a lot of males are doing too many push ups, bench presses etc. and not enough pull ups or chin ups in the gym or at PT.

2. Too Heavy

3. BOTH

Some of us need to lose some weight and hit the gym. (I would say period here… If I was talking)

Great now you’r calling me fat and weak. What the hell is that going to do?

Stooooooop… It is not the end of the world. Lucky for you I gain weight easy and know the struggles that come with the pull up bar. There are solutions!

---

How Improve Your Leg Tucks – 5 Steps

1. Know the Muscles of the Leg Tuck
2. Know How to Train Those Muscles
3. Progression is Key
4. Stick to a Workout Plan!
5. Get the RIGHT Tools for Training

What’s going on everybody? 

It’s Rob Gibson, newpttestarmy.com.

I’m coming to you for the answer to “How Can I Improve My Leg Tucks”

Obviously, this is a problem in the army right now for new recruits and soldiers who are already in the army. The leg tuck is a huge problem. 

Right here, I’m just trying to answer that question, as much as I can in 5 simple steps. 

Obviously, if you want to get the in-depth answer to all these five steps, you just have to go to the leg tuck ultimate guide on the website. The link will be down below.


We’re going to start with number 1. 

The first thing you need to do to improve your leg tucks is Know What Muscles To Train. I.e. if you’re going to do push ups all day, it’s not going to help you out on your leg tuck. You need to know what muscles to train. 

So a basic anatomy lesson right here: you want to hit your biceps, your lats, you also want to hit your front core and, lastly (the most important muscle that a lot of people underestimate or don’t pay enough attention to), your forearms/ your grip strength.

If you can’t hold on to the bar, how do you expect to do a leg tuck? 

Step number 2: Know How To Train Those Muscles

Now that we know what muscles to train, we need to know what exercises to do. So anything that is a pull exercise: pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldown and dumbbell rows. These are all great exercises for a leg tuck.  Obviously, any core exercise would also be great for the leg tuck. 

So now you know what muscles to train and what exercises to do. 

Check the leg tuck ultimate guide for more in-depth knowledge. 
Step 3:  Progression Is Key

I can see why people get so discouraged when they are trying to do a leg tuck. If you go up there and you can only hold on to the bar for 5 seconds, you can’t expect to accomplish a leg tuck.  

You need to start at the level you’re currently at and make your way towards your goal progressively. 

I would start with Dumbbell rows. Then I would move on to Body rows until you get about a 45 degree or a lower angle.

And then you’re going to move up to band-assisted pull-ups or chin-ups. So remember it’s all about progression. Start at your level and make your way up.

Don’t try to get up on that bar and expect to do 5 or 6 reps. It’s not going to happen. 

You have to start at your level. 


Step 4: Stick To A Workout Plan

Don’t go do one workout and call it a day. Say you’re already good at running, or you’re already good at deadlifts, or you at least know you can pass these events but the leg tuck is an event that you can’t pass; concentrate your efforts on that event. 

That is the one event you need to master. So if you need just one leg tuck, or three, or five, and you’re not getting there - I would focus on working on that every other day. Give yourself 48 hours of rest but focus. 

Focus on what needs to be done. Make a scheduled program - when you’re going to hit those muscles. But don’t forget to allow those muscles to rest. 


Step 5: Get The Right Tools For Training
We’re in the army. The army gives us everything we need, like we have gym memberships (I know we had the coronavirus pandemic, which messed up gym schedules). You get everything for free. 

If you want to make this easier for yourself, and you want to do workouts in your room, get the tools. Order them online, they are not that expensive. I’m sure there are people who have them lying around and are not using them, you can ask to borrow them. 

The three things you will need are some weights - some dumbbells, I like the adjustable dumbbells because I can do a lot more exercises but if it’s not in your budget, just buy one dumbbell that is going to challenge you. Or like I said, you can borrow from friends. Also, people are selling stuff on Facebook crazy cheap, check on there. 

Next thing are pull-up bars. Pull-up bars are all over the base. But if you don’t feel like going up to a pull-up bar, buy one for your doorway. They work, I use them - if I’m not ripping my wall down, you’re not going to rip your wall down. Just get a pull-up bar.

The last thing I really want you to understand is if you’re having a problem with your leg tuck, you’re going to need bands. Start with the thick one and work your way down to a smaller one to where you’re doing bodyweight workouts/chin-ups/pull-ups/etc. This will help you get to numerous leg tucks. If you’re doing pull-ups and chin-ups, you can definitely do a leg tuck. 

If you want in-depth knowledge on all of this, check out the leg tuck ultimate guide. 

Get the ultimate guide. It will help you out on everything you need and if you have any questions, shoot me an email or hit me up in the comments under the video, you know I’ll respond. 

All right guys, good luck and let me know if you need help.

---

Below we will go over the simple step by step way to get more Leg Tucks. Let’s get it!

1. Muscle of the Leg Tuck

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbVoZxGAXq0VClKH3eVeLYQ

Lets learn about the focused muscle groups:

Pull Exercises are your NEW BEST FRIEND

As we all know the OLD ARMY was all about Sit Ups and Pushups.

• Think about Basic Training how many Pushups did you do? You did so many your head would spin trying to figure it out.
• Now how many pull ups did you do? May take a second to figure out but you probably did about 5-10 a week when you performed muscle failure 2 times a week, once a week you would be on the pull up bars.
• Once you got into the real Army, how many did you do? Maybe 5-10 a month?
• This is what the Army is trying to stop. They want a well rounded combat athlete. So if you continue reading below you will find out what muscles are labeled “Pull-Muscles”, Exercises to perform to make these “Pull-Muscles” strong and 4 Progressive Workouts to help you kill it on the Leg Tuck Event.

Muscle Breakdown – Leg Tuck

Biceps

Latissimus Dorsi

Forearms and Grip (Hand) Muscles

The Front Core Muscles

Rectus Abdominis

When we think of the Rectus Abdominal Muscles we instantly think 6 Pack! This is the muscle we all love to see on our bodies. These are the muscles that start to pop-out when our diet is on point and we have been training hard.

The Rectus Abdominis connect the rip cage to your hips. The purpose of this muscle is to tilt the rips and pelvis towards each other. Crazy! Thats exactly what we need to do while performing the Leg Tuck. So yes this is the number one muscle we need to work in the core when it comes to bringing our knees to our chest during the Leg Tuck Event.

Internal and External Obliques

Iliopsoas

Rectus Femoris

2. Know How to Train Leg Tuck Muscles

The human body has 3 types of muscle. Type 1, 2a & 2b. When Training for the Leg Tuck Event we need. to know that MAJORITY of the event is Type 2a which is also know as Muscle Strength and Endurance.

The Leg Tuck falls under the category of Muscle Strength & Endurance Training

If you want the “Real-Deal Scoop” on how to train the right muscle fibers click on the button below

If you are interested in learning more about the specific topic of muscle strength & endurance training, I highly suggest you read more by clicking below

3. Progression is KEY for the Army Leg Tuck

• Where are you at?
  • You need to understand where you are at. Can you do 2 reps under control? Can you do 10 reps? No Reps? Wherever you are at, IT DOES NOT MATTER! You can and you will get stronger. You just need to start NOW.
• Don’t Quit on yourself
  • You need to understand just because you can NOT do a single Leg Tuck right now, does not mean you can’t do multiply reps a months from now.
• Choose a Plan of action and stick to it!
  • You need to PROGRESSIVELY get you body lighter and get your Pull/Core Muscles Stronger. It is that simple.

4. Stick to a Workout Plan!

There are plans everywhere. Damn. If you asked your uncle right now he will make a plan for you. The 1st thing you want to do is make sure your workout plan covers this check list

Leg Tuck Workout Creation Check List

• Workout caters to a specific event (i.e. Leg Tuck)
• Exercises in the workout target the right muscle groups
  • Lats
  • Bis
  • Core
  • Forearms
• Proper workout set-up to hit the right muscle fibers
  • sets
  • reps
  • weight
  • rest periods
  • superset pairing
• Use Proper Form
• Record your workouts and track progress

The Check List above is a good start for knowing whether or not your Army Leg Tuck workout has everything it needs. Go to this link if you want to learn more about Creating an ACFT Workout Plan.

5. Train with the Right Tools

• Get The Right Leg Tuck Programs
• Buy Some Home (or Barracks) Equipment
• Find a Gym Partner or Coach

Buy Some Home (or Barracks) Equipment

If it comes down to the fact that Leg Tucks are a serious problem for you. It would be wise to take matters into your own hands and start working out at home or in the barracks. For all of you over achievers I don’t need to explain myself.

You know the Army alone wont get you to the top of the score chart. You are already tracking work on your own time will only get your closer to a 600 score. Here are some links to equipment that can be shipped right to your door. If you super cheap like me I have listed other options.

Find a Gym Partner or Coach

As we all know having a workout buddy or even better a mentor always makes going to the gym a lot easier. If you can get someone who knows what they are doing. Even better!

Bonus: Leg Tuck Workout by the Army

YouTube Video MP3:

https://newpttestarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/How-to-do-More-Knee-Tucks-ACFT-Army-Combat-Fitness-Test-New-PT-Test.mp3

What’s going on guys?  It’s Rob Gibson from NewPTtestArmy.com.  Right now we’re gonna work on our leg tuck for the ACFT.  What I’m going to do is give you some tips tricks that come straight out of the Army Combat Fitness Training guide.  

Gibson

Get More Leg Tucks on the New Army PT Test – ACFT

The Bent Leg Raise

Leg Tuck and Twist

Alternate Grip Pull-ups

Wrap it up

Alright guys well that’s it for the leg tuck workout. Like I said, if we do this on a consistent basis you will increase your repetitions for your Leg Tuck. So,  if you liked this video and it helped you out, please subscribe and share with your friends

---

Progressive Leg Tuck Plan – Go from 1 to 10 Leg Tucks

Know your Level:

• Beginner: 0-2 Leg Tucks
• Novice: 2-4 Leg Tucks
• Intermediate: 4-6 Leg Tucks
• Advanced: 7-10 Leg Tucks

Use Progressive Leg Tuck Exercises – Stay in Your Level

Beginner Exercises: Soldiers who can perform 0-2 Leg Tucks

Body Row

Hang & Hold

Rower (feet off ground)

Plank

---

Novice Exercises: Soldiers who can perform 2-4 Leg Tucks

Alt Grip Negatives

Jack Knife (asst) Chin Ups

Elbow to Knee – Bicycle Kicks

Army V-Up

---

Intermediate Exercises: Soldiers who can perform 4-6 Leg Tucks

Knee Tuck Negatives

Band Assisted Chin-ups

Leg Tuck and Twist

Real V-Up

---

Advanced Exercises: Soldiers who can perform 7+ Leg Tucks

Chin-Up & Knee Tuck

Leg Tucks

Weighted V-Up

Wheel

---

Perform Workouts on Your Level

Now you know what level you are at, you know what exercises to do, it is time to put a workout together.

Level 1 Workout – Leg Tuck Army ACFT

“I am able to perform 0-2 Controlled Reps”

Beginner Leg Tuck Training Program –

_________

Level 2 Workout – Leg Tuck Army ACFT

“I am able to perform 2-4 Controlled Reps”

Novice Leg Tuck Training Program

_________

---

Weight Loss for More Leg Tucks

It doesn’t matter if you are packing on the pounds through body fat or pure muscle. Either way this presents a challenge holding your body on that bar during the Leg Tuck. Also, if we have a large belly… guess what gets in the way of bringing your knees to your elbows?

So, the heavier you are the harder it is going to be. End of story. We need to focus on getting our body as lean as possible without losing upper body and core strength. So while we drop weight, we do NOT want to lose muscle (especially in our Upper Body Pull Muscles and our Core Muscles). We want to get rid of any unnecessary weight like body fat.

Nutrition 101

Know your Macros

If you are serious about losing weight you need to look at your macros. Everyone who is serious about being in shape will tell you. It is all about your diet. Now if you are not getting the right amount of FAT, CARBS or PROTEIN. You will not succeed in losing weight. End of story. Take a look at what macros are and how you can get your macros right for weight loss.

 Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MindOverMunch

• You will need to figure out what works best for you. I personally see the best results  with a higher Protein percentage and a lower Carb percentage.

My Personal Macros for Losing Weight

• My personal macros = 2,000 calories
• Protein = 220 grams = 44%
• Fat = 75 grams = 34%
• Carbs = 110 grams = 22%

Recommended Macros

• 45–65% calories from carbs
• 20–35% calories from fats 
• 10–35% calories from proteins

If you need help with your personal macros just email me at Armycombatfitness@gmail.com

Burn More Calories Than You Eat

Sounds simple but you need to realize that you can only go into a 500-750 calorie deficit each day if you want to lose weight and keep muscle. This means plan on losing about 1 pound – 1.5 pounds a week.  That is if you stick to your Macros everyday without missing one day.

     

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4rlAVgAK0SGk-yTfe48Qpw

Stop or Limit Your Alcohol Intake.

NO ONE knows more than me. Alcohol can messed up a lot more than your macros and calorie deficit. Alcohol not only stops your body from repair but also SHUTS DOWN your METABOLISM.  So if you want to lose weight and put on muscle… I would highly recommend cutting out the booz. You can’t get “waste-y face” every weekend and wonder why you’re not getting results. It may not be what you want to hear but it’s true.

_________________________________________

Create Leg Tuck PT Plan

If you’re looking for some ideas, exercises and an ACFT Training Plan for the Leg Tuck event for your next Army PT session? Here is a great Leg Tuck and Deadlift workout. Below you will find the video of the workout in action at PT. The PDF of the workout Plan and how to execute. If you need further assistance please let me know.

Creating a Leg Tuck Plan for PT –

When it come down to making a workout for the ACFT it can be tricky. When it comes to making a workout for the ACFT and have 20-30 soldiers workout at the same time. NOW that is a different story!  The key to making a good workout for your platoon is to make a workout that goes off a stopwatch.  Then the second most important thing is having stations & soldiers in a line ready to go.

Click here for more on info on creating ACFT Workout Plans click below:

4 Keys to a Successful Army ACFT Training Plan.

1. Have a Stopwatch, Cell Phone or Wrist Watch on you.
2. Know Your Soldiers – Place them in equal to similar Ability Groups
3. Keep ability groups in different lanes
4. Use Cadence to keep order

Timing is everything for your Training Plan.

• For this workout we want to keep everyone on a 1 minute timer.
• If you are doing this for PT you need to KNOW YOUR SOLDIERS and what level they are at. You need to pair them up with an equal/close-to-equal Soldier.
• You will need to group your soldiers in the following order: Read KISS below.

KISS – Example Leg Tuck Workout Below:

Keep It Simple Stupid: ALWAYS make sure stations are set up as follows:

Lane Set Up for PT :

Key Points

Allow 60 seconds for each station

• Group soldiers in Lane by same Leg Tuck Level of Fitness
• Always have Station 1 and 3 as a Safety Station
• *Follow Instructions Above and You will always have a Safety for the Soldier performing the Pull Exercise.

Minute by Minute :

On the Command “GO” Soldiers Will begin the Leg Tuck Workout

As you can see in the chart below. We have an example of what you will see at PT.

In the 1st lane we have 4 soldiers. Lane two has 3 Soldiers. The last lane has 2 Soldiers. If you have a lane with just one Soldier the NCOIC or Soldier conducting PT will be that single Soldier’s partner. If you follow the game plan and stick to the station layout. You will have no problems with Soldiers motivating each other and you will never have a problem with safety.  You will encourage Soldiers to assist only when needed. See climbing drills for more information.

Soldier will go to the Next Exercise Every 60 seconds

Below is a graph of the how the Soldiers will switch on the minute.

NOTICE: There will always be a safety as long as you have 2 Soldiersper lane

Reps for Army Strength Training Plan

Your goal is to aim for 8-5 reps of whatever leg tuck exercise you are doing. 16-12 reps of the core exercise.

Sets for Army Training Plan

To keep variety and stop boredom, I recommend doing NO MORE than 5 sets. So you can maximize strength gains I would go NO LESS than 3 sets.

Just remember 5 Sets of low reps (8 or lower) is optimum for strength building 

Keeping Order & Peace (of Mind)

you don’t want you PT session to turn into a free-for-all. I HIGHLY recommend you doing “by the numbers”, “in cadence” or simply giving the command of  “Up – Down”. Whatever you choose to use doesn’t really matter. All I know is the 1st time I did this workout it was very chaotic. Soldiers were jumping on and off the bar whenever they wanted. Walking to the back of the line without being a safety.  It was an Army PT Circus.

Just make sure you have your commands and use your big boy / big girl’s voice or you will have a mess on your hands.  I hope this helps please feel free to contact me if you have questions. Enjoy!

Must Have Leg Tuck Equipment

Leg Tuck PDFs

Want more on Leg Tuck Workouts click here –> https://newpttestarmy.com/how-to-do-more-leg-tucks-acft-new-army-p

ACFT Leg Tuck Army Progressive workout Program.pdf

Training 1 lane.pdf

3 lanes training.pdf

train ACFT min by min.pdf

FAQ Leg Tucks