FORT KNOX, KY-The hum of cicadas fills the air along with the noise of Cadets already busy with their first test during Cadet Summer Training. Even though it’s only 4:00 a.m., Cadets are up and running, literally.

The first hurdle for the 1st Regiment Cadets is the Army Fitness Test, which is a series of exercises to assess the physical ability and readiness of Cadets.

After a day of sitting in classrooms, the fresh air and promise of physical activity is a welcome reprieve to Cadet Alex Wells, Louisiana State University.

“I like to hit the ground running,” said Wells. “I’m a go, go, go kind of person.”

The AFT consists of five tests including three-repetition maximum deadlifts, hand-release pushups, sprint-drag-carry, plank and ends with a timed two-mile run.

Each event is specifically designed to prepare Cadets for their future Army careers and challenges they will face on the battlefield.

“For example, the sprint, drag, carry, if we need to drag the battle buddy during aid and litter or a medevac evacuation,” said Cadet Alixys Garcia, University of Central Florida. “It just trains you for different strengths that could be combined into the tactical environment.”

Wells emphasized the importance of keeping a positive attitude when preparing for the AFT and reciting affirmations, “Hey, I’m about to ace this. I’m [going to] do really well. There’s nothing going to stop me.”

Other Cadets focus on their personal goals to help push them through the challenging tests.

“Physical training, I think, has helped with my resilience and just being able to push forward no matter what,” said Cadet Ellison Mucharsky, Brown University.

Cadet Kody Gums’, Prairie View A&M University, goal is to make both his school and family proud through achieving the highest scores possible, “I know [that as] a lieutenant you should be able to lead from the front.”

No matter their initial motivation, all Cadets agreed that the support from fellow Cadets went a long way in helping them prepare and push through the AFT.

“We were all really positive and cheering each other on the whole time, which I think really helped, so I really, really love my platoon so far. I think we’re going to be a really good community,” said Mucharsky.