Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, were awake and training before the sun rose, completing the Army Fitness Test on Fort Knox, Ky., June 13, 2025.

The AFT is a set of five tests of strength and endurance including the three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release pushups, sprint-drag-carry, plank and a two-mile run.

Cadets at Cadet Summer Training strive to be the best. Not only the best of their company, but the best version of themselves.

“I wanted to do the best I could,” said Cadet Robert Greene, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “I wanted to get as close as I could to the max.”

Greene continued saying, “My best ACFT score was a 592 so I just really wanted to push myself and make sure I was at the top of my class here at CST.”

This friendly competition between Cadets not only drives each of them to do better, but to be the best that they can be, a goal shared by Cadet Matthew Lowe.

“I want to be an officer, and I want to be the best officer in whatever branch I get,” said Lowe, Texas Christian University. “I’m not sure exactly what that looks like yet, I guess I’ll find out on branching day, but once I get there (I will) grow where I’m planted and (I’m going to) be the best.”

Even with the friendly competition, Cadets still ensure they help motivate others.

“Encouraging others really helps me because then I get encouragement back from them,” said Cadet Bella Penna, Colorado State University. “It’s a really supportive environment.”

Whether it is the drive to be the best Cadet at CST, wanting to be the best officer they can be, or just being the best version of themselves, these Cadets truly embody the Army’s slogan, “Be All You Can Be.”