- Acronym
ABCP
Army Body Composition Program
- Reference
Flagging, enrollment, and what happens after an ABCP failure
What enrollment actually costs a Soldier, what counts as satisfactory progress, and where the separation line is.
- Board question
What counts as satisfactory progress once a Soldier is enrolled in the ABCP?
AR 600-9 sets progress as a loss of three to eight pounds per month, or a reduction of about one percent body fat per month. A Soldier who is losing weight at that rate is making progress even if they are still over the standard. A Soldier who is not is subject to separation processing.
- Section
Fitness & Readiness
ACFT events and scoring, the body composition program, holistic health and fitness, profiles, and medical readiness classification.
- AR 600-9Publication
The Army Body Composition Program
AR 600-9 establishes the Army Body Composition Program: screening weight, body fat assessment, enrollment, and the consequences of failing to make progress. The regulation itself dates from July 2019, but the assessment method and body fat standards have been changed by Army directives since then. Use the current directives with the regulation.
- DA 5501Form
Body Fat Content Worksheet (Female)
Records the tape measurements and computed body fat percentage for a female Soldier who exceeds the screening table weight.
- DA 5500Form
Body Fat Content Worksheet (Male)
Records the tape measurements and computed body fat percentage for a male Soldier who exceeds the screening table weight.
- Reference
The Army Body Composition Program and the screening process
How screening table weight works, when a body fat assessment is required, the maximum allowable body fat by age and sex, and why the assessment method is not what the 2019 regulation says.
- Board question
What is the Army Body Composition Program and what regulation governs it?
The Army Body Composition Program, or ABCP, is the program that ensures Soldiers maintain the military appearance and body composition the Army requires and are able to meet the physical demands of duty. AR 600-9 governs it. The regulation is dated July 2019, and the assessment method has been changed by Army directive since then, so use the current directive with the regulation.