# New PT Required ?



## tomahawk6 (17 Jan 2007)

Ran across this interesting article about the physical demands placed on troops in a hot urban environment. Basic question is whether existing physical training exercises are preparing our troops for the demands of today's battlefield ?

From Strategypage.

When To Train Like An Athlete

January 17, 2007: Every time there's a war, things happen that, in hindsight, should have been so obvious. Case in point is the load infantry are carrying in Iraq, and subtle changes in tactics because of the introduction of new weapons and equipment. Turns out that the troops are not in the best physical shape for the loads they are carrying, and the work they do. The physical conditioning the troops have been getting for years needs to be changed. It's a different kind of war, and the troops, despite all the running and weight work they do, are not in the best shape for it. 

The latest generation of body armor, and the need to carry around lots of ammo and water, means troops are spending many hours running around in hot weather, carrying lots of weight. Moreover, most of the combat is urban, meaning there's a lot of running up stairs, and jumping through windows. What military physical conditioning experts are also noting are the changes in training among professional athletes. The military has long taken their physical training clues from what professional, and college, athletes are doing. And what those well prepared civilians are doing are exercises to make people most ready for exactly what they have to do. This not only makes the troops more capable in combat, but reduces injuries from sprains, pulled muscles and the like. 

Thus the interest in developing new physical training programs that will aid guys who have to hump over a hundred pounds of body armor, weapons and equipment up several flights of stairs, dive over furniture, or quickly hit the ground during a firefight. The U.S. Marine Corps, as is their custom, is in the lead with this, but the army and SOCOM are not far behind.


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## Spooks (17 Jan 2007)

Our BT is testing out a "new" system called CrossFit (www.crossfit.com) and that is doing a lot for the guys. It shows that guys who could "bench two times their body weight and do a mile in under 9min" were sucking wind. It is a workout that works the ole body, rather than the standard "Doing arms and chest today" mentality. I am told that it is basically body-building pre-1980 and one friend of mine who did it (who is normally in good shape) says he lost 10lbs in a week (his learning week), felt great, and was more ripped than before.

Another big thing, that I believe is fundamental to any level of fitness, and really important to the Americans, is the in my opinion, they don't eat the best while on tour. I can't remember what they're called from when I got a taste of them last year, but they are largely fat and carbohydrates. Maybe if troops were fed better while in Iraq, they wouldn't suck as much wind when in Iraq. However, the numbers of mouths that have to be fed on a finate budget doesn't leave that option in the feasible realm.

Just my 2 rubles.


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## a_majoor (1 Feb 2007)

Soldiers need a high level of overall fitness; I would suggest the forces look at the training programs of Olympic level athletes. Modern Pentathlon is actually derived from the activities of a military messenger in the 1800's.

BTW George S Patton Jr was an competitor in the 1912 Olympic games in the Modern Pentathlon, so we have big boots to fill.


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