Soldiers enrolled in all branches of the armed services need to train for the physical rigors and stress of wartime duty. Military-style training incorporates calisthenic exercises combined with core conditioning and cardiovascular exercise to prepare soldiers for battle. Civilians can utilize this approach to fitness to enhance fitness level and instill mental toughness.
Basic Training
Basic training shapes new military recruits physically and mentally to pass military standards and prepare for duty. Recruits undergo basic physical conditioning to perform specific duties assigned. Daily exercise routines include warmup drills, calisthenic exercises, such as pushups and pullups, core exercises that include the situp and cardiovascular conditioning, such as running. According to the Army Physical Training Guide, "military physical training begins with an initial assessment of the soldier's ability."
Calisthenic Exercises
"Military training employs classic calisthenic movements like pullups, pushups, squats, lunges and jumping jacks to increase muscular endurance," reports the Army Study Guide website. This mode of exercise is highly versatile and can potentially be used anywhere, providing flexibility for soldiers and civilians.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Cardiovascular routines include hiking with heavy packs, running in uniform and boots or swimming for distance. "Short periods of sprinting while carrying combat loads of 50 to 75 pounds or more is often the daily requirement for soldiers on combat patrols," claims former Navy Seal and Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Stew Smith. As military warfare changes, "newer approaches to fitness are employed such as short sprints in full battle gear as opposed to distance runs in army supplied shorts and T-shirt," explains an article on the Army Times website.
Core Exercise
A vital component to military fitness is core training. This training facilitates strength and core stability to transport heavy packs or carry another soldier from a warzone. Civilians can acquire improvements from core conditioning including improved posture and decreased back pain. Close attention to situp form is utilized in the military to ensure proper muscular involvement. "Proper form of the situp involves elbows touching knees in the up position and shoulder blades touching the ground in the down position," informs the Military website.
Test And Challenge
Civilians can add fun to workouts by testing ability to perform according to military standards. Tests can include a situp test, pushup test, pullup test and timed run trials. Obtain military standards information and set a time line to achieve the minimal requirements to create purpose to any fitness program.
Member Comments