Posted on Aug 8, 2015
Does it bother you to see Soldiers in ACUs during accountability formation prior to morning PT?
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SMA Daily considers morning PT his sanctity time. http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2015/04/20/sma-dan-dailey-physical-fitness-plan/25934579/
I just watched a young (first-time enlister) get flagged for failing a record height and weight. I noticed that he misses a lot of morning PT because he has medical appointments for the very thing that causes him to be on profile. I think the Army has lost it's focus towards the value of having morning PT conducted. I believe that this is one of the most important training events of the day and all else (other than directed missions) should work around PT, not the other way around. I'm tired of hearing about leaders mandating early morning meetings during this time. I want to be with my Soldiers and assess their athleticism while building comradery. Am I over-reacting? I don't think I am.
I just watched a young (first-time enlister) get flagged for failing a record height and weight. I noticed that he misses a lot of morning PT because he has medical appointments for the very thing that causes him to be on profile. I think the Army has lost it's focus towards the value of having morning PT conducted. I believe that this is one of the most important training events of the day and all else (other than directed missions) should work around PT, not the other way around. I'm tired of hearing about leaders mandating early morning meetings during this time. I want to be with my Soldiers and assess their athleticism while building comradery. Am I over-reacting? I don't think I am.
Posted in these groups: 
Accountability
Physical Training
Accountability Physical Training
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 19
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There's a lot of factors at play here.
Let's look at a couple pragmatic ones, like scheduling of appointments. Scheduling them at the beginning and end of days "just makes sense" as it doesn't interrupt the normal workday. Most leaders will "prefer" if not "insist" on that. Losing someone for several hours in the middle of the day just creates more issues than it is worth, because of inconvenience.
Now that said, PT does not have to be conducted in the morning. We do that as a matter of convenience as well. Just like we are scheduling other appointments. We could just as easily do it pre or post chow, or at the end of the day. We choose to do it in the morning to eliminate other conflicts.
Although we used to have Unit PT in the mornings 0600-0700, when we did squad/section or platoon level PT we would vary it up throughout the day. This allowed us to have a more robust training schedule and avoid issues like the one you mention above.
Let's look at a couple pragmatic ones, like scheduling of appointments. Scheduling them at the beginning and end of days "just makes sense" as it doesn't interrupt the normal workday. Most leaders will "prefer" if not "insist" on that. Losing someone for several hours in the middle of the day just creates more issues than it is worth, because of inconvenience.
Now that said, PT does not have to be conducted in the morning. We do that as a matter of convenience as well. Just like we are scheduling other appointments. We could just as easily do it pre or post chow, or at the end of the day. We choose to do it in the morning to eliminate other conflicts.
Although we used to have Unit PT in the mornings 0600-0700, when we did squad/section or platoon level PT we would vary it up throughout the day. This allowed us to have a more robust training schedule and avoid issues like the one you mention above.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
MSgt Marvin Kinderknecht - Think of it like a Fuel Tank. You don't have to be "Full" but you don't want to be running on "Empty" either.
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MSgt Marvin Kinderknecht
I agree. To many "energy bars, etc" Of course I want a "full tank" if I am going to fly. After reading all these comments on RP, i am getting a greater appreciation of the Army!! Go guys go. Pearl harbor Day today.
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MSgt Marvin Kinderknecht
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS - Hey Sgt. If you can't be proud of who you are, you can always be proud of WHAT you are!! Take that to the bank.
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Not only is conditioning important, it is part of the Service members job.
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Lt Col (Join to see)
1stSgt (Join to see) - I'm an officer, in a unit full of officers. The highest ranking enlisted person in the unit is an E-5. Sadly, I don't have the equivalent of a Gunny.
On the bright side, the med group did send a couple folks for several hours in the morning to give us flu shots.
On the bright side, the med group did send a couple folks for several hours in the morning to give us flu shots.
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1stSgt (Join to see)
Lt Col (Join to see) , no reason why an E5 can't do that simple coordination. He just needs a good O3 to back his play. Semper Fidelis, Skipper.
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In the event this comes up, a little chat with the Soldier's NCO will ensure that his PT session gets done daily despite appointments. Plenty of time in a day, after all.
A more focused session targeting the Soldier's deficiencies is more productive anyway.
I'll bet the appointment conflict goes away...
A more focused session targeting the Soldier's deficiencies is more productive anyway.
I'll bet the appointment conflict goes away...
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MSG (Join to see)
Great response. I know it's a leadership issue, but why should the leader have to work around the early appointment. I'm not talking about the "once-in-a-while" appointments. I'm there ready to go at the Commander's schedule PT time. Should I allow Soldiers to miss specialized training and be told to make it up during the day? As a leader, I know every minute of my day is filled and my family is waiting for me to come home. I don't just blame the Soldiers, I think external agencies have no appreciation of the importance of morning PT.
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1SG (Join to see)
MSG (Join to see), at issue here is a Soldier that fails to meet the standard and his/her apparent desire to schedule appointments during PT. It could be that the sick call/ clinic hours happen to be in that timeframe. It is that way on many posts.
I would suggest using one of my tactics. I scheduled remedial PT at 1730. No training schedule conflicts (minus an FTX) and all of the clinics are closed. A targeted training session focused on the "build" phase is more beneficial to the Soldiers than the "maintain" phase exercises in unit PT anyway. Nobody wants to be there at 1730, so all are a bit more motivated.
A determined NCO could get to the bottom of the attempts to evade PT, but really the goal should be to change the Soldier's body composition and attitude.
I would suggest using one of my tactics. I scheduled remedial PT at 1730. No training schedule conflicts (minus an FTX) and all of the clinics are closed. A targeted training session focused on the "build" phase is more beneficial to the Soldiers than the "maintain" phase exercises in unit PT anyway. Nobody wants to be there at 1730, so all are a bit more motivated.
A determined NCO could get to the bottom of the attempts to evade PT, but really the goal should be to change the Soldier's body composition and attitude.
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