Mark Rippetoe's idea for military PT and PT Tests

SGT James Elphick — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:38:36 -0500

I have seen a number of discussions on RallyPoint concerning PT and I read this article awhile back that I think provides an interesting look at what the future of PT should probably look like. I think one of the most important things he says in this article is how the nature of the service member has changed. 50 to 100 years ago recruits were mostly coming from a farm or some other kind of manual/physical labor so they were already strong, this instituted the military's insistence on endurance training and testing rather than strength, and this persist through to today in which many recruits enter very weak and never build strength, merely endurance.
http://rhinoden.rangerup.com/are-you-strong-enough-an-interview-with-mark-rippetoe/

Are you Strong Enough? An interview with Mark Rippetoe

Mark Rippetoe is highly sought after strength coach and author. His books Starting Strength, Strong Enough?, and Practical Programming are great resources for anyone looking to become stronger. I recently had the great pleasure of speaking to Coach Rippetoe and he was kind enough to share his thoughts on military fitness with the RU community.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2015 3:53 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:53:40 -0500

I am actually studying to be a personal trainer. NSCA TSAC-F (Tactical Strength And Conditioning - Facilitator) to be exact. It is geared towards Military & Emergency personnel. I think we all need to be in 'warrior shape' in order to maintain the force. The stuff I'm learning about can be done by everyone. It has the goal of making everyone strong enough & have enough endurance to perform their duty, even if you're at the 'stuck as desk sgt cuz i'm so outta shape' mode.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 13 at 2015 2:46 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 14:46:15 -0400

The biggest advantage of the current Army Physical Fitness test is that it requires almost no equipment - just a flat grass field, a relatively flat track or road of known distance, and a stopwatch. The Marines need only slightly more, just a pull up bar. Likewise, training for these PFTs doesn't require much in the way of equipment. (And dirt simple running PT can be led by just about anyone - "OK, we're going on a formation run. We're going to run out for 20 minutes, turn around, and come back." It requires very little mental effort on the part of leaders.)

Strength training like Mr. Rippetoe advocates requires two things: 1) weights (and the space to put them in and use them); and 2) leaders, mostly NCOs, who have a thorough understanding of how to use weights for physical training, especially proper form and how to avoid injury when using them. And when it comes to weights, you have to have enough of them that troops aren't standing around waiting their turn any longer than the prescribed rest between sets. (The common phenomenon of 1 or 2 guys lifting while the rest of the squad stands around and watches has led the CSM of more than one of my units to ban soldiers from the gym during scheduled PT hours.)

Ironically, soldiers/Marines, especially combat arms types stationed at small FOBs/COPs, probably do better at training Rippetoe-style when deployed than at home station, for the simple reason that they can't really go running (they're confined to their FOB/COP except on missions) but they can lift weights, and the necessity of watch/duty rotations means not everyone is trying to do PT from 0600-0700, so they can rotate through using the equipment more easily.