Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - = Army=20 Times
![3D"Army](3D"http://www.armytimes.com/images/logo_armytimes.gif"){kind=logo}
![3D"Your](3D"http://www.armytimes.com/images/tag_armytimes.gif")
Customer=20
Service =E2=96=A0
Subscribe to Army=20
Times =E2=96=A0
Subscription=20 Renewal =E2=96=A0
Advertise in Army=20
Times =E2=96=A0
Subscription=20 Renewal =E2=96=A0
Quick Links
![3DAdvertisement=20](3D"http://www.armytimes.com/images/advertisement.gif")
![3DPrint=20](3D"http://www.armytimes.com/images/print.gif")
news/2008/06/army_PT_overhaul_061408w
New PT plan redefines =E2=80=98Army Strong=E2=80=99
By Gina=20
Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 17, 2008 17:22:53 = EDT
Posted : Tuesday Jun 17, 2008 17:22:53 = EDT
FORT JACKSON, S.C. =E2=80=94 An overhauled physical training program = that links a=20 soldier=E2=80=99s fitness and exercise to the demands of combat and long = deployments is=20 on its way to the operational Army.
A draft manual that spells out the changes is being reviewed by = soldiers on a=20 wide distribution list. But when approved =E2=80=94 which could be = within months =E2=80=94 it=20 will be the first change to the Army PT manual since 1992.
The 645-page draft manual contains dozens of fitness regimens for a = 12-month=20 period, designed to take soldiers through the deployment life cycle. The = workouts are aimed at conditioning soldiers for the missions and tasks = they=20 perform every day, rather than getting them in shape for the semiannual = Army=20 Physical Fitness Test.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, commanding general of Army Accessions = Command,=20 which oversees the Basic Combat Training Directorate and U.S. Army = Physical=20 Fitness School, said the Army was =E2=80=9Cmoving towards warrior tasks = and battle=20 drills, expeditionary-Army-centric PT.=E2=80=9D
Full battle rattle, rather than shorts and a T-shirt, is the required = PT gear=20 for a number of the workout routines.
Some sets require soldiers to exercise in their Army Combat Uniforms, = wearing=20 body armor and helmets with rifles slung across their backs. The = exercises are=20 designed to build the strength and flexibility soldiers need for the = jobs they=20 do =E2=80=94 perhaps to dash 50 yards in full battle gear and jump a low = wall, or to=20 endure the twisting and balance of manning a gun turret.
The PT test =E2=80=94 which has remained unchanged since it first = appeared in 1980 =E2=80=94=20 will stay the same for now, leaders say, because the Army wants soldiers = to=20 focus on the new PT regimen and its benefits for helping them in their = jobs.
Push-ups and sit-ups will continue to be part of PT, but sprinting = and=20 walking are recommended over distance running, which was found to have = been=20 =E2=80=9Coveremphasized=E2=80=9D in the current manual, according to = briefing notes that=20 accompany the draft.
Hundreds of exercises designed to build the strength, motor patterns = and=20 endurance soldiers need in the field are included in the new manual, = organized=20 into weekly and monthly workouts linked to the Army=E2=80=99s warrior = tasks and battle=20 drills.
Recognizing that not all soldiers and units have regular access to a = full=20 gym, the new manual also provides a lengthy section on strength training = with=20 dumbbells, which are easy to store and transport.
In another move to more closely match physical fitness training to = field=20 requirements, there is a chapter devoted to water survival training = =E2=80=94 the first=20 time the subject has been included in the PT manual. another chapter = lays out=20 testing procedures for combat water survival.
Getting in deployment shape
Many of the individual exercises are not necessarily new to the Army = but will=20 be to many soldiers. They were chosen specifically for their value in = training=20 soldiers to be strong, fast and agile and are grouped into sets of = drills=20 designed to progressively condition, toughen and sustain soldiers in a = pattern=20 that mirrors the Army Forces Generation Model, a full life cycle that = includes=20 readiness training, deployment, redeployment, reset and back to = readiness.
Using that model, the manual offers a year=E2=80=99s worth of sample = PT schedules=20 that take a unit through that progression, including a couple of sample=20 schedules that can be used during deployment.
Commanders can select as they see fit from a menu of drills and = activities=20 that meet their mission-essential task lists for their type of unit. = Each day=E2=80=99s=20 workout is designed to take about 60 minutes.
=E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s not a routine, it=E2=80=99s a system,=E2=80=9D = said Army Physical Fitness School=20 director Frank Palkoska, who co-wrote and developed the manual and = curriculum=20 with training development specialist and deputy director Steve = VanCamp.
Palkoska and VanCamp said they kept the idea of a =E2=80=9Ctactical = athlete=E2=80=9D in mind=20 as they rewrote the book over the past five years, hoping that leaders = will use=20 the information to condition soldiers for peak performance the same way=20 professional athletes train.
=E2=80=9CThe drills are crafted for balance and should be done as = prescribed. The=20 more you deviate, the more you run the risk of not getting the results = you=20 want,=E2=80=9D VanCamp said. =E2=80=9CDon=E2=80=99t just take all the = ones you like and do them. Do all=20 the exercises in the drill and get really good at them, and = you=E2=80=99ll see a total=20 change in your body.=E2=80=9D
The draft PT manual is an expanded version of a physical readiness = training=20 program that was introduced at basic training posts four years ago, and = it=E2=80=99s the=20 first time an Army PT manual has been validated with proven results.
According to Palkoska, 85 percent of men and 75 percent of women in = basic=20 training who were conditioned using the new combat PT regimen scored = higher than=20 60 percent on the APFT=E2=80=99s three events =E2=80=94 push-ups, = sit-ups and running.
Basic trainees are required to score 50-50-50 to pass, but, according = to Col.=20 Kevin Shwedo, deputy commander of Fort Jackson, more than half are = passing with=20 those higher scores.
Freakley said that beyond test scores, the most important benefit of = the=20 overhauled PT is that =E2=80=9Cclearly, a large part of an Army being = able to fight is=20 our physical condition.=E2=80=9D
Freakley praised the manual=E2=80=99s focus on preparing soldiers for = missions of all=20 intensity levels, not the least of which are the long-term missions in = Iraq and=20 Afghanistan.
=E2=80=9CIf you look at us before the start of this war, we did not = wear 70 pounds of=20 equipment,=E2=80=9D he said, predicting that leaders across the Army = would embrace the=20 new regimen once they got a chance to work with it, understanding that = it=20 conditions soldiers for hard work.
=E2=80=9CWhat compels the leader to want to do this is that this = manual is warrior=20 task- and battle drill-centric. It=E2=80=99s about mobility, = it=E2=80=99s about strength and=20 it=E2=80=99s about endurance, and it=E2=80=99s putting those all = together in and out of your=20 kit.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=98Toughened and sustained=E2=80=99
Staff Sgt. Michael Norton, 27, was recently assigned to work at the = physical=20 fitness school and has been familiarizing himself with the new = manual.
The section on gym workouts, he said, =E2=80=9Cis exactly the kind of = stuff soldiers=20 buy Men=E2=80=99s Health magazine for.=E2=80=9D
But he also gave high praise to the manual=E2=80=99s focus on what = regular Joes need=20 to be strong enough for their missions.
He said infantrymen need to be able to move in full battle rattle as = though=20 they were not weighed down by all that they carry.
His unit=E2=80=99s forward operating base in Afghanistan, he said, = =E2=80=9Cwas at 3,800=20 feet, and it was like 80 degrees in the morning and snowing in the=20 afternoon.=E2=80=9D
He and his squadmates carried up to 85 pounds on their bodies.
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99ve been pretty winded climbing up some of those = inclines. Our perimeter=20 security was always up,=E2=80=9D he said.
This new PT, he said, =E2=80=9Chas more emphasis on the speed and = resistance you need=20 to be strong for operations in this environment for a year.=E2=80=9D
Another fan of the new manual is Lt. Col. Dave Snodgrass, commander = of 2nd=20 Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, a basic training unit at Fort Jackson = that=E2=80=99s=20 been doing the overhauled basic training PT since 2004.
=E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99re going to export this to the rest of the Army. = I=E2=80=99m a believer =E2=80=94 it=20 works,=E2=80=9D said Snodgrass, who has seen marked changes in his = trainees.
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m a big runner, but the reality is, you=E2=80=99re = never going to run four miles=20 in combat,=E2=80=9D he said. =E2=80=9CBut I still believe in having = soldiers run four miles as a=20 way of pushing them to push themselves.=E2=80=9D
And with the new PT manual, that=E2=80=99s not a bad thing, Palkoska = and VanCamp=20 said. It=E2=80=99s just not the only thing soldiers should be doing.
The merits of the new process for creating soldiers who are = well-rounded=20 athletes, Freakley said, will benefit every leader.
=E2=80=9CMy view is, as a senior leader, I don=E2=80=99t want a = marathoner who can=E2=80=99t wear his=20 or her combat load. But I also don=E2=80=99t want a Mr. or Mrs. America = weightlifter who=20 doesn=E2=80=99t have the endurance to walk up some of the hills we did = in Afghanistan,=E2=80=9D=20 Freakley said of his tenure as commander of 10th Mountain Division.
=E2=80=9CSo I want that toughened and sustained soldier who is = balanced. You=E2=80=99ve got=20 some weightlifters out there who can=E2=80=99t touch their toes because = they=E2=80=99re so=20 muscled up.=E2=80=9D
The draft manual is still in the review stage and, once approved, = will go=20 into production and distribution. Palkoska estimated it could be another = six=20 months before it=E2=80=99s out into the operational Army.
=E2=80=9CWithin three to five years,=E2=80=9D he said, =E2=80=9Cthe = Army will be saying, =E2=80=98This is the=20 way we=E2=80=99ve always done it.=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D
READ MORE: No =
new PFT in=20
the works
Sponsored=20 Feature
They serve = in=20 uniform=E2=80=94and on Team USA. Watch video profiles and more, courtesy = of TriWest=20 Healthcare Alliance. This week: Three awesome shooters.
Classifieds
- Employment=20
- Milestones=20
Marketplace
Mil-Mall
This = practical and=20 easy-to-use guide offers tips, games, activities, quizzes, and = information that=20 will help your children to become proud Americans.
Military = Discounts
Save on your=20 purchases!
In honor of your military service, you can find = regular and=20 name brand products at a special discount.
Shoplocal
=Find=20 the best deals at your local stores.
//
// ![]()
=09
// ![]()
//
//
=09
var objBody =3D document.getElementsByTagName("body").item(0);
=09
// create overlay div and hardcode some functional styles (aesthetic =
styles are in CSS file)
var objOverlay =3D document.createElement("div");
objOverlay.setAttribute('id','overlay');
objOverlay.onclick =3D function () {hideLightbox(); return false;}
objOverlay.style.display =3D 'none';
objOverlay.style.position =3D 'absolute';
objOverlay.style.top =3D '0';
objOverlay.style.left =3D '0';
objOverlay.style.zIndex =3D '90';
objOverlay.style.width =3D '100%';
objBody.insertBefore(objOverlay, objBody.firstChild);
=09
var arrayPageSize =3D getPageSize();
var arrayPageScroll =3D getPageScroll();
// preload and create loader image
var imgPreloader =3D new Image();
=09
// if loader image found, create link to hide lightbox and create =
loadingimage
imgPreloader.onload=3Dfunction(){
var objLoadingImageLink =3D document.createElement("a");
objLoadingImageLink.setAttribute('href','#');
objLoadingImageLink.onclick =3D function () {hideLightbox(); return =
false;}
objOverlay.appendChild(objLoadingImageLink);
=09
var objLoadingImage =3D document.createElement("img");
objLoadingImage.src =3D loadingImage;
objLoadingImage.setAttribute('id','loadingImage');
objLoadingImage.style.position =3D 'absolute';
objLoadingImage.style.zIndex =3D '150';
objLoadingImageLink.appendChild(objLoadingImage);
imgPreloader.onload=3Dfunction(){}; // clear onLoad, as IE will flip =
out w/animated gifs
return false;
}
imgPreloader.src =3D loadingImage;
// create lightbox div, same note about styles as above
var objLightbox =3D document.createElement("div");
objLightbox.setAttribute('id','lightbox');
objLightbox.style.display =3D 'none';
objLightbox.style.position =3D 'absolute';
objLightbox.style.zIndex =3D '100';=09
objBody.insertBefore(objLightbox, objOverlay.nextSibling);
=09
// create link
var objLink =3D document.createElement("a");
objLink.setAttribute('href','#');
objLink.setAttribute('title','Click to close');
objLink.onclick =3D function () {hideLightbox(); return false;}
objLightbox.appendChild(objLink);
// preload and create close button image
var imgPreloadCloseButton =3D new Image();
// if close button image found,=20
imgPreloadCloseButton.onload=3Dfunction(){
var objCloseButton =3D document.createElement("img");
objCloseButton.src =3D closeButton;
objCloseButton.setAttribute('id','closeButton');
objCloseButton.style.position =3D 'absolute';
objCloseButton.style.zIndex =3D '200';
objLink.appendChild(objCloseButton);
return false;
}
imgPreloadCloseButton.src =3D closeButton;
// create image
var objImage =3D document.createElement("img");
objImage.setAttribute('id','lightboxImage');
objLink.appendChild(objImage);
=09
// create details div, a container for the caption and keyboard message
var objLightboxDetails =3D document.createElement("div");
objLightboxDetails.setAttribute('id','lightboxDetails');
objLightbox.appendChild(objLightboxDetails);
// create caption
var objCaption =3D document.createElement("div");
objCaption.setAttribute('id','lightboxCaption');
objCaption.style.display =3D 'none';
objLightboxDetails.appendChild(objCaption);
// create keyboard message
var objKeyboardMsg =3D document.createElement("div");
objKeyboardMsg.setAttribute('id','keyboardMsg');
objKeyboardMsg.innerHTML =3D 'press x to close';
objLightboxDetails.appendChild(objKeyboardMsg);
}
//
// addLoadEvent()
// Adds event to window.onload without overwriting currently assigned =
onload functions.
// Function found at Simon Willison's weblog - http://simon.incutio.com/
//
function addLoadEvent(func)
{=09
var oldonload =3D window.onload;
if (typeof window.onload !=3D 'function'){
window.onload =3D func;
} else {
window.onload =3D function(){
oldonload();
func();
}
}
}
addLoadEvent(initLightbox); // run initLightbox onLoad
------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C8DBBF.4DBDCCE0
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Location: http://www.armytimes.com/js/prototype.js
/* Prototype JavaScript framework, version 1.5.0_rc0=0A=
* (c) 2005 Sam Stephenson
//
//
//
//