The Problem With Military Fitness

It has been interesting to see the responses to some of our videos on IG in regards to training. Two key points to share here, in one video we were having a laugh, humour is good. Second to that, military training has modernised, we are no longer in the 1980's...just in case you didn't know. 

In my early career while serving in the infantry, there was a lot of running mixed with calisthenics and battle PT. If you don't know what battle PT is, it is pretty much running around in patrol order, with a log or some heavy awkward object, and a sprinkle of obstacle course time trials. 

Once I got into NZSOF there was a greater focus on training like actual athletes, instead of it being a lolly scramble between long distance runs, intervals, body weight exercises and battle PT.

While attending a conference hosted by CAG/DELTA around 2016-17 (I think, my memory is average), we were given a tour of their gym facility, they were taking a similar approach, with a greater focus on training like high performance athletes. 

In one of the videos a comment was made that rucking on an Assault Runner while wearing shorts and shoes, was not "real training". Now, I agree that rucking outdoors in pants and boots is the golden standard, it doesn't mean that rucking indoors, in shorts and shoes isn't effective. 

Think about it logically. If the goal is to improve your load carrying ability, as long as you are carrying the load, your body doesn't give a fuck if you're wearing a pair of pants and boots. That is like saying if you deadlift 300kg in a suit and tie it's not a real deadlift...catch my drift? 

Let me give you another example. It was and still is, very common in the SOF realm to work on shooting fundamentals wearing nothing but a gun belt with ear and eye pro on. Does the fact that we're not wearing body armour and helmet mean it's not real shooting? Of course not, we are focusing on a very specific skill set. Once at an extremely high standard we put on full kit and practice meeting the same standards as part of a CTE or during a FTX. 

It is also important to note, the guy in the video was a Navy PTI for 15 years, a professional CrossFit athlete, and has taken out the Arnold Classic for under 80kg as a strongman. He may know a thing or two about performance and training...just maybe? 

This is the problem with Military Fitness, people get confused with their ideals and the actual science of training. 

Now, back to my point of tactical fitness and my own experiences. 

With a strength & conditioning focus and no longer training like I was in a 1980s boot camp, I saw my “tactical” fitness skyrocket. I was faster with both a ruck/pack on and during what we call a combat fitness test. A CFT is a 4km run with a few other testing standards in full DA kit which is body armour, gun belt, helmet, long gun, and a day bag.

In simple terms, I was stronger, faster and I could go harder for longer. Using this training methodology I was a more combat effective operator. It is as simple as that.

This is why we train the way we do at Warfighter Athletic and this is why you can trust that our training programs will get you the results you have been looking for. 

In summary, training is a science, it is not an ideal. We all love the nostalgia of how things use to be, but we believe that 1980s army training methods are not one of them. 

The science of training has changed, embrace the modern approach for the tactical athlete and watch your performance skyrocket! 

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