Gunny Hartman must be rolling over in his grave

[Bilge_Rat]

no good can come from this...

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Dawn breaks at this, the Army’s largest training post, with the reliable sound of fresh recruits marching to their morning exercise, But these days, something looks different.

It’s 5:30 on a recent morning, and basic training is in progress at Fort Jackson, S.C. A new exercise regimen is “more whole body,” a platoon leader says.

That familiar standby, the situp, is gone, or almost gone. Exercises that look like pilates or yoga routines are in. And the traditional bane of the new private, the long run, has been downgraded.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/us...1&ref=politics

I'm sure the Russians and Chinese are having a good laugh over this.

[ETR3(SS)]

This wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have so many fat kids.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by ETR3(SS)

This wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have so many fat kids.

Wait wouldent we have less fat kids if this wasent an issue?

[August]

Gunny who? Ft Jackson is an Army post. No Gunnery Sergeants anywhere.

Actually I've been reading up on the new Army PT program and it actually is a much better method for getting someone in shape than doing just pushups, situps and long runs.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by August

Actually I've been reading up on the new Army PT program and it actually is a much better method for getting someone in shape than doing just pushups, situps and long runs.

I was gonna say, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Chinese are doing Tai Chi as part of the their PT routine. And probably have been since, like, forever.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

I'm sure the Russians and Chinese are having a good laugh over this.

[Bilge_Rat]

Gunny Hartman:




I doubt he would care much for Pilates.

The message I see is since american kids are now too fat and out of shape to train as their fathers and grand-fathers did going back to WW2, let's make basic training easier! no more sit ups, no more long runs.

Thats not how you make an army ready to fight, that's a recipe for disaster.

[AngusJS]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

I'd say that's probably dedovschina - hazing - and not training. And those kids are probably draftees who couldn't get a waiver. Talk about a hellish situation.

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

The message I see is since american kids are now too fat and out of shape to train as their fathers and grand-fathers did going back to WW2, let's make basic training easier! no more sit ups, no more long runs.

Tougher does not mean better. It is entirely possible that other exercises which seem easier may be more effective at attaining the desired results.

[August]

Originally Posted by AngusJS

It is entirely possible that other exercises which seem easier may be more effective at attaining the desired results.

That's the intention. The new regimen has lots of sprinting and agility exercises. The program is "scientifically" designed to train the body for the movements and stresses that it will encounter in combat.

The long distance running they did in my day for example never seemed, to me at least, to be an especially suitable combat training aid. Sure it improved ones wind and endurance but it also caused a lot of leg, foot and lower back problems.

In the age of mechanized and aerial troop transport/rescue it's not the speed in which you can cover 10 miles, but rather the speed that you can make a 100 foot dash across an enemy fire swept street that's more important.

[TarJak]

Given the advances in sports sciences over the past 10 years, I'm not surprised at the revamp. If you can get a better result with something seemingly less demanding, then I"m all for it. The results are the things that need to be focussed on, not the individual excersises.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

I doubt he would care much for Pilates.

The message I see is since american kids are now too fat and out of shape to train as their fathers and grand-fathers did going back to WW2, let's make basic training easier! no more sit ups, no more long runs.

Thats not how you make an army ready to fight, that's a recipe for disaster.

Holy ****, the world is changing!
Other than my pointless trolling I agree with August on this matter. I served in the Estonian Defense Forces as a recon infantryman with the old training regiment whick is part of the reason I somewhat ruined my left knee, right now they are revamping things here as well along the same lines. In combat, the fact that I can run for 20 miles, then do 100 pushups and stitups does not really mater, there simply are better ways to build up your body and mind to meet the requirements of combat.

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

The message I see is since american kids are now too fat and out of shape to train as their fathers and grand-fathers did going back to WW2, let's make basic training easier! no more sit ups, no more long runs.

Thats not how you make an army ready to fight, that's a recipe for disaster.

Don't worry they aren't doing away with physical preparedness they are just doing it differently. Instead of long runs there doing sprints (with full gear I read somewhere) and so on. They are just cutting down on injuries and are smartening up on what works and whats needed.

[Weiss Pinguin]

I think the real question here is, what does this do for your war face?



And does it meet Gunny Duck's requirements?

[Task Force]

Those fat kids would make great "shock" troops! just roll them down a hill.

[antikristuseke]

No, use fatties to designate targets, just pour something combustible on them, light em on fire, yell out the target as usual, but add marking target with tracer and let the fatty run towards it. Much easier to see than 5.56 tracers. Life expectancy of the so called firefly troopers is quite low though.