Military-Minded Fitness, By: Evan Waters
The current War on Terror and War in Iraq have provided Americans glimpses into the military and there everyday life. With cameramen and reporters on the scene, we get a unique view of the strenuous activities our “Men in Arms” perform on a daily basis. Often times, we are awestruck by the strength and endurance the people in the military possess. Many times workouts are referred to as military-like. This begs me to ask the question, what is the military like?
To gain a greater insight into life in the military and the training they perform to prepare themselves for the field, I interviewed Shawn Gordon who served in the Army from 1996-2000. As you will see, military training and bodybuilding/powerlifting have many things in common including perseverance and mental toughness.
The following is the transcripts of the interviews:
Evan: Under what branch did/do you serve?
Shawn: Unites States Army (Active Duty) 1996-2000. Bravo Company 319 Military Intelligence Battalion
Evan: What was the schedule like?
Shawn: Each unit has a slightly different schedule and training regime based upon their Military Occupational Skill. The average schedule is a wakeup and formation for physical training (PT) around . You then train for about an hour and a half—
everything from stretching and cardio to the "meat and potatoes" push-ups and sit ups. About once a month each all the platoons in the company go for a longer, but slower paced run. We also had Brigade runs, just like company runs, except a much larger and slower group of people.
Once you enter the "real" Army, you have a pretty consistent 9-5 type job. After PT you are released to shower, change, eat, and meet back for a normal work day. Certain days of the week were reserved for other things, like in Monday's we had to PMCS (Preventative Maintenance) on the Company vehicles. We basically spent all day running down a long list of things to do to make sure that if we needed to go - we could. Ft. Bragg had a saying - "War to your door in under 24". Not only is it the largest military installation East of the Mississippi River, but they are a fastest deploy base. Mostly, being Military Intelligence, we did tedious smaller things like ran mock missions in conjunction with other branches of service, and trained on new equipment when we could.
Josh: So busy that writing letters home cut into my sleep time (which was never more than 3 hours in a row)
Evan: What was the training routine like?
Shawn: In basic training we were woken up at about 4 or 4:30 every morning except Sunday, to the tune of a metal trash can getting hurled down the hallway and the Drill Sergeant yelling at the top of his lungs. I went to Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri in the dead of winter, so it was cold. Nothing you did was fast enough or good enough, but that was to get you in the mind set that you needed to do your best all the time and with everything.
The Training went like this:
10 minutes of stretching
10 minutes of calisthenics such as jumping jacks and things of that nature
10-15 minutes of upper body—push ups in the wide arm, regular, and diamonds (a push-up with hands placed on top of each other)
10-15 minutes of lower body—supine bicycles, flutter kicks, leg lifts, etc.
Finally, we would go on a run. Not for a distance, but for a time. There were three groups (fast, normal, slow). All the groups would run for a set amount of time.
As with any exercise, there is a right way and an easy way—as long as you do it correctly, you'll be fine.
Once assigned to a regular unit the training regimen becomes a little more lax in style. You still get worked, but you don’t do the same thing every other unit does. My Captain liked running...so we did lots of running. Other Captains liked team sports for PT. Even so, there were always the basic things like push-ups and sit-ups.
Evan: Are the routines specialized for the various positions one may hold?
Shawn: The military's training is very unique. Upon entrance into basic training you'll look around and see a myriad of people. From people built like an ox on steroids to the scrawny 6'1" 100 pounders (like me). When you leave you are all practically the same in capabilities.
When you get into the special schools training varies. In Airborne School (jumping from planes) we focused mainly in upper body since a lot of the situations you get into required you to be able to pull and hold your own weight for an extended time. Air Assault (repelling from a chopper) was mainly mental. SF (Special Forces) school and SERE (Survive Evade Resist Escape) school are as physically taxing as it is mentally taxing. It’s a game. The instructors weed out the weak by trying to initially break you down. The school of thought is it destroys what you know and rebuild it better. If you stay focused, push yourself, you can do it. There were many things that I didn’t believe my body could do physically, but the drive and will that the military instills within makes you do many things.
Evan: What were the drill instructors like?
Shawn: The drill instructors aren’t there to hurt you...remember "Pain is just weakness leaving the body." They view everyone as the same—weak and stupid. The first week they break you down and make you work really hard. If you fall behind or make an attempt to quit, they give you harsh encouragement. They won’t degrade you. They'll tell you things like "You don’t have permission to quit soldier, keep going - push until I’M tired." or "Do you think your parents would be proud of a quitter?" They make you work at it. No one will fault you if you try your hardest...even if you don’t get it the first time.
Evan: What were the meals like?
Shawn: Many in the military saw if you don’t like it, you'll learn to or eat it now, taste it later. Yet, I didn’t find it all that bad. Even the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) aren’t all that bad. MREs are designed to be not only nutritionally balanced, but have added calories. Most times MREs are eaten in the field and your body needs those extra calories to function properly with the added workload. Dining Facility food once you leave training is actually pretty good. I remember eating Shrimp Gumbo and Stir Fry. All military food has regulated calories and at the time I served you were not supposed to go over what they thought you needed. As an example, you had a choice of 3 entrees. Depending on your entrée you got to pick 2 to 4 possible sides.
The military stresses proper nutrition and has gone to great lengths to ensure that its soldiers are well fed and healthy. While I can't say that all the food is good, they have come leaps and bounds beyond the C-Rations you'll hear horror stories about from your grandfather during WWII and even the things your parents tell you about the rations in Vietnam. On the other hand, sometimes you are hungry enough that a plastic wrapper looks yummy. Nowadays, the MRE's have heaters to the food. You add a specified amount of water to the bag; drop the wrapped food inside, place it at an angle and in 5 minutes, the food is piping hot.
Evan: Did you see any results from the training/nutrition regimen?
Shawn: On a physical stand point, I have never been more in-shape than I was in the military. A balanced diet and a consistent physical workout kept me strong, fast, and tone. I have not seen nor found a better system than the military had. To be fair though, the military doesn’t build you to be huge and ripped. A bigger soldier is a bigger target. I also believe that there is a point where muscle mass can actually hinder your movement. However, the military does not stop you from building your body and are very supportive of you, should you choose to do that. All bases have gyms that are generally free and are staffed with other military personnel who are fitness enthusiasts.
Evan: What was the most hardcore thing you did while serving?
Shawn: S.E.R.E. (Survive Evade Resist and Escape)--Level C
SERE soldiers are in a high-risk-of-capture category. This includes Special Forces, Rangers, and Aviators. The course is designed to give students the skill to survive and evade capture or, if captured, to resist interrogation or exploitation and plan their escape. The course includes a classroom phase, a field phase and a resistance training laboratory which simulates the environment of a prisoner-of-war compound.
Imagine the most disturbing childhood you can, you know, the kind that makes mass murderers and other social scum. Now, make it an adult reality. You are stripped of any real identity. Time, space, name, clothes, if it is something you can identify with or reminds you of who you are and where you are from or what you are fighting for, lose it. It was far from the biggest physical challenge I've ever met, but mentally, have you ever seen a grown man cry?
My other challenges were Airborne School. The physical training in Airborne School was very hard, as you not only had to pay very close attention to details, but you had to condition yourself to take a beating. It may look fun, but when you get a chance, blindfold yourself and jump from a truck bed going 20 Mph. When we did a combat jump, we had to pack our back pack with about 80lbs of gear. In addition, the chute weighed about 30 lbs, the reserve weighed about 10lbs, and your rifle weighed about 10 lbs too.
Evan: What were the best and worst parts of your experience?
Shawn: The best part about my experiences is completing what was put in front of me. There was no better feeling than knowing that I entered the ARMY at 6'1, 110 LBS and left at 6'1, 200 LBS. I was proud of the physical parts of what I completed.
The worst part of my experience was the wake up in the dead of winter to go outside. SERE school was something that if I had a choice to do a second time - I'd opt out. No one likes being treated like an animal, but it’s a reality I had to be prepared to potentially face given my job.
Evan: Thank you for your time.
Summary:
Many bodybuilders and power lifters say that they do army-like training. However, most have never been in the army or know what it truly entails. Army-like has now become a synonym for tough ass hard-working. To get great results one need to go through great means. In the Military this involves strict meal plans and tough mental and physical training. All of which are very important to weight lifting. As a civilian in the military or in the gym you have two choices, DO IT or DON’T DO IT. The ones that keep pushing even when they are dirt tired or persevere through a sticking point to achieve a new max are the winners. Through the military, Shawn Gordon subjected himself to an extreme amount of labor. He accomplished things he never though humanly possible. It’s a shame everyone does not have a drill sergeant to keep them motivated and not let them quite. If at first you don’t succeed—try, try, again.
