Posted on Apr 24, 2014
1LT Company Fire Support Officer
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Most soldiering skills require core strength. Powerlifting when done correctly, is one of the best things a person can do to greatly increase that. Many soldiers lift on their own time, but they tend to stick to small muscle groups (arms, shoulders, hamstrings, etc.) Other soldiers attempt to do the 4 major lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press, and power cleans) but end up getting hurt due to improper form.

I believe that with trained instructors, powerlifts can be taught safely for soldiers to incorporate into their personal PT sessions. This would increase the soldiers core strength, flexibility, bone density, and ability to conduct their tasks safer, and in a greater capacity.

Thoughts in incorporating powerlifting routines into morning PT sessions?

reference to a terrific powerlifting coach and mentor:
http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/about

Mark Rippetoe has developed a comprehensive training program that is very easy to follow, and gives proven results. Read more to get the full idea.
Edited >1 y ago
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
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Edited >1 y ago
As someone who has lifted for 25 years and who has a son now into weight training - I'm skeptical. Learning to lift RIGHT takes education. The Army is good at setting standards, but not so good at training on proper ways to meet those standards. I can imagine a lot of shoulder/back/knee/elbow injuries if this was added. You would always have some muscle head E-8 pushing the junior enlisted to their limits in weight, which is the very wrong way to lift.
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CPT Ahmed Faried
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Edited 11 y ago
The injury rate would seem to preclude this being a good idea. Powerlifting takes technique and time to master. Time that Joe Snuffy may not necessarily have or want to give. Besides there is no real combat application for being able to lift a truck. I'll take a guy that can lift his own weight and can still run 5 miles without needing a medevac over one built like a brickhouse but can't run without getting winded.
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CPT Zachary Brooks
CPT Zachary Brooks
11 y
Body weight exercise is sufficient for just about anything you could want to do in life. I have friends in the service who are too large to touch their own shoulders and cannot run. To me, they are a hindrance.
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CPT Ahmed Faried
CPT Ahmed Faried
11 y
CPT Zachary Brooks same wavelenght brother.
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LTC Professor Of Military Science / Department Chair
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Good idea in concept - but better kept to small group sessions. I'd say no larger than 4 Soldiers...which begs the question, how do you implement this when most gyms on post are already crowded (at least the ones at Ft. Stewart were and I know the gyms at Bragg get crowded) during PT hours? And if you keep it to small groups (4 or less) - do you rotate groups on a daily basis, does the whole PLT go to the gym?

Moments like this make me happy I'm in the land of small units...lol.
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Introducing powerlifting into organized PT
CW2 Humint Technician
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I saw this post as a suggested post, so I'm sorry it's 23 days old.

But I don't agree with it and it has nothing to do with safety. The Army simply can't afford it.

My one car garage I turned into a gym for my wife and I. It has a power rack, two olympic 7ft bars, two preacher bars, an adjustable bench, dumb bells, a dumb bell rack, a weight tree, calf press, and associated weights and dumb bells and it easily cost us over $2500 - and that's the relatively cheaper stuff...like ordering online and waiting for it as opposed to buying locally.

How on earth would units be able to afford power lifting equipment for a company of say 175...or even a platoon of 30...when they barely (in some instances) can buy toilet paper, printer paper, toner cartridges, let alone even some kettle bells for PRT?

Believe me, I'd love to power lift for PT...but not have one person doing it and 15 people standing around watching.
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CW5 Regimental Chief Warrant Officer
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Not a fan of the idea unless you have enough prison gyms on the PT field. We already have a bunch of jackwagons spending too much time in the gym looking in the mirror or talking about lifting instead of lifting.
This would not preclude you or others, as leaders, to take the time to put on PTs and provide a safety class on proper form each month. Put it on the training calendar and do it as an end-of-day event. How can any CDR turn down a team/squad/platoon doing extra PT every month or every two weeks?
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SGT James Elphick
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Mark Rippetoe did an interview with Ranger Up detailing how he would change PT for the Army. I think it's a pretty good idea

http://rhinoden.rangerup.com/are-you-strong-enough-an-interview-with-mark-rippetoe/
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SGT Cda 564, Assistant Team Sergeant
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Edited >1 y ago
THOR3

Great program that the Army recognizes. It is used in the SOF community, but Im 99% sure you can email someone about it who is willing to help. Obviously they will probably not move a facility to your post, but you can get the nuts and bolts of it and implement some of the training yourself utilizing your local sources. You wont get the full spectrum baseline tests and such, but the workouts are top of the line and tailored to soldiers. All trainers are either Former Olympic trainers or Professional Sports Trainers with degrees in this field.

Linked an article below to give you an idea of what it is.
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MAJ Steve Sheridan
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Any change up in the normal routine would be great. We already incorporate different exercises on different days.

Like any good idea, take the initiative and get some measureable results to show up through your chain of command.

Good luck!
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