PRT or CrossFit? Which do you think provides better results?
APFT
Physical Training
PRT (Army)
When i was in Highshcool i was a Power Lifter and i played football. Something i learned early about working out is that everyone is on different levels, and everyone has different strengths. The standard Army PT PRT or good old 21-20, is a great base line and looks great to the public eye (read "Oh look at all those people doing synchronized PT"). But i dont believe that PRT or 21-20 could fully train a persons body. Much like public school it is for the "average" solider. and i understand that some commands have the 300 club where you can do PT on your own. But at the end it should be based on Focus groups.
This Focus group idea is where i have seen and felt that Cross Fit, and other outside the box/regulation PT is more effective over the long run. When i arrived at my current unit, i arrived at the same time as 3 soldiers. The command put them under me and we where instructed to do PT on our own. this is a VERY unique unit. I did not do PRT nor did i do 21-20, I focused on what each soldier needed to improve on and worked those weaknesses while maintaining the strengths. Each of the soldiers improved and we had a Team average of 260. where at the beginning it was in the low two hundreds.
If i had to say which is better? Cross Fit. But taking a Private who can hardly pass a PT test, and giving him cross fit when he is not even used to doing PT? No..
1SG and SSG,
The MURPH is a great workout. I keep hearing that PRT is great when performed properly. Always 'when performed properly'. The problem isn't that it isn't performed properly. Sure, the exercises are beneficial, but only to a point. When you are only working any excersie up to 10 reps, that is where your muscle memory will take you and you leave yourself with very little room to grow.
All crossfit has an element of risk to it that PRT structure practically eliminates ( I'll throw it in: "if performed properly"), but without risk, there is no reward.
My personal beleif is that your training should match mission and there should be a place for structured PT (PRT) as well as freedom to conduct training that is more relevant.
I was the PRT train the trainer in my previous unit and I can say that PRT can be a smoker, if the person conducting PRT can give all the transitioning commands fast and have memorize all the exercises, which I seen a lot of people lack on those two aspects. A PRT session should be fast and precise.
I enjoyed crossfit for team/squad PT back in the day. Now I do more functional training. Deadlifting, Squatting, Pressing and Pulling movements with some plyometrics and HITT cardio sessions.
From FM 7-22
Why is PRT a mandatory training requirement?
1-4. Physical readiness training is a mandatory training requirement because it is—
Considered by senior leaders to be essential to individual, unit, and force readiness.
Required by law for all individuals and units.
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Granted everyone wants Cross Fit, Insanity, P90x etc... Soldiers have off duty hours to do that if they wish. Lets stick with what the Army invested on. I invite some of you to do a session involving Prep Drill ten reps, CD1 Ten Reps; CD2 Ten Reps, CD3 Ten Reps and CL five reps. And than start all over again from CD1.
There are tons of exercises that can be done with PRT. If you stick with the basic PD, CD1 and 2, RD, etc., then yes it sucks and won't accomplish much. Dig deep into the reg. There is a lot there. Some of it is even CrossFit/P90X/Insanity-esque.
What is critical to remember regardless of the physical training regimen adopted is a focus on SAFETY. With the first major, documented CrossFit injury just recently, the focus needs to return to the things we as military members have always emphasized during all phases of training, the safe execution of the task at hand.
While I would agree that many of the newer fitness models that emphasize rapid transitioning and multiple muscle group engagement is an excellent physical fitness exercise, we must remember that the body becomes fatigued as the workout progresses, and we have a reduction in ability to execute at the same level. With multiple muscle group engagement you may find that while you are executing a relatively lightly used muscle group in a later exercise, the supporting muscles may be fatigued, which can limit the ability to stabilize and execute a perfect repetition. This is when you open your body up for injury.
Regardless of the type of exercise you choose to do, ensure that you read the signs your body is giving you, and don't barrell blindly into repetition execution, ignoring potentially harmful signals that you're approaching muscle exhaustion.
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