What is your philosophy on what to do for Remedial PT? Do your SQL's show up to do it with them? Do you think they should?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 May 2016 07:13:41 -0400

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2016 7:26 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 May 2016 07:26:16 -0400

It's a Leaders responsibility to ensure that their Soldiers are physically fit. If their Soldiers are falling behind it falls on their leadership to assist and motivate the individual. So yes I believe that the Squad Leaders should be involved in the remedial PT program.

Of course there are exceptions to that, because people do have other life responsibilities but their should be a Leadership presence.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made May 21 at 2016 7:32 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sat, 21 May 2016 07:32:41 -0400

When we had people that had to go through remedial PT, the SQL's were there and if the PL had a few spare moments in his busy life he was there too.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2016 7:35 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 May 2016 07:35:07 -0400

If SQL is an effective concerned leader than their attendance is tantamount to a successful out come for the SM. I would have to review the SM's last APRT to determine what area (s) they are weak in and devise a plan of action to build on strength stamina and most of all confidence.

Response by Sgt Christopher Wenzel made May 21 at 2016 8:49 AM

Sgt Christopher Wenzel — Sat, 21 May 2016 08:49:26 -0400

Whatever leadership in his immediate chain of command should be assisting in remedial. They can take turns, go all at once, just as long as someone is with the Marine/Soldier on remedial.

Response by SGT Sean Burke made May 21 at 2016 10:17 AM

SGT Sean Burke — Sat, 21 May 2016 10:17:36 -0400

Back in the dark ages, I was in charge of my Battalion's remedial PT program. The first thing I did was split the soldiers into two groups, those that were there for PT failure, and those that were there for weight control. Those that were there for PT failure spent 50 out of 60 minutes doing push-ups, sit-ups, and running. It was effective, we would do 30 sec of PU, 30 sec of SU, then run 1 lap on the 1/4 mile track, then repeat until we ran out of time. Every Friday, I would give them an actual diagnostic PT test. Those that were there for weight control, would spend more time on aerobic training. I have to admit that this was the weaker part of my training program. I felt that it would burn them out to just run every day, as the last trainer had them doing. Instead, Mon, Wed, and Fri, they would do interval runs around the track, alternating between short sprints to keep their HR up, and walking, to continue the fat burn. On Tue and Thr, I had them taking an advanced water aerobics class at the gym nearby. Both programs worked pretty well, and resulted in most of them staying on the program for less than 90 days, which was my initial goal. As for SQL's showing up, I left that up to them. At first only a few did. After a while, the others saw that soldiers were working harder when their supervisors were out there with them, and that those soldiers who had their supervisors support were much more successful in the program. Since my program was held in the afternoon, and the remedial PT soldiers were doing this in addition to regular morning unit PT, some of the PSG's allowed those SQL's, that were doing PT with their soldiers to miss unit PT in the AM. Hope this helps.

Response by SFC David Cook made May 21 at 2016 10:37 AM

SFC David Cook — Sat, 21 May 2016 10:37:45 -0400

It's such a different Army now a days. My last unit sadly did not have a Special Conditioning Program. I did one at Platoon Level, issue was it was NCOs failing the APFT and when they did they blamed the new PRT program, which was ridiculous. Physical Fitness is an individual responsibility but leadership needs to be there to provide the tools I.e nutrituon counseling and appropriate exercises. It needs to be instilled in them that 0630-0730 should not be the only exercise they do. Lately I have seen Soldiers who fail and instead of blaming themselves they blame anything and everything else. While the leaders I have seen have the mentality of a draw down army and don't see any need to help them, they instead opt to let them fail again and then chapter them out. This is just some of my most recent experiences. My Platoon level program was successful in getting most off of the program within 90 days.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2016 10:44 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 May 2016 10:44:09 -0400

In my unit here the soldiers that failed the APFT and our weight control in the company shows up everyday at 1530 and they have the Unit Master Fitness Instructor do PT with them.

It's an actual course anyone can go to

Response by SFC Pete Kain made May 21 at 2016 1:00 PM

SFC Pete Kain — Sat, 21 May 2016 13:00:32 -0400

No, the Soldiers want to be treated as adults. They should act as adults and meet standards. Remedial PT is a waste to begin with. If the Soldier is not motivated show him/her the door. Just my opinion.
The Military is going thru a drawdown period.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made May 21 at 2016 5:15 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Sat, 21 May 2016 17:15:42 -0400

with remedial PT, a leader (preferably an NCO) from that individual's chain of command should supervise that it's being done to standard, for accountability reasons -- not to mention good leadership.

Response by TSgt Jennifer Disch made May 21 at 2016 7:49 PM

TSgt Jennifer Disch — Sat, 21 May 2016 19:49:53 -0400

How were they allowed to get to this point? I'm sure someone saw the person(s) falling behind......

Response by SGT Des Specht made May 24 at 2016 7:52 AM

SGT Des Specht — Tue, 24 May 2016 07:52:10 -0400

My knee jerk reaction to this question was to drill you.
If you expect your troop to do well, then you are responsible to make sure he/she does. Your troops are a direct reflection of you. TheDes72

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2016 8:09 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 May 2016 08:09:16 -0400

On my last deployment, during the train up I was selected remedial PT NCO. The 'joes' who were APFT failures showed up but not their TLs or SLs. A couple of times our commander showed up, which was cool. Mostly the failures were tied to the run, and they failed because they weren't running. So we focused on running and marching and body movement exercises. Every 'joe' passed their APFT before we shipped out.

Response by 1SG Harold Piet made May 24 at 2016 8:18 AM

1SG Harold Piet — Tue, 24 May 2016 08:18:31 -0400

I ran The Remedial PT program for my Unit, I had a variety of NCO assistants. I feel if a soldier is on the remedial program the supervisor and the soldier should receive negative counseling for failure to maintain standards. Unless medical problems caused the issue. If you hold the supervisor responsible for the soldiers the supervisor will be there. Remedial PT was not fun, It was done after they worked all day, I did not want anyone to want to be on it.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2016 9:19 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 May 2016 09:19:04 -0400

We used to have platoon remedial PT and the NCO in charge would rotate.

Response by 1SG Doug Slusher made May 24 at 2016 12:58 PM

1SG Doug Slusher — Tue, 24 May 2016 12:58:53 -0400

It's the First Line Spuervisors job to make sure his soldiers are ready to go to war. They should be there. Along with the PLT Sgt, and 1SG, that's how I did it. 1SG Retired. AATW... NCO's lead the Way.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2016 1:04 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 May 2016 13:04:21 -0400

My philosophy rings in line with the NCO Creed. No Soldier gets left behind, ie. the Squad Leader and or Team Leader should be at the PT with his Soldier. So what it takes them out of the duty day. So what there is paperwork that needs to be done and staying late is sometimes a requirement. PT and HT/WT is a standard that has to be met. There is no "I" in team, just because one person fails does not mean that it is not a team's problem. If you know your battles are there to support you gives you motivation to succeed. It works out that way.

Response by TSgt John LaBelle made May 24 at 2016 1:39 PM

TSgt John LaBelle — Tue, 24 May 2016 13:39:42 -0400

Everybody is different, I think remedial pt is a punishment and not a solution. I never had trouble with running, and sit-ups. Push ups killed me. I had a small lanky body. My shop foreman was into power lifting. I did regular pt with my unit. When he went to the gym, I went with him. He could military press 400lbs. What he had me do was load and unload his bars for his entire workout. We talked, vented, lots of mentoring. Over an entire work out I moved on avg 1000+ pounds of weights. My upper body strength significantly improved. Never had a issue again. But gained a friend for life. We are both retired now. The point is pt in its self is boring. The solution is to find why, and make it different to make a n impact.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2016 6:01 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 May 2016 18:01:20 -0400

It's simple! Lead from the front and lead by example! I have seen to many of my NCOS overweight and failing PT tests and then wonder why their soldiers are doing the same. As an NCO it is your responsibility to show up to remedial PT and ensure the Soldier is getting what he/she needs from it. Obviously the soldier does not have enough discipline to maintain PT standards in the first place so if you are there to ensure they are participating to their full capability then there will never be a question on the next 4856. Lead from the front guys! "I will always place their needs above my own"

Response by SFC Chris Buckland made May 25 at 2016 7:18 AM

SFC Chris Buckland — Wed, 25 May 2016 07:18:48 -0400

Personally I think that remedial PT should be eliminated. Put the responsibility on the individual.

If the unit has a program then the individual squad or team leader shouldn't have to go unless the Soldier has a problem showing up. Then going back to my original statement it is the individuals responsibility. You fail and can't progress then kick them out. Other than maybe a medical issue. That is my only caveat!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2016 7:19 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 May 2016 07:19:54 -0400

When I was a Team Leader I had two MP's that I took care of and made it my responsibility to make sure that the Soldier that was having issues was dealt with by myself. After several weeks the Soldier assed his PT test with flying colors and it gave the squad leader a chance to see my leadership ability.

Response by 1SG Jose Claudio made May 25 at 2016 7:37 AM

1SG Jose Claudio — Wed, 25 May 2016 07:37:29 -0400

I think remedial PT should be tailored to the individual needs and who better to know their soldiers than the squad leader the problem is that a lot of leaders don't want to dedicate the extra hours to make sure their soldiers are good because it takes away from what little time you have but it will pay off if you put the time because if the soldier wants to be better and pass you will see when you are one on one with and if he doesn't want to progress you will see it too

Response by SGT Melinda Crawford made May 25 at 2016 7:48 AM

SGT Melinda Crawford — Wed, 25 May 2016 07:48:02 -0400

What do for remedial PT- I would suggest consulting with a Master Fitness Trainer. As a leader, I was always there to make sure my soldier not only showed up, but to oversee the progress they were making.

Response by SGM Bill Johnson made May 25 at 2016 9:42 AM

SGM Bill Johnson — Wed, 25 May 2016 09:42:16 -0400

It depends on why a Soldier gets enrolled in remedial PT. If it is to help recover from an injury or an extended period of inactivity, I think the immediate supervisor (NCO) should be personally involved. It is a good opportunity to get to know the Soldier and work on recovery. If it is because of APFT failure, there is a certain amount of punishment involved and this type of remedial PT is usually conducted at the unit level. I have been in units where the SGTs and SSGs were detailed on a rotating basis to conduct these sessions. In others, the Operations SGT ran them. In others, a designated NCO that was either trained for it (Master Fitness Trainer) or had a personal interest in fitness conducted the sessions. In either case, I personally believe the immediate supervisor, needs to be involved and attend the PT sessions to assess their Soldier. Whether they participate in every session should be up to them. I am not a fan of punishing the NCO leader for a personal failing of their subordinates but they are responsible for correcting the problem.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2016 12:02 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 May 2016 12:02:49 -0400

The SQL, should do PT with his men/ladies now. It shows good leadership.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2016 3:54 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 May 2016 15:54:06 -0400

I'm the unit NCOIC for Special pt program. I have never seen soldiers Nco's come by to check if there soldier is present and in the right uniform. I would like to see leaders get more involved with the program and motivated there soldier's to get out of the program. My two cents

Response by MSG Don Burt made May 25 at 2016 6:05 PM

MSG Don Burt — Wed, 25 May 2016 18:05:32 -0400

If personnel are having problems with PT now, then seems that were having problems with it B4. If that is the case, I have no good response for you...if people can't or won't maintain a good PT profile, then they should go....SQL's only need to know if the individual was there and passed whatever they were supposed to do. Too much wasted time is spent on folks who should already be capable of performing PT...That's an automatic understanding when joining.

Response by SSG Leroy Farmer made May 25 at 2016 7:43 PM

SSG Leroy Farmer — Wed, 25 May 2016 19:43:24 -0400

Remedial PT should help the soldier address and correct deficiencies. It should not be punitive in nature. I absolutely believe the soldier's NCO should be present to ensure compliance with the corrective training. Whether or not the NCO performs the excersises with the soldier or coaches the training is moot. As long as the PT is being supervised and the soldier improves his/her physical readiness the NCO's mission is being accomplished.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2016 9:05 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 May 2016 21:05:09 -0400

It's poor leader ship if you are not their with your marines/ soldiers. Maybe if you would lead your personnel as required and pt them they would maintain the standard in the first place. I have been in a unit where I had to pt marines on Saturday morning while none of them were mine and their staff nco's or nco's never showed up. Do I brought it up to the SgtMajor and from that point forward the Staff nco's that had marines on the program had to show up and take turns leading the the training. Key take away is that if you don't want to pt at 0600 on a Saturday then pt and train your personnel on fitness and nutrition.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2016 10:35 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 May 2016 22:35:05 -0400

When I was a Squad Leader, I asked the 1SG for all the remedial PT and No Go's (in retrospect the other NCO's were a little too eager to give them up.) .. Top, happily gave them to me.. I made a deal with my Squad .. I told them that WHEN the entire Squad passes with at least a 260 of better I would dye my dark brown hair bright blonde.. in 90 days the entire squad passed .. lowest score was a 279... I worked with and showed my people that they ARE important to me and that I will never give up on them as long as they meet me half way.. I would always be there.. But remember this.. I can not defend wrong.. but I can help you correct it.

Response by SGT Robert Andrews made May 26 at 2016 7:30 AM

SGT Robert Andrews — Thu, 26 May 2016 07:30:26 -0400

Remedial PT are you talking about Remedial PT as Profile/injury recovery or as underacheiver PT failures? That being said if you have a person that has a poor attitude and hates being in the Army they will not care if they pass the PT test or not. Its a personal thing. So find out what the underlying problem is. Resolve the personal problem and the person will have the drive to pass the PT test. You can remedial PT some one give them 2 a day PT training and every chance to pass the PT test however if they could careless and it does not matter to them then they will never pass.
That indicates an underlying personal problem that needs to be addressed. It is not a corrective action issue at that point. It is problem resolution. Your squad is only as strong as its weakest person.