Fort Hood Sentinel Article

2009-01-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

Raising the bar: Deploying Soldiers use CrossFit to augment traditional PT methods

Using an Olympic weight-lifting technique known as the clean-and-jerk, David Taylor dropped to the ground to demonstrate how to quickly drag a wounded Soldier to safety.

“It’s a lot faster and easier than grabbing him by the drag handle or shoulder strap and fighting the resistance of his entire body against the ground. This way only the heels drag; that could save both your lives,” Taylor told a class of about 18 platoon leaders participating in a CrossFit training class Friday morning near the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

When he deploys in about a week, Capt. John Ulsamer, commander, Company A, 2-5th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div., wants his troops to be in peak physical condition and to maintain it in Iraq.

He believes CrossFit, a relatively new training regimen for the Army, is the answer.

“We’re preparing for deployment but this also is providing a general education and training for my soldiers,” Ulsamer said Friday morning as his platoon leaders practiced physical fitness techniques they can take with them to train their Soldiers.

He said the Army once had a master fitness training program in which team leaders became certified physical trainers but the program ended about six years ago.

“They were taught how to conduct PT; they were trained on fitness and nutrition both. This (CrossFit training) is to bridge a gap that I have seen in my Soldiers’ training since then,” Usalmer said.

Increasingly, CrossFit is augmenting traditional PT methods for Soldiers at Fort Hood and at other Army installations. In March, Lt. Col. Pete Andrysiak incorporated the high-intensity workouts into the training regimen of the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade. Andrysiak said his troops experienced an 11 percent improvement in their PT test performances.

Since then Taylor and Maj. Don Clarkson, Explosive Ordnance Detachment, III Corps, both certified CrossFit trainers, started Centurion CrossFit, an official Fort Hood affiliate of the CrossFit organization founded by Greg Glassman. According to the crossfit.com Web site, it is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in 10 ways: cardiovascular, respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

In addition to preparing some 1st Cavalry Division troops for deployment, Taylor and Clarkson teach CrossFit techniques at Harvey Physical Fitness Center at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Taylor said his commander, Lt. Col. Von Brickhouse, 3rd Battalion (Armor), 395th Regiment, 120th Infantry Brigade, 1st Army, plans to provide CrossFit training for 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Soldiers.

Additional assistance will be provided by Capt. David Riley, who just returned to post with the 3rd ACR, and his wife, Karen, also a certified trainer.

Compared to the fitness gained running up and down Battalion Ave., Ulsamer said, his platoon leaders “get more bang for the time” and aren’t as bored or prone to injury.

“You run four miles, five days a week on concrete and asphalt and we end up with a lot of complaints about pain in the back, knees, ankles, hips and other joints,” Ulsamer said.

Because exercise routines are constantly varied “My guys are a lot more motivated and less likely to end up hurt,” Ulsamer said.

But the exercise sessions, often given the names of women, such as Anne, Judy and Sarah, are not easy to perform.

“They’re named after women because the daily exercises will wreck you,” Ulsamer said.

Another advantage is the training does not require heavy, expensive equipment.

“It incorporates weight lifting, gymnastics, calisthenics and running,” Ulsamer said. “But it’s easy to do in austere combat environments. All you need is a couple of sticks, a few breaker bars from a Bradley vehicle and some sandbags.”

During Friday’s training session, troops used PVC pipes filled with sand, medicine balls, kettlebells and pull-up bars.

According to Clarkson, CrossFit is more effective than traditional PT because “It uses very functional, high-intensity movements, preparing you for the unknown and unknowable.

“We’re constantly mixing different things that you do with PT and the techniques and variety of exercises give you a more well-rounded hyper-fitness.”

In PT training, Taylor added, Soldiers know “We’ll do two minutes of pushups, two minutes of sit-ups and a two-mile run. So Soldiers train enough to score well on the tests.

“But there’s nowhere in combat,” he added, “where you know what your challenge will be. I never know how many people I’m going to face in a firefight or how far I’m going to have to walk or run on a patrol.”

Taylor knows. He deployed with the 4th Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, as the executive officer for Company C, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment before the brigade was relocated back to Fort Carson.

CrossFit Fort Hood Sentinel Article

Fort Hood Sentinel Article