Have things gotten stale with your unit PT? Maybe it's time to shake things up.
The sailors of Riverine Squadron 2 in Portsmouth, Virginia -- among others who emailed us -- know that a little creativity can go a long way in making command PT more than a mindless early-morning slog through the same old exercises. On any given day, unit PT there can be anything from a CrossFit-style workout to trail running in the local state park to a game of Ultimate Frisbee. "Switching things up on a daily basis makes PT fun, keeps everyone motivated, and still accomplishes the same goals: Stay in shape, promote a healthy lifestyle, mental and physical fitness, developing the individual and team," says Navy Chief Barry Brown. More ideas readers gave us to help mix things up at your unit: more Rock-paper-scissors runs. This twist on high-intensity interval training puts some fun into your unit fitness drills. Do quarter-mile sprints with the first two across the finish line playing rock-paper-scissors. The winner picks a body-weight exercise for 10 to 50 reps. Run and repeat for 45 minutes. Humvee PT. When winter weather shuts down running routes, head to the motor pool and have teams of six push Humvees around. "Freezing weather should not be something that is feared, but embraced," says Army 1st Sgt. Orlando Silva, who first picked up Humvee PT during a tour in Fort Drum, N.Y. He found it particularly useful last winter in South Korea where eight laps around the motor pool delivered a solid two-mile run. CrossFit. Bringing CrossFit to unit PT "is easier than you think," says Army Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Smith, who helped transition his engineer battalion to the popular workout brand. The key, he says, is breaking units into two groups — one performs the workout of the day, the other grades and critiques form; then they switch roles. The result: Individual PT test scores shot up an average of 15 percent within six months, while injury rates plummeted.
Has your unit busted away from boring PT? If so, leave us a comment or email pt365@militarytimes.com.
