Send preliminary draft to: Weaver, Chanel S Ms CIV USA MEDCOM PHC [chanel. weaver@us.army.

mil] and CSM Ecker SIPR: gerald.ecker@usaphc.smil.mil TOOLKIT

IN FRONT

Develop a fitness program for a squad

By JENNIFER MATTSON NCO Journal

Soldier drops out of a 12-mile ruck march. Another, comes to work in a cast because of a bone fracture. And another is put on profile because of a torn ligament. These types of issues are common in the Army, and most result from a poorly instituted fitness program one that fails to account for Soldiers current physical fitness levels. Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald C. Ecker, command sergeant major of U.S. Army Public Health Command, said knowing your Soldiers is vital to accomplishing your units mission and fitness goals. First, theyre going to tailor their physical fitness training around the mission the Army has given them, Ecker said. Secondly, theyll have to know the doctrine and how to push this training to meet mission. Thirdly, they need to know their Soldiers. The junior NCOs are in the best position to do this because they work and

play with them every day. Training Circular 3-22.20 Army Physical Readiness Training outlines what all NCOs need to take into account when physically training their Soldiers on their abilities to perform mission tasks, Ecker said. This is evidence based training circular, Ecker said. Our scientists here at public health command through the department of defense injury prevention work group, had a hand in working side by side in writing the doctrine. There are three phases to the Army Physical Readiness Training. The first phase occurs during basic training; the two other phases occur at a unit level. The second phase, toughening, pushes the Soldier past the initial phase and helps them grow physically. Once they reach their peak, the third phase calls for sustaining that level of physical readiness, Ecker said. PRT is effective in each of the stages, Ecker said. They need to know that scientific, methodical reach back that can provide them with the expertise in how to prevent injuries, Ecker said. They can get to us through their medical channels within their organizations. Battalion and brigade surgeons have a direct link with the U.S. Army Public Health Command and can assist NCOs in putting together an effective physical fitness program; one that takes into account preventing injuries, Ecker said. Knowing your Soldiers physical abilities is vital in preventing injuries, Ecker
A Soldier in the 7th Army NCO Academys Warrior Leaders Course takes the Army Physical Fitness Test in Grafenwoehr, Germany, May 14, 2009. PHOTO BY SPC.
MICHELLE WATERS

JUNE 2013

Daily physical training

1. Determine the minimum frequency of training. Ideally, it should include 3 cardiovascualr and 3 muscular conditioning sessions each week. 2. Decide on the type of activiity that will accommodate your units fitness goals. 3. Determine intensity of each workout and how much time each activity will take. Each PT session should include a warm-up, a cardiovascular or muscular endurance and strength workout and end with a cool down. Below is a sample of a daily exercise session. WARM UP XX 1 minute jog or walk XX 2-3 minutes stretching XX 2-3 minutes calisthenics CONDITIONING XX 20-45 minutes XX Cariovascular or strength activity COOL-DOWN XX 2-3 minutes of lowintensity exercises XX 3-4 minutes stretching

7-Step planning process

ANALYZE THE MISSION includes looking at the missionoriented tasks your Soldiers will have to perform and looking at what basic physical requirements theyll need.

1
DEVELOP FITNESS OBJECTIVES by looking at the mission requirements, and determining if Soldiers in the unit need muscular endurance, strength or cardiovascular fitness, and set goals accordingly.

2
ASSESS THE UNIT by gauging your units current fitness level and measuring it against where you would like it to be. Ensure that your measurements are quantifiable.

3
DETERMINE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS takes into account how your Soldiers training cycles and schedules will impact their physical fitness.

Additional Resources
XX Army Training Network: https://atn.army.mil/ dsp_template.aspx?dpID=127 XX TRADOC Physical Readiness division Homepage on AKO: https://www.us.army.mil/suite/ page/346316 XX U.S. Army Public Health Commands Soldier Medical Readiness: http://j.mp/USAPHC

4
DEvelop fitness tasks by establishing priorities and frequencies. These tasks can be divided into four categories. XX Collective tasks: training activities for the whole unit. XX Individual tasks: what a Soldier must do to perform the collective tasks. XX Leader tasks: set up training and obta necessary equipment. XX Resources: what facility, equipment or aids are required.

said. Its the orthopedic issues that are the resounding issues that we see, Ecker said. Thats includes anything from the feet on up to the neck; we do see a lot of lower back and upper back injuries. The most common types of injuries come from bonetype issues including stress fractures, dislocations and sprains. When extremely overworked, these issues can also lead to ligaments and tendons becoming damaged, which can take longer to heal, Ecker said. We see these injuries when the bone has not had a chance to condition, Ecker said. A lot of times we see these lets go do a 12 to 20 mile foot march. And if we dont know our Soldiers well enough, or their level of fitness, then we could easily damage their bones simply by overuse. Next month: helping family members in an emergency

5
DEvelop A TRAINING SCHEDULE that shows the order, intensity and duration of activities for PT.

6
conduct and evaluate training by supervising dayto-day training and monitoring their units performance.

N C O JOURNAL