So you’re not the PT stud you used to be?

When you were in the army, marines, police academy, fire school or any other military or paramilitary training, you were taught how to train to be physically and mentally fit. You did what the instructors said and that was that. Now that your physical fitness is solely up to you, things might not come as easy as they used to. There are several reasons for this, but mainly, its about education and motivation. You may be asking yourself “what is this guy talking about, I know exactly how to exercise.” I can agree with that, you do know how to exercise, In a group setting. This is where individual and group training are quite different and I’m going to tell you why.
 
First of all, Education. When you did unit PT, or physical training, it was most likely in a group setting of 50 or more people. To properly exercise a large group of people, simple and straight-to-the-point routines must be used. Partner resisted pushups, assisted and unassisted pull ups, partner weighted sit ups/crunches and the list goes on and on. When weights are not readily available, like most group PT sessions, you have to rely on bodyweight resistance from a partner to get any kind of resistance training. For a large group PT session, this is the perfect answer to getting people physically fit without any equipment or weights.

Now that you have access to weights, equipment and other implements that you may have never used before, How do you use them? Or maybe you don’t train at a gym and only have minimal equipment available, how do you use what you have to get the maximum results? These seem to be the biggest problems I’ve seen with current and prior civil or military servicemen. The answer is several different things. The most popular method is emulation of other gym members; pretty much just doing what the people who look like they know what they are doing do. Problem with this is, most people in a gym have no idea what THEY are doing, so why would you follow them? Being a civil serviceman, you have different goals than your average gym member, so following them will most likely not yield the results you desire.

 

 The best answer to this situation is to individually educate yourself. Do the research on your own, figure out the goals you want to achieve and go get them. Spend the money on specific training manuals. Find a personal trainer or strength coach who is accredited in the field you need and employ him to educate you. That will also help with the second problem that I come across frequently. Motivation.

 

When you were younger solider, recruit, or a fireman, You were required to show up and do PT. It was part of the days training schedule and you had no choice BUT to be there. Now, you may not be required to be at a certain spot, at a certain time in a certain uniform, but the physical standards are still the same. This puts the personal responsibility on you alone. Now you have to find the motivation to train on your own without the support of 50 or 60 of your brothers and sisters by your side. You need to make your own routine and hold yourself accountable for that routine. If need be, pay that strength coach or personal trainer the money he requires to motivate you until you can find the drive to stay the course. If you are lucky enough to find a like minded person, acquire them as your training partner. The strongest and fittest people in the world train with a group of people who are just as strong or stronger than them, to force them to excel to the level of the people above them. This soldier and strength coach always recommends a training partner to everyone who cannot afford or does not want a strength coach/personal trainer.

 

PT is one of the most important aspect of military or civil service. Promotions, education opportunities or even your job depends on how physically fit you are. Your unit of service has failed you in a way, by teaching you only one specific way of staying physically fit, then releasing you on your own, with minimal individual training education. By taking the initiative to learn strength and conditioning on your own, several things will inevitably take place. First, you will easily be within the standards of your physical fitness test. Self confidence will be increased, which will radiate from you in your personal life. Finally your job performance and advancement will increase, giving you a more comfortable lifestyle. You didn’t think all of that could come from a little individual PT, did you?