The U. S. Army needs officers who are “physically, spiritually, and mentally fit in order to meet the challenges of leading American soldiers around the world,” according to Jacksonville State University’s professor of military science, Lt. Col. Henry “Chip” Hester.“A leader who is fit is better equipped to manage physical and mental stress and more resistant to sickness and injury. This is true for nearly everyone, not just soldiers and ROTC cadets. The Army considers it an issue of readiness, while others may consider it as something that lends itself to a better quality of life,” Hester said.
“While a part of our leadership curriculum in the Military Science Department at JSU focuses on mental and spiritual fitness, we spend a lot of time instilling an ethos of physical fitness in our cadets that we hope they will keep whether or not they decide to serve in the U.S. Army.”
According to Hester, the physical fitness program consists of four components: flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardio-respiratory endurance.
“You’ll frequently see Army ROTC cadets running on the Ladiga Trail or around campus in their distinctive black and gray Army physical training or PT uniform, two or three mornings each week between 6:15 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. While it is not always readily apparent, our running distances vary depending on the fitness levels of each individual.”
“We typically divide our cadets into ability groups based upon their level of physical fitness and generally run anywhere between two and four miles each morning or twenty to forty minutes. For cadets who are exceptionally fit and want more of a challenge for themselves, some groups may run as many as five to eight miles during a PT session. We currently have a group of 11 cadets training to represent JSU and compete in the Army 10-mile marathon in Washington, D.C., in October,” said Hester.
While ROTC cadets do run quite a bit to build and sustain their cardio-respiratory endurance, the remaining three components are equally important, according to Hester.
“Each PT session begins and ends with warm-up and cool-down stretches and exercises that improve and maintain good flexibility.” Hester said. “No Army PT program would be complete without a good dose of pushups, sit-ups, and abdominal crunches, which all help to maintain and improve upper body and abdominal strength and endurance.”
“At least once each week we attempt to integrate swimming, weight training or a competitive sporting event to add variety to our program and prevent it from becoming stale or boring.”
The cadets are young people in the prime of their life, which means they’re able to exercise harder than older people. But how can ordinary people adapt a “gentler” program similar to the ROTC physical training?
“Physiological differences between younger and older men and women may limit the frequency, intensity, and duration of their exercise program,” said Hester. “That being said, however, my boss is an Army Special Forces Colonel who recently turned 50 this past year and can run circles around my best cadets.”
“Even with young college students, however, we are very careful to ensure that each cadet is medically cleared to participate in our physical training or PT program, and we monitor them to ensure they exercise in a safe manner. I believe it was Clint Eastwood who said ‘a man’s gotta know his limitations.’ That’s probably good advice.”
According Hester, they conduct formal physical training (PT) sessions three times per week.
“To measure individual muscular strength and endurance, we count how many pushups and sit-ups each cadet can do in a two minute period, and then we time how long it takes them to run a 2-mile course.”
“By the end of their junior year here at JSU, I have very high expectations for our cadets. I would like our female cadets to be capable of performing at least 36 pushups and male cadets to do at least 64 pushups in two minutes. I’d like both male and female cadets to be capable of performing 72 sit-ups in two minutes, and I’d like for them to be capable of running two miles in 13:42, for males, or 16:24 for females.”
“We weigh our cadets monthly, calculate their percentage of body fat, and if needed, coordinate nutrition counseling with Dr. Deborah Goodwin in the Family/Consumer Sciences Department, to help ensure our cadets are eating right. Exercising as a group is very, very important for us. We not only challenge and encourage each other, but we are accountable to each other. If you ever plan to begin a personal fitness program, find a partner to hold you accountable and to challenge and encourage you.”
For more information, visit the ROTC Web site at www.rotc.jsu.edu, or call Colonel Hester at (256) 782-8021 or e-mail him at hhester@jsu.edu.
