PHYSICAL CONDITIONING

In order to be on effective soldier, a man must be in excellent physical condition.

Physical training is primarily designed to get the man in condition and keep him
in good physical condition. Experience has shown that few recruits enter the
Army physically fit for strenuous duties of training. The softening influence of our
modern machine civiliation makes the problem of physically conditioning men
more important than ever. !arfare makes great demands on a man"s physical
condition. #e must be able to march long distances with full pack, weapons and
ammunition through rugged country and to fight effectively upon arriving at the
area of combat$ to make assaults and to run and crawl for long distances$ to
%ump into and out of foxholes, craters and trenches, to lift and carry heavy
ob%ects$ to keep going for many hours without sleep or rest. &odern, mechanied
warfare has not diminished the need for the soldier to be in 'top notch' physical
condition. There are always places where mechanied units cannot maneuver,
tasks which they cannot accomplish, and situations in which e(uipment becomes
disabled. )urthermore the machines are no better than the men operating them.
a. *aily marches normally will be taken to and from your classes. *uring
range firing, you may be re(uired to march to and from the range
complex. +sually during bivouac week you will be re(uired to march ,- or
more miles.
b. The Physical .ombat Proficiency Test will be administered to all personnel
near the completion of basic training. /e(uirements for combat are
demanding and can only be met by physically hardened soldiers.
c. Each man will start with five repetition, of a set of callisthenic type
exercises. 0ou will progress until a minimum of twelve repetitions of each
exercise have been achieved. #ere are the exercises1
,. 2tarting Position1 )eet separated about ,3 inches, knees slightly bent,
body bent forward 456 at the waist, arms raised backward.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement.
a. 2wing arms forward to shoulder height and %ump upward a few
inches.
b. 2wing arms backward and %ump upward a few inches.
c. 2wing arms forward and overhead vigorously and %ump upward at
least ,3 inches.
d. 8ump upward several inches and swing arms backward.
These movements of E9E/.I2E ,, the #I:# 8+&PE/ are continuous and work
into one another. The arm swing is much like that performed %ust prior to a
standing broad %ump. The %umps on counts a, b, and d, are merely 'crow hops'.
The %ump on count c calls for full effort.
,. 2tarting Position1 2ide straddle, arms overhead.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. ;end trunk forward and downward. At the same time swing arms
between the legs, touching fingers to ground between and behind
the heels. <nees are bent. Touch fingers as far behind heels as
possible. *o not raise heels.
b. /ecover starting position.
c. /epeat count a.
d. /ecover starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 Attention.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. ;end at knees and hips and, s(uatting down, place hands on the
ground shoulder width apart. <eep elbows inside the knees.
b. Thrust feet and legs backward to a front leaning rest position. <eep
body straight from head to heels. 2upport weight on hands and
toes.
c. /ecover to the s(uatting position.
d. /ecover to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 =n back, arms extended overhead, feet together.
3. .adence1 Alternating )ast>2low.
7. &ovement1
a. 2it up sharply and at the same time bend knees sharply. ?ean
forward, swinging arms forward to a 'rowing position.' <eep knees
together and against the chest, feet flat on the ground, and heels
close to buttocks. Arms move forward and backward in a vertical
plane.
b. /ecover slowly to starting position.
c. /epeat count a.
d. /ecover slowly to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 )ront leaning rest, body straight from head to heels,
weight supported on hands and toes.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. Push against ground with feet, keeping knees straight, raise hips
sharply and %ump, feet forward so that hips are elevated and trunk
and legs form an inverted @. 8ump as far forward as possible with
knees straight.
b. /ecover to starting position.
c. /epeat count a.
d. /ecover to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 2tanding with feet slightly separated, hands on hips.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. *o a full knee bend, and thrust arms forward. <eep fingers
extended, palms down and trunk erect.
b. /ecover to starting position.
c. ;end trunk forward, keeping knees straight, touch ground in front of
the toes.
d. /ecover to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 )ront leaning rest, body straight from head to heels,
weight supported on hands and toes. #ands are directly under shoulders.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. ;end elbows and touch chest to ground keeping body straight.
b. 2traighten elbows, and recover to starting position.
c. /epeat count a.
d. /epeat count b.
,. 2tarting Position1 2ide straddle, arms overhead with upper arms forced
against ears, thumbs interlocked.
3. .adence1 2low.
7. &ovement1
a. ;end sidewards sharply to the left. ;end straight to the side without
twisting the trunk or shoulders. <eep heels flat.
b. /ecover slightly and repeat with a bounce.
c. /epeat count b.
d. /ecover to starting position.
/epeat on right side for counts e, f, and h.
,. 2tarting Position1 =n back, arms on ground and extended sideward, palms
down, legs nearly vertical, feet together, knees locked.
3. .adence1 Alternating 2low>)ast.
7. &ovement1
a. ?ower legs slowly to the left, twisting trunk and touching ground
next to left hand. <eep knees straight, and both shoulders on
ground. ?egs must be lowered, not dropped.
b. /ecover sharply to starting position without bending knees.
c. ?ower legs slowly to right, twisting trunk, and touching ground near
right hand.
d. /ecover sharply to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 2ide straddle, arms sideward, palms up.
3. .adence1 2low.
7. &ovement1
a. Turn trunk sharply to left to limit of motion, then relax rotation
slightly.
b. ;ounce to the left, and relax slightly.
c. /epeat count b.
d. /ecover to starting position.
/epeat on right side for counts e, f, g, and h.
,. 2tarting Position1 2tanding with feet slightly separated, hands on hips.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. *o a full knee bend, at the same time bend slightly forward at the
waist and thrust the arms between the legs until the extended
fingers touch the ground. The hands are about A inches apart.
b. /ecover sharply to the starting position.
c. /epeat count a.
d. /epeat count b.
,. 2tarting Position1 2ide straddle, fingers laced behind head, elbows back,
chin in.
3. .adence1 2low.
7. &ovement1
a. <eeping knees locked, bend forward sharply, with a slight bouncing
movement that causes slight recovery from the bend.
b. ;ounce downward, and simultaneously twist the trunk sharply to
the left so that right elbow is down.
c. /epeat count b to the right. This time the left elbow swings down.
d. /ecover to starting position.
,. 2tarting Position1 Attention.
3. .adence1 )ast.
7. &ovement1 ;egin run slowly, then speed up somewhat, raising knees
above hips. Increase gradually to full speed, raising knees hard, then slow
down. )or men in good condition, this exercise should continue for
approximately , to , ,B3 minutes, the middle half minute of which should
be at top speed. To start and stop the exercise the instructor counts two
series of four, counting only as the left foot strikes the ground.
,. 2tarting Position1 Attention.
3. .adence1 &oderate.
7. &ovement1
a. ;end at knees and hips and place hands on floor in front of feet in
s(uatting position.
b. Thrust feet and legs backward to a front leaning rest position. <eep
body straight from head to heels. 2upport weight on hands and
toes.
c. ;end elbows and touch chest to ground.
d. /ecover to front leaning rest position.
e. /epeat count c.
f. /ecover to front leaning rest position.
g. /ecover to s(uatting position.
h. /ecover to starting position.