Corps beefs up fitness standards to help portly Marines slim down

San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 8/27/08 | Craig Gustafson

[NormsRevenge]

Care to weigh in ?

I went in straight out of high school, had been a runner in track so fitness wasn't an issue with me. The initial group I assembled with in boot camp was a hodge podge of young and old, quite a few obese. Most of them washed out as they couldn't handle the exercise and the diet wasn't that great either, there is no Jenny Craig plan or a buffet bar and ice cream machine.

I'm a little heavier then my fighting weight these days... but I could still wheeze thru an obstacle course, I reckun.

Good luck to all the new recruits!

[Chucky is a girlie man]

We had an Army NCOIC we called “listerbag” because he was so fat and sweaty all the time.

[NormsRevenge]

CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune

Lance Cpl. Mark Ashley carried Lance Cpl. Brendon Law as part
of the obstacle course portion of yesterday's combat fitness test
at Camp Pendleton.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..Another major change by Conway is his mandate to separate tests that measure physical abilities from requirements for personal appearance. Marines who post excellent scores on physical tests will no longer be allowed to exceed the Corps' body-fat standards by a few pounds......[snip]

....[snip]Conway granted one exception: Officers can pass Marines who don't fulfill the body-fat requirement if they believe those troops still look trim in uniform. .."

They should eliminate the pretty boy factor above.

[nascarnation]

I attended a wedding recently where the groom was a Marine.
About a dozen Marines attended.
They all looked in great physical shape to me (boys and girls)

Never knew about that whacking the bride on the rear with the sword tradition....... :- )

[DuncanWaring]

Marines first run 880 yards – two lengths of an Olympic-sized racetrack ...

I guess it would have been to simple just to say "a half-mile".

[libs_kma]

I think all the services should institute a combat fitness test that needs to be passed twice a year in conjuction with the regular pt test.

And this is coming from someone who took full advantage of the Army body fat program. I never was built lean like a runner, and a few times I tipped the scales over the recommended US Army weight standards, but I always passed my pt tests, never I fell out of a run. After I weighed in over the recommended weight, I always passed the tape test.

While I wasn't huge like a professional weightlifter, I had the same body build. Even though I passed the tape test though, I still could have benefitted from a conditioning program designed to lower body fat. As it was, once I would pass the tape test they sent me on my way and said see you next weigh in.

[The KG9 Kid]

I don’t recall anything but PTing until the brink of vomiting and constant running all over creation when I was in. There were no fitness problems I was aware of with anyone I served with.

[BGHater]

Well, it's obvious why the Marines are doing it, perception over performance:

‘Conway granted one exception: Officers can pass Marines who don't fulfill the body-fat requirement if they believe those troops still look trim in uniform.’

‘Marines who post excellent scores on physical tests will no longer be allowed to exceed the Corps’ body-fat standards by a few pounds.’

I dunno if they use the outdated body weight measurements like we do in the Army. But this is a joke.

If you can perform, aka on the Physical Fitness Test, there has to be exceptions. Simply having a higher body fat percentage is not a reason to get rid of someone. This is simply putting lipstick on a pig.

[PGR88]

“....“They know exactly what they’re there for. . . . This is not the Vienna Boys’ Choir. If they wanted something less or an easier way to do it, they could sign up for something else,” said retired Lt. Col. George Murray of Carlsbad. “

I couldn’t agree more Colonel. Only in our society now, you will have a few idiots insisting on inclusiveness and sensitivity training as well.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Fat bodies used to be sent to the Pork Chop Platoon to lose weight during recruit training.

[Centurion2000]

Conway said Marines with excess body fat threaten combat efficiency and effectiveness

Absolutely untrue. If they can make the physical fitness standards then they make the standards.

The world has had armies for thousands of years without needing them to be starved greyhound half-marathon runners.

[llevrok]

Golly, Sgt. Carter

[NormsRevenge]

We had a guy, came in 300 and left 198 in 14 weeks. He could have been Platoon Guide but he couldn’t climb a rope or do more than a chin-up or two. I admired his grit but didn’t envy all the lettuce&roughage and cottage cheese he had to eat while we slopped on the regular grub... and PT was a b*tch. This was the early 70s.

[NormsRevenge]

Keep in mind, it was the age of the draft when I was in .. they weaned a lot of the less fit out in boot but once ya hit the fleet, it really was a matter of the unit and commanders you had and how hard they pushed ‘em.
Nothing like a little PT to get the load off. ;-)

[Beagle8U]

Why have different standards for women?

If they want to be a marine they should meet the exact same standard unless they want to be there just for entertainment value.

[antiRepublicrat]

I fell out of runs twice. Once was a sprained ankle from running on a rocky dirt path in running shoes, the other was a "let's run until there's nobody left" run that only two natural-runner types survived.

I also lament that there was no real coordinated fitness program, just regular PT. There was nothing for you except your own knowledge and volition if you needed more (average going for better, or already great going for perfection). I guess that should be accomplished if a unit had a high-speed first sergeant and training NCO who worked to make sure every individual soldier was in top shape, but I was never in a unit like that.

[SENTINEL]

Half marathon runners ?

Apparently you don't know the Corps very well. We could all run FULL marathons if we needed to. With gear.

[proxy_user]

“They know exactly what they’re there for. . . . This is not the Vienna Boys’ Choir. If they wanted something less or an easier way to do it, they could sign up for something else,” said retired Lt. Col. George Murray of Carlsbad.

I would not put down that group of high-trained young men. Their physical skills, although a bit specialized, are just as difficult to acquire as what Marine Corps does.

I doubt if many of these tough Marines could sing the solo part from a Bach Cantata on pitch in front of a large audience.

[Myrddin]

I worked with my son (as did his runner girl friend) before USMC boot camp. He placed 5th in a 10k run (his very first event) on July 4th...before leaving a boot camp a few days later. At the end of 13 weeks of boot camp my son had lost significant muscle mass. He was really gaunt at boot camp graduation.

Just for amusement, I worked on improving my own performance on the PT. I was up to 9 pull-ups when I had an accident at work that injured my left shoulder to the point that I couldn't raise my arm even level with my shoulder. Six months of physical therapy recovered most of the range of motion. My new "toy" at home is Russian kettlebells. Hoisting an 88 lb bell from floor to shoulder height for 5 sets of 20 reps is a pretty decent workout. Snatching a pair of 53 lb bells from floor to overhead for 10+ reps will get your heart running as well. I turned 52 this week, so those KB workouts are a necessary effort to keep from turning to mush.