Fort Polk Soldier/athletes tackle CrossFit, functional fitness course

Story by Chuck Cannon
Fort Polk Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — More than 25 Fort Polk Soldier/athletes spent April 23 and 24 learning to be CrossFit Level 1 instructors to provide coaching and guidance for the members of their respective units.
Chuck Carswell, one of three instructors with CrossFit Inc. who led the class, said the course teaches CrossFit methodology and how to incorporate functionality in daily physical training.
“The new Army PT test involves more functionality and looks a bit more like what Soldiers would see out on the battlefield,” Carswell said.
“This training will give them the foundational components to execute movements that will not only help them pass their PT test, but also make them more functional in the field. They’ll have the capacity — fitness wise — to be able to respond appropriately.”
Carswell said the level of functionality CrossFit brings to the Army’s daily fitness is probably a little bit higher than it’s been in the past.
“We are totally opposed to single joint movement because it doesn’t look anything like what you will find on the battlefield,” he said. “We employ movements like picking things up from the ground and pressing things overhead, or pulling yourself underneath loads and moving things out of the way. We believe fitness training should mimic more of what these athletes are going use on a daily basis. Most of our movements do that.”
Col. Jarrett Thomas II, Fort Polk garrison commander, said the training was important given the Joint Readiness Training Center’s role in preparing Soldiers for battle.
“This is one of three combat training centers in the Army,” Thomas said. “We train one-third of the Army’s brigade combat teams every year. The reason they come here to train is we provide some pretty tough training for those units to fight our nation’s wars. But you can’t do that if you’re not ready and that includes physical fitness, not only for our Soldiers, but also for our Families and civilian workforce.”
Thomas said the Army has learned a lot in the past few years about how to keep its Soldiers physically fit.
“We are no different than other athletes,” he said. “Because of that we need to make sure we are properly equipping our Soldiers for this type of training.
“The Army has done a lot of study and CrossFit and functional fitness aspects we do on a daily basis have helped us become better athletes. It keeps us ready, physically fit and prepares us to fight our nation’s wars.”
And Thomas said that’s important given the ever-evolving face of battlefields.
“The battlefield is changing; a long time ago you had the front line and the rear. Today, whether you are in Afghanistan or Iraq, or even potential near-peer threats down the road, the battlefield is everywhere,” he said. “Everybody needs to be physically fit. That’s where the Chief of Staff of the Army and our senior leaders are going. To have a team come here to Fort Polk to provide this training to train our trainers is important.”
First Sgt. Dustin Oliveira, Task Force 2 Operations Group, said he learned some of the proper techniques and mechanics that will be incorpo.rated into the Army’s new PT test.
“It will help me identify where people are making mistakes, and hopefully correct them,” he said. “It will also help prevent injury and increase our unit readiness. It’s definitely a good thing.”
Capt. Holly Flanscha, 32nd Hospital Center, said she learned how to provide fitness coaching for the Soldiers in her unit.
“I thought I was pretty adept at CrossFit, but I learned there were a lot of things I was doing wrong,” she said. “There are a lot more functional movements that we’ve learned and can share with the Soldiers we serve with. We’re seeing a wider variety of physical fitness today.”
The course concluded April 24 with a final exam. Those who passed are qualified to be CrossFit Level 1 coaches.