FORT SILL, Okla. -- "Fall-in … Receive the report … Report!
Those are the all too familiar words that Soldiers throughout the Army hear every morning from their unit's senior-enlisted noncommissioned officer at accountability formation.
After accountability procedures are finished, units either do platoon-level or battery level physical training.The norm on a Monday is for units to conduct Army physical readiness training activities beginning with preparatory drills, which are followed by hip-stability drills, military movement drills and cardiovascular training.
On Oct. 1, Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 75th Fires Brigade, here broke away from the normal way of undergoing physical training.
After accountability formation, they were instructed to fall out and report to Staff Sgt. Mark Middleton, a liaison officer assigned to HHB, 75th FiB, who was standing approximately 50 feet away.
Middleton stood surrounded by a circuit-training course.
The Soldiers gathered around him, he did not require the 'Hard Rock' Soldiers to form a battery en masse formation, nor did he have them stand at attention or parade rest. He merely introduced himself, explained the mechanics of the training of the day, and afterward ensured Soldiers had an understanding of the exercises involved in the training by talking them through each exercise and ensuring they saw a demonstration of each exercise.
While circuit training is not new to the Army, the system that Middleton used, Mission Essential Fitness, is relatively new.
MEF consists of exercises that requires use various elements [body-weight resistance; power; agility; cardiovascular endurance; muscular strength and endurance, etc.] to achieve a maximum training effect. Moreover, MEF requires a bit of motivation and heart.
"What you put into this is what you are going to get out of it," said Capt. Kevin Rice, HHB commander.
On MEF days, Soldiers are required to warm-up prior to formation. They continually do so while the physical training leader is conducting a walk through of the training circuit.
While this newly implemented concept was initially unpopular among some Soldiers, many of them can now see the value of the training.
"I like it," said Ashley Young-Holmes, HHB strength management clerk. "It's something different but it's fun."
Young-Holmes is one of the few Soldiers who received MEF-related training from Middleton before the unitwide implementation phase.
She underwent the training in addition to Army Physical Readiness Training to help her more quickly reach the physically-trained-ready status on the armed forces generation training cycle after her physical profile expired.
Based on her experience resulting from the training regimen, she gave the training her 'stamp of approval' and recommends the program for the average person walking the streets who has no prior exercise training.
"I would recommend that they try it out," said Young-Holmes. "I couldn't comfortably run a half-mile after coming off of profile, but my run time is improving thanks to the training."
The program consists primarily of anaerobic exercises. A widely accepted fact among various fitness and health circles is: Over time, anaerobic activities progressively enhance an individual's performance of aerobic activities.
For this reason, the unit is anticipating vast gains in the overall physical fitness and readiness of its combat-ready service members.
The 75th FiB currently has four MEF-certified instructors: Warrant Officer Matthew Chrisman, 1st Lt. Michael Roberts, Staff Sgt. Marcus Middleton and Staff Sgt. Timothy Hughes. The group traveled to Fort Bliss, Texas, to participate in the weeklong course.
They met the founder of the training program, Doug Briggs, Ph.D., director of human performance for Army Moral, Welfare and Recreation activities on Fort Bliss. Briggs and his team of instructors taught the troops various training methods.
Those methods ranged from how to use kettle balls, to how perform the latest total body resistance exercise movements. They also taught the group critical techniques that are required to be performed correctly, in order to prevent injuries, when executing power and Olympic lifting movements.
One of Briggs' goals is to see MEF being used throughout the military.
"If you want to train for anything, you train specific to that activity," said Briggs.
"If you play football you train by doing exercises and drills specific to what position you play, " he said. "If you are training to be a Soldier, you have to train specifically for your mission as a Soldier."
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