Soldiers participate in the Soldier Strength and Conditioning Course at Frederick Fitness Center, Monday. The course focuses on skills to improve performance by teaching training and injury reduction strategies, as well as increasing mobility and str...
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Physical training and hitting the gym during lunch aren’t the only options available to Fort Bragg Soldiers looking to get in shape. The Soldier Strength and Conditioning Course is a program built to improve Soldier physical fitness and educate them on ways to share those strategies.
The SSSC is focused on training Soldiers in more than exercise strategies.
The goal of the SSSC program is to teach Soldiers how to instruct other Soldiers in superior physical training strategies, injury reduction, safety and equipment usage.
Focusing on developing skills Soldiers can use to increase performance (often on physical training tests) by emphasizing mobility, strength, restoration and energy system development, the SSCC is designed to fit any Soldier at almost any level of fitness.
The SSCC was designed to enable Soldiers to improve physical fitness and functionality to a level that exceeds Army standards by using concepts in athletic development.
Besides the physical training, various education briefs are included in the SSCC format that are designed to inform participants in strategies for success. Briefs include information on injury reduction techniques, nutrition, cognitive strategies and basic athletic development principles.
The education side of the SSCC is what sets it apart, Gilvin said. SSCC is not only a workout regimen, it’s a way to educate and allow Soldiers to educate others about what they’ve learned.
Cutting-edge equipment and trained instructors provide first-class sessions incorporating hands-on teaching methods in the proper techniques and protocols necessary to increase operational development.
“In 21 years of service it’s the best work out I’ve ever had,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Hathaway of the 30th Engineering Brigade. “It’s not just the equipment, it’s the instructors. Motivated instructors get the most out of people in this gym. We need more instructors like Casey.”
Capt. Ian O’Sullivan agreed.
“It’s an outstanding opportunity,” O’Sullivan said. “They do a great job offering a great workout as well as teaching us how to apply what we’ve learned.”
There are two tracks offered within the SSCC that are customized for more specific goals " the Army APFT Improvement Program and the Tactical Performance Plan.
The Tactical Performance Plan uses functional strength and conditioning concepts used to increase performance within the tactical environment above the average Army standards. The plan is a multi-faceted program focused on improving overall human performance.
Six weeks long, with a minimum of two days weekly (four maximum), in 60-minute sessions, the Tactical Performance Plan provides strength coaches to train Soldiers in groups of up to 30. There is an evaluation session during the first week and during the last week of the program. The program runs anywhere from 12 weeks up to 24 total weeks.
The Army Physical Fitness Test Improvement Program is also a six-week course with the same schedule, with strength coaches instructing groups of up to 50 Soldiers.
To participate in the SSCC, active-duty Soldiers should contact Casey Gilvin at Frederick Physical Fitness Center on Gruber Road at 432-7949. Paperwork, including an SSCC memorandum and health clearance, must be filed in order to secure a training slot.
Staff Sgt. Fernando Faust with the 528th Special Operations Sustainment Brigade said he wishes the military would make the course standard.
“It doesn’t beat your body down like regular PT,” Faust said. “I’ve seen a big difference. It improved my mile by a whole minute. The Army needs to adopt this. It definitely works.”
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