Soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment for the 1st Mission Support Command wait for the command of Sgt. 1st Class Edgar Paez to execute the windmill, one of the preparation drills as part of the new Army Physical Readiness Trainin...

1st Mission Support Command (MSC) Commanding General Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández (center), Paralegal Specalist for the Legal Assistant Office Spec. Gisselle Burgos Rosado (left) and 1st MSC Command Sgt. Maj. René Rivera (right) perfo...

Fort Buchanan, PR -- Lead by Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández and his staff, soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD) for the 1st Mission Support Command (MSC), conducted the new Army Physical Readiness Training (APRT) during their first battle assembly for the current fiscal year, Nov. 5.

The Army's physical training has drastically changed from the old one. The warm up and cool down exercises, which are now called "preparation and recovery drills", are way different (and quite fun to do too) than the preview ones.

With the new preparation drills commands in the voice of Sgt. 1st Class Edgar Paez, a noncommissioned officer from the 1st MSC maintenance section, the soldiers started their training.

The executed drills were: the bend and reach; the rear lunge; the high jumper; the rower; the squat bender; the windmill; the forward lunge; the prone row; the bent-leg body twist; and of course, the push-ups.

Then the soldiers performed the Military Movement Drills (MMDs) as part of the Endurance and Mobility Drills, which were the "main dish" for the day. The MMDs are a series of exercises designed to train the full spectrum of aerobic and anaerobic endurance requirements.

All soldiers trained hard and up to the Army standards, while having a lot of fun on that Saturday afternoon.

"Excellent! We had a lot fun. We needed to change it, soldiers get tired of doing the same thing; we must do this more often", said Sgt. 1st Class José A. Cuevas, a veteran and a soldier who is currently working at the logistics section.

Cuevas also commented on the participation of the 1st MSC Commanding General on the APRT with his troops: "when you see a General doing the same thing as you, that motivates you and makes you go the extra mile" he expressed.

It is very common to see Brig. Gen. Fernández and his staff performing with their troops in all types of training and events.

At the end, the new recovery drills were well welcomed by the over 40 sweaty and motivated soldiers, who were ready to hit the showers.

The intent of the changes to the Physical Fitness Program is to improve the health and wellness of our troops, as well as their combat effectiveness.

By implementing these new exercises, it is expected that soldiers will be able to perform better in real situations on the combat zone.