FORT BENNING, Ga., (Feb. 4, 2015) -- Since October, the 30th Adjutant General Reception Battalion has conducted the initial entry training physical resilience enhancement program, which is an effort to reduce training injuries for new Soldiers.
The program uses an assessment consisting of a one-mile run, a pullup, a deep squat, a trunk stability pushup and a series of pain provocation tests to identify those Soldiers who might be at a higher risk for injury during IET.
Once those Soldiers have been identified, they are moved into the I-PREP program, located at 30th AG's Fitness Training Unit on Harmony Church.
There, trainees participate in a program aimed at not only injury prevention, but also increasing their overall physical fitness over a period of three weeks before advancing to IET.
"The I-PREP is important because we're making sure we're taking care of our most precious resource - the Soldiers," said Capt. Benjamin Bower, FTU commander. "By creating this program, we can potentially reduce injury rates in IET, but we're also hoping the knowledge the trainees receive in this program will stay with them throughout their lives and military careers because musculoskeletal injuries are a problem not just in IET, but in the Army as a whole."
FTU 1st Sgt. Tresia Huell said I-PREP helps to prepare trainees for IET by not only building their physical resilience, but also by increasing their knowledge base.
"Trainees often think they're behind their peers when they're here for two or three weeks, but they're actually ahead because they've learned how to eat properly and how to take care of their bodies," she said. "This is a program that can go far once it's initiated at the right level. This program has done great things. We've seen surveys come back where participants have said that this prepared them for IET and that they learned a lot about their bodies."
During the program, trainees are asked to perform seven movements as part of a functional movement screening that will help to identify key weaknesses. Once those weaknesses have been identified, corrective exercises are assigned.
"The goal is to identify weak links that might make a trainee prone to injury and then, through the exercises, develop those weak links to make their bodies more balanced and enhance their overall physical performance," Bower said. "The corrective exercises target different deficiencies from the FMS screen. So, there are mobility, stability and strengthening exercises. One individual is not necessarily going to need all mobility exercises. Typically, a trainee needs a combination of mobility and stability exercises to help correct those deficiencies."
Trainees are graded on a scale from zero to three for the movements, with zeros assigned if trainees report pain during a movement and threes assigned if trainees execute the movement perfectly.
If a trainee does not receive a three, he is asked to repeat some movements from an alternate position. If the movement is executed adequately from the alternate position, the trainee receives a two. If the movement is still awkward, the trainee receives a one.
In order to exit the program, trainees must receive at least a 14 on the FMS.
"The highest score you can get is a 21, but research has shown that scores of 14 or less on the FMS may identify someone that has a higher propensity for injury," Bower said.
While the program is designed to last three weeks, some participants may leave as early as one week by faring well on an assessment. In order to leave in two or fewer weeks, participants must meet a slightly higher standard than their peers.
In addition to the FMS score of 14 or higher, participants must also perform 25 pushups in a minute, 25 situps in a minute, one pullup and must finish a one-mile run in eight minutes and 30 seconds or less.
"If someone is performing well on their physical assessment after only being here a week, we'll analyze that data and identify them as someone who can go to training and should go to training rather expeditiously," Bower said.
For those who stay the full three weeks, they must perform 20 pushups in one minute, 20 situps in one minute and complete a one-mile run in nine minutes or less. The FMS score of 14 or higher is required for all participants.
If after three weeks a trainee has not met the requirements, a panel including representatives from the FTU, 30th AG, Directorate of Training and Doctrine and Human Dimension, musculoskeletal action team leaders from the 194th Armored Brigade and 198th Infantry Brigade and a Warrior Athletic Trainer will discuss what to do next.
"We all look at the data and determine who is ready to leave," Bower said. "We're analyzing the individual as well. We can provide input from the cadre on the potential of the individual. Maybe they're performing poorly, but what is their motivation and effort like? Do they look like they're going to be a good Soldier and somebody who's not likely to get injured, but just needs a little more help in the I-PREP? Or, is it somebody who's not putting forth the effort and doesn't look like they're going to be a good Soldier? Those are conversations we have that supplement the data to get a holistic view of the individual."
Social Sharing