FORT HOOD, Texas - Before the rest of Fort Hood begins its hour of physical fitness, the Wellness Center on the base is already busy with activity.
"Before, I would dread coming to [physical training]," said Spc. Daniel Haney, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. "Now, I look forward to working out every morning."
Haney and the rest of his platoon from Troop B are involved in an experimental physical training program referred to as "CrossFit."
"The intensity's a lot higher," said the cavalry scout. "Even though it's harder work, it's more motivating, and you can tell you're becoming more physically fit."
The program lasts for eight weeks and involves a combination of weight training, gymnastics and cardio. Units all over Fort Hood are participating in the program, which involves a test group that performs the Cross Fit regimen and is compared to a control group, which performs the Army standard physical training program.
"Here, it's based off the individual," said Staff Sgt. Michael Strawn, a 1st Bn., 9th Cav. Regt. platoon sergeant. "It's tailored to each Soldier to get them to reach their max -- instead of trying to maintain a general standard with everyone."
The trainers of CrossFit don't focus primarily on the exercises. They also teach classes on proper nutrition and overall health.
"My Soldiers are excited to be here," Strawn said. "One of my guys has already dropped 10 pounds, and it's only been three weeks. I have others who have cut back on drinking alcohol and smoking to get the most they can out of the program."
Before the experiment began, the test and control group took a diagnostic physical fitness test. After the end of the eight weeks, both groups will take another physical fitness test and the scores will be compared to see which group had the best success rate.
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