Regulators Implement P90X Workouts For PT

By Pfc. Amy M. LaneJuly 16, 2010

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – According to the Soldiers who use it, the P90X physical training program builds muscle and loses weight by keeping the body in a state of flux. That's why troops from the 53rd Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sus... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – To help break the monotonous cycle of the everyday physical fitness, Soldiers from the 53rd Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) are now using the popular... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The company motor pool is the back drop for the Soldiers of the 53rd Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) who are now using the popular physical fitness D... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – There's no warm-up phase to the P90X training program. Soldiers from the 53rd Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) are now using the popular physical fitn... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT HOOD, Texas - With the goal of improving the company's average Army Physical Fitness Test score, the 53rd Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) is the first company in the Wrangler Brigade to implement the P90X physical training program every Thursday morning.

The Leopard Battalion unit, which has maintained an average APFT score of 251 points out of a possible 300, is enjoying the change to their regular PT program.

"I feel the new program breaks the monotonous cycle of the everyday PT," said Spc. Jason White. "I look forward to the P90X days, I feel that my body has a challenge and it boosts my energy."

The P90X program is designed to help rehabilitate anyone who may have endured an injury, and it challenges the physically fit. The program helps participants avoid weight loss plateaus, and it continues building muscle and losing weight by keeping the body in a state of flux - requiring it to move from one workout to the next. That causes muscle confusion when the muscles are used in different, unexpected ways and the workouts are switched up.

"Since starting the program, we have noticed an advance in the Soldiers' ability to do push-ups and an increase in their respiratory fitness," said Sgt. Virgil Frye, the 53rd's noncommissioned officer in charge of training.

Frye assembled an audio and video display to play the DVD. The 60-minute routine motivates Soldiers and has sparked new interest in PT. The company has seen mass participation, with so many Soldiers wanting to try P90X.

"We have such exceptional participation that we are moving to two days a week, by Soldier's request," Frye said. "We are also planning to upgrade to two screens and two projectors."

Other companies within the brigade have followed suit by adding P90X to their PT regimen. Frye said Soldiers seem to enjoy the new approach, and that increased fitness is valuable to Soldiers' confidence.

(Spc. Ann Marie White from the 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion contributed to this story)