HIFT-related fitness programs have proliferated in the military due to concerns about the relevance and benefits of traditional military physical training (PT), which historically focused primarily on aerobic conditioning 11.
Ranger school prep training program military athlete manual#
In addition, a number of HIFT-related fitness programs have been tailored to the needs of military personnel including the Ranger Athlete Warrior program (Ranger-Athlete-Warrior Manual v4.0, press release, 2015), the USMC High Intensity Tactical Training Program 8, the Mission Essential Fitness program 9, and the CrossFit®-based Canadian Army’s Combat Fitness Program 10. Among the 146 CONUS affiliates, 50 (34.2%) were associated with US Army posts, 6 (4.1%) with Army National Guard units, 37 (25.3%) with US Air Force (USAF) bases, 6 (2.1%) with Air National Guard units, 12 (8.2%) with US Coast Guard stations, 16 (11.0%) with US Navy installations, 17 (11.6%) with US Marine Corps (USMC) bases, and 5 (3.4%) with Joint Base installations. For example, in 2014 there were 281 non-profit CrossFit® gym affiliates on both Continental United States (CONUS) and overseas military installations (Personnel communication with Nicole Carroll, CrossFit Headquarters, Director of Certification and Training, 31 October 2014). The popularity of HIFT-related fitness programs in the military continues to increase. In addition to its impact on fitness, evidence suggests that HIFT training is uniquely effective in improving body composition, an important issue given recent increases in overweight and obesity among active duty military personnel 5– 7. HIFT workouts can be scaled to accommodate varying levels of fitness or preexisting physical limitations and be designed for environments where exercise equipment is available or in austere environments where only body weight movements and the incorporation of available objects (e.g., ammo cans, sand bags) is possible. Workouts are highly varied and often “scored” (e.g., time required to complete tasks), which is common in many occupational fitness tests, in order to assess and document improvements. HIFT stresses both aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways and is balanced in addressing power, strength, flexibility, speed, endurance, agility and coordination 1, 2, 4. This is particularly important for military populations who need to have superior physical conditioning to respond to occupational and warfare specific tasks 3. Rather than biasing workouts toward maximizing a specific fitness domain (e.g., running programs for aerobic endurance), HIFT workouts are designed to promote general physical preparedness. HIFT programs emphasize varied functional movements (i.e., movements requiring universal motor-recruitment patterns in multiple movement planes such as lifting, pulling, throwing, etc.) done at relatively high intensity 1, 2. High-intensity functional training (HIFT) is a promising fitness paradigm that has gained popularity among military populations. The purpose of this review is to: 1) provide an overview of scientific methods used to appropriately compare injury rates among fitness activities and 2) evaluate scientific data regarding HIFT injury risk compared to traditional military PT and other accepted fitness activities Given HIFT programs’ popularity in the military and concerns about injury, a review of data on HIFT injury potential is needed to inform military policy. Despite its’ popularity in the military, concerns have been raised about HIFT’s injury potential, leading to some approaches being labeled as “extreme conditioning programs” by several military and civilian experts. Other concerns about traditional PT include: 1) the relevance of service fitness tests given current combat demands 2) the perception that military PT is geared toward passing service fitness tests and 3) that training for combat requires more than just aerobic endurance. HIFT programs have proliferated due to concerns about the relevance of traditional physical training (PT), which historically focused on aerobic condition via running. Rather than biasing workouts toward maximizing fitness domains such as aerobic endurance, HIFT workouts are designed to promote general physical preparedness. High-intensity functional training (HIFT) is a promising fitness paradigm that gained popularity among military populations.
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