Have you ever heard of Military Fitness? If they asked us to imagine a military-style trainingwe would all immediately think of the one supported by the very young man Richard Gereinterpreter of the charming Navy pilot Zack Mayowho despite an adverse past, made up of restlessness and transgressions, manages to overcome the course and become Officer and gentleman.
But similar training was proposed – with great success – during the eighteenth edition of Bibione Beach Fitnessthe event dedicated to all latest trends in dance and workouts, most popular among enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts. Three days of sport and fun on the beach where 4 thousand people they participated in courses to the rhythm of music – as the Revolution Samba FitThe We give Fitness, the trampoline of Gio’s Jumping –but also to challenging tests as the Combatto learn gestures that can protect, and the path of Military Fitnessin fact, studied and guided by regimental instructors Lagunari “Serenissima”the unit specialized in amphibious operations.
At the training camp temporarily set up on the beach, under the supervision and guidance of around twenty soldiers, hundreds of aspiring «officer students» – in truth mostly women -, who put themselves to the test in a obstacle course, to be carried out in teams, one in competition with the other, after a short group warm-up, which included: roll over in pairs of big size tyres, passage under a fence, climbing a wall, dragging the amphibious dinghy in teams, dragging a tire on the sand as a single person, lifting ammunition boxes. All measured with a stopwatch in hand and to be carried out in the shortest possible timewaiting for teammates.
We explored the topic in depth to learn more about this discipline with the First Graduate Gianluca Ermeti, Substitute sports teacher of the Northern Operational Forces Command of the Army, graduated in Sports Sciences.
What does military fitness consist of? Is it similar to the military boot camp that raged a few years ago?
«Military fitness was thought of as a set of physical exercises developed by soldiers employed on missions abroad. Through this circuit, the soldier can carry out a training activity in any situation, adapting the physical effort to his level of training. Once the initial one-size-fits-all basic training is completed, a soldier’s military fitness training adapts to the new required standards, therefore it will be much more specific and adapted to the specialization.
The term boot camp it is a term that derives from the American military world and essentially refers to initial part of military trainingwhere the instructors encourage and stimulate their students in order to bring them to a positive level of physical and mental stress, which contributes significantly to developing and enhancing the abilities of each individual”.
What exercises are offered in a session? Which area of the body does it work on? What ethical and moral values does it train?
«For Bibione Beach Fitness, conditioned by carrying out the exercises on the sand, we decided to structure the lesson in two phases, for a total of 40 minutes. In the first phasethe “students” carried out a warm up under the direction of an instructor, who performed a series of exercises, with increasing workload, to activate all parts of the body in order to prepare the students for a more specific and competitive phase.
In the second phaseunder the direction of the instructors of the Lagunari “Serenissima” regiment, the students challenged themselves, with opposing teams, overcoming some obstacles along a route. In this second phase, unlike the first, it comes stimulated teamwork (four per team) and the competition, these values are typical of military units. The exercise is considered finished when the last member of the team reaches the finish line, no one is left behind.
Overall the exercises allow you to develop strength, endurance and speed through a mix of cardiovascular conditioning and agility. A fundamental component for the success of the circuit is igroup involvement».
What inspires military fitness?
«Military fitness is an evolution of the physical exercises that were already practiced in the armies after the Second World War on. For example, in Italian barracks there is the CAGSM (Military Sports Gymnastics Training Center) consisting of a 450 m course, made up of 17 different stations, which simulates the hypothetical obstacles of a combat terrain. The circuit combines physical activity, directed by an instructor and targeted according to the capabilities of the members of the military unit, with uncomfortable situation to have to carry out the exercises in an open field, sometimes in the mud, in the rain and at an intense level of effort, while also worrying about the members of your team. This allows you to increase self-control skills: If you’re not dripping with sweat and covered in dirt at the end of a military fitness session, you didn’t do it right.”
Who is it recommended for? Are there any limitations in practice?
«Military fitness is recommended to everyone, the only precaution to follow is that if done in a group/team, the members must have more or less the same preparation. Naturally, like any sporting activity, it is advisable undergo a medical check up before starting».
What are the critical issues of military fitness? What are the advantages of practicing it?
«I don’t see any critical issues, thanks to its adaptability, in practice it can be practiced anywhere in an open environment or even indoors, even in the trenches. The military fitness circuit adapts to the environment and the personnel employed, diversifying the difficulty levels from time to time to create new stimuli, using any tool available.
For example, at Bibione Beach Fitness the course was designed using ammunition boxes filled with sand; truck tires, the lifting and rotation of which allows you to exercise your legs; inflatable boats to practice transport in teams, thus developing coordination; a fence with telephone cable for the “leopard’s pass”. There is therefore no need to have specific equipment, you just need to look around.”
How many times a week is it advisable to practice it?
«My advice is to practice it at least 2/3 times a week with sessions of at least 40/45 minutes and to complete physical preparation by including, always during the week, 2 aerobic running activities».
Source: Vanity Fair
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