As a future Army ROTC member, I wanted to take on the challenge of a military workout and see how well I did. The Army is all about efficiency, activity, and strength. I overall follow an active lifestyle to begin with, so I was excited to switch things up. I found an article on Military.com titled: “The Best Twenty Minute Workouts”. With Pennsylvania’s recent gym closures due to Covid, this workout was very convenient as it did not require any gym equipment to complete. For the actual training I will go through for the ROTC will be a 1.5 mile run, push ups, and crunches. I am excited to serve our country one day, and this was my first step to see if I have what it takes.

The workout consisted of multiple supersets over a period of 10 cycles with 2 sections for both your upper and lower body. The first section was for the upper body and of course includes the classic military crunch. It consisted of regular, wide, and triceps push ups with crunches in-between each. I consider myself to be successful at pushups, but this turned out to be difficult. After about 6 rounds, my arms were shaking, my back was bending, and my face was as red as a tomato. My arms were very sore the next day and yet it made me feel strong. The second section was squats, lunges, and calf raises with crunches in-between. My calves were burning so much I thought I wasn’t going to be able to continue, so I took a small break and stretched before starting again. The lunges and squats were fine but by then my abs hurt so bad it was taking me twice as long to finish. I added my own finisher which was carrying a 35-pound plate in each hand that I had at home. Carrying heavy weight is a large part of the Military, so I figured it would be a nice edition. I like adding my own spin offs to a workout to make it either more challenging or interesting. 

I interviewed my mom who is considered a beginner at fitness because she has recently become interested in losing some extra pounds after the holidays. I questioned her about what made being a ‘beginner’ difficult both mentally and physically. She responded it was hard to stay motivated, and consistency seemed impossible. It was the constant cycle of being inspired to workout, and then the encouragement of fitness starts to wear off. Her favorite type of fitness is Zumba, she described it as, “So fun, and the time flew by; it didn’t even feel like I’m working out, it was just fun and upbeat.” Her least favorite was weight training because of counting reps and sets, “It feels more like math class than a workout, it makes the time drag by.” Her version of a successful workout consists of getting sweaty, a higher heart rate, and the time flying by. When I explained the workout and showed it to her; she said it’s not for her, and that it’s too hard on her body. She would rather incorporate a Pilates movement that works out the same body parts. 

I interviewed my fitness trainer about health and helping beginners, as well as the type of workout this consists of. She explained that a successful workout can be simply just showing up; it’s half the battle and is not easy. Beginners should stick to the same simple movements to improve and work on over time, which these military workouts completely align with. She believes that while cardio is important, weight training is important to maintain muscle mass as the years go on, so this military workout would not be as effective for someone in their 50’s as it was for me. She explained, “AMRAP(as many rounds as possible) is a great way to switch things up in a workout, and is an easy way to fit a good workout into a small amount of time, however it can lead to injury if you’re not careful with bad form.” These military workouts all focus on AMRAP. I think the combination of all these components lead to a successful workout for almost all levels and ages within reason. 

From research, interviews, and personal experience I believe with practice almost anyone can do these workouts. It might look a little different for every person, but at the end of the day it was a quick, simple workout without any equipment. My trainer approves of it and thinks that with good form, it can get you sweaty and feeling ready to take on the world. I’m excited to be a part of the Army, and this gave me a small taste of what my future holds.