Mission Essential Fitness - National Strength and Conditioning

Mission Essential Fitness (MEF) for the US Army Soldier
Doug Briggs, Ph.D., CSCS,*D , RSCC,*D
Director of Human Performance
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John Barela, MS, CSCS, RSCC
Sports Specialist, Strength & Conditioning
9 April 2015
Doug Briggs, Ph.D., CSCS*D, RSCC,*D
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Director of Human Performance‐US Army/MWR, Fort Bliss, Texas
Tactical Strength & Conditioning Facilitator of the Year 2014‐National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Author of “16 Weeks to Weight Training Success” & “Built for Strength: A Basic Approach to Weight Training Success for Men and Women”.
2x USAW Masters National Champion & 2x IWF Pan‐American Masters Champion in Olympic Weightlifting
Competitive Athlete for 26 Years
Faculty Member at New Mexico State University‐19 Years
Associate Professor, University of Texas‐El Paso, Biomedical Engineering‐
Current
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, CSCS,*D NSCA
Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach, RSCC,*D, NSCA
Powerhouse Gym Owner for 13 Years
John Barela, MS, CSCS, RSCC
• Nominated for the NSCA Tactical Strength & Conditioning Facilitator of the Year‐2015
• Sports Specialist Strength & Conditioning‐US ARMY/MWR
• Facility Manager/Trainer, Ironworks Gym
• Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach, RSCC
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, CSCS
• Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Texas‐El Paso (UTEP), 4‐Years
• Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Tulsa, 2‐Years
• 14‐Years of Strength & Conditioning Coaching in the Public/Private Sectors
•Strength and Conditioning Coach at University of Texas at El Paso ‐ 4 years
•Strength and Conditioning Coach at Total years as a strength and conditioning coach in private and
THE MEF CONCEPT
Soldiers require high levels of strength, power, speed & agility to carry out their mission in today’s modern combat environment. Not only has their equipment changed, but also the physiological demands placed on their bodies. To modernize the US Army, we must embrace the concept that a Soldier is a “Tactical Athlete.” As defined by the foremost subject matter expert in this area, the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), the tactical athlete is a Soldier that engages in combat and requires high levels of strength, speed, power, and agility. This Soldier must be both aerobically and anaerobically fit to meet the demands of combat in order to defeat the enemy. Old‐style PT and many modern variations do not address this demand due to limitations in the time required to achieve a cardiovascular workout. Contained within this presentation are recommendations for establishing a new training protocol that will address the issue of Soldier fitness, both individually and in a group setting.
Formerly, Army PT Trained Soldiers in the Sagittal Plane
BACKGROUND
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The Mission Essential Fitness (MEF) program’s primary purpose is to develop operational fitness for military personnel. When developing a comprehensive strength and conditioning program, the strength & conditioning specialist must consider the physical demands of operational related activities. There is a purpose to the design and it is not a randomly thrown together workout with no quantifiable measures. Throughout history, warriors and soldiers physically trained by performing various strength and conditioning exercises. Eventually this evolved into athletic events, thus the first athletes were Soldiers. Today our Soldiers have evolved into tactical athletes.
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When preparing for competition, athletes dedicate many long, hard hours to physical preparation. All successful athletes commit their mind, body, and spirit to the task. This level of commitment includes practicing sport skills, improving strength, conditioning, nutrition, and wellness.
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Typically, the tactical athlete devotes time to improving operational skill without much focus on improving operational strength, conditioning, and nutrition. The MEF program addresses these needs.
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By training Soldiers in the same fashion as professional athletes, the MEF program offers the same expertise in developing the tactical athlete for mission related duties.
Why is this important?
Unacceptable Statistics
In an APFT administered on 15 August 2006 the following results were reported:
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105 Soldiers Tested
72 Passed
33 Failed
This is a 31.4% failure rate. Average age: 19.96 years old. 13 Female Soldiers and 20 Male Soldiers failed the APFT.
These numbers are unacceptable.
This is what MEF prepares a Soldier to do…
SPC Taylor Jordan lifts weights in the rain at Camp Restrepo, Afghanistan
Mission Essential Fitness (MEF)
Army Force Generation Model (ARFORGEN)
To be effective a Functional Fitness Program should include several different elements:
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Specific to the Mission ‐ All training should be mission specific, working to develop and maintain mission specific strength. Integrated – It should include a variety of exercises that work on power, strength, speed, and agility. Increases Core Stability – Core stability is crucial for any mission. A stable core allows for a more efficient transfer of power from the lower to upper body and an increased ability to maintain correct athletic posture over long periods of time. Progressive – Progressive resistance training steadily increases the power/strength demand from workout to workout. While most people are aware of the need for this in relation to traditional power/strength training, it is sometimes overlooked in functional training. For functional training it also means varying speed of movement to make it more mission specific. Periodized ‐ For professional soldiers and tactical athletes, functional training needs to fit into their training cycle. In broad terms this means that the program will vary throughout the year to achieve optimal results, peaking for deployment and maintaining their power and strength while in theater. Usually there are four (4), twelve (12) week training cycles per year with one (1) week rest between each cycle. Mission Essential Fitness (MEF)
Army Force Generation Model (ARFORGEN)
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Functional Training has its origins in rehabilitation, where physical therapists would
develop exercises to duplicate what a patient did in their daily lives at work or home in
order to return after injury or surgery. Functional training is the utilization of weight
bearing activities to target core muscles of the abdomen and lower back to allow the
individual to perform daily activities more easily and without injury.
Functional Exercises lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly
impacting the number of injuries sustained and a Soldier’s performance in the demands
of combat. Functional exercises use training that emphasizes the body's natural ability
to move forward/backward, side-to-side, up/down and rotationally to mimic the
movements of that a Soldier is required to make in combat situations. For a tactical
Soldier those movements must replicate an unbalanced movement pattern due to a
heavy ruck, while maintaining explosive, agile movements required in urban
environments.
MEF Functional Training
Mission Essential Fitness (MEF)
Army Force Generation Model (ARFORGEN)
Reset
Ready/Train
Available
Reset
• Unit PT
• Entry Circuits
• High Intensity Circuit
• Online Access Circuit
• TRX Straps Certification
• Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Certification
• Pre‐Hab/Post‐Hab Circuit
• MEF Functional Training Kits
• Custom Functional Workouts
•Kettle Bells
•BOSU Balls
•Bands
•TRX Straps
Routine Daily Life
Where the program has the greatest
impact on ARFORGEN
Routine Daily Life
Preparing to Deploy
Preparing to Deploy
Deployed
Deployed
Coming Home
Coming Home
Exercise Selection is the Key…
Training is Specific
Should Soldier training be specific or non‐specific…as in the current, fad, cross training programs? We have had many conversations recently with Soldiers that training should be non‐specific. By non‐specific, the idea is that a program is not developed, but rather a random assortment of exercises are performed in a random order.
The thought is that Soldiers need to move in many different directions in quick order…
such as up or down, forward or backward, and side‐to‐side. Is this truly non‐specific?
Remember, the #1 rule of training is “training must be specific to the task that one is
asked to complete or compete in…and non‐specific training would be more applicable
to a definition of “cross training,” however, cross training produces a mediocre
performance in specific demands.
Training is Specific
Given that a Soldier needs to move up or down, forward or backward, and side‐to
side, one specific program that we could apply would be for football players at the
high school, college, or pro‐level. The program for training is very specific involving reps, poundage based on
percentages, as well as speed & agility work, coupled with endurance, plyometrics and
core training. The difference is that the specific training is measurable and repeatable, whereas the
non‐specific training is not. This is a quote from one of the premier cross trainers,
“We see the most gains out of those who are traditionally the weakest performers.”
It takes nothing to produce results from a de‐conditioned or never conditioned person…the true strength coach can produce results in highly trained individuals. MEF Fort Bliss Study
The Department of Human Performance conducted a 4‐week study comparing Army Standard PT to MEF Training utilizing 24 active duty Soldiers broken into two groups of 12 Soldiers. Both groups went through the same pre‐ and post‐test and the results are presented on the following slide. The differences are significant and achieved in 12 actual training sessions with no running for the MEF group.
MEF Fort Bliss Study Results
MEF Fort Riley Study Results
Military Medicine, October 2013
MEF Fort Riley Study Conclusion
Military Medicine, October 2013
MEF Method to the Madness
The MEF formula is based on:
Upper body exercise
Lower body exercise
Ab or core exercise
Olympic movements count for both upper and lower body exercise
All exercises and proper form are demonstrated before the circuit begins.
Rotation 1: 1 minute per exercise with 30* seconds rest between stations
Rotation 2: 1 minute per exercise with 20* seconds rest between stations
Rotation 3: 1 minute per exercise with 10* seconds rest between stations
*rest periods may vary depending on the skill level of the participants and degree of difficulty desired. Large circuits will not complete more than one rotation due to the number of stations and will be 30 seconds rest between each station.
Total circuit time from start to finish: 52 minutes.
Example Circuit
MEF Facilities at Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss has a one‐of‐a‐kind program in the US Army that is housed at Ironworks
Gym East and West. These strength & conditioning centers mirrors what would be found at an NCAA Division I university. The program that it houses (MEF) started in July 2008 at Stout PFC and moved to these custom designed locations in October 2008. MEF originally started training Soldiers from the 4/1 AD before their
deployment to Iraq and continues to train Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, 11th ADA, and other services as needed. The MEF program employs certified professional strength & conditioning coaches
who design strength & conditioning programs based on a Soldier’s need. Not only
do these professionals design the programs, but they lead the Soldiers in PT with groups as large as 300. The purpose in the program is to not only train the Soldiers in proper
form and appropriate physical fitness, but to train them to train other Soldiers in the field as
well. We see 1600 Soldiers on a daily basis engaging in this training in preparation for deployment.
Ironworks Gym East
Ironworks Gym East
Ironworks Gym East
Deployed Support
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While deployed, Soldiers can visit the following website to get new circuits to use for training:
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http://www.blissmwr.com/functionaltraining/
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This website provides useful information about training and offers 52 weeks of circuits that can be adapted to whatever equipment is available wherever the Soldier is.
MEF Certification
In teaching the Soldiers how to train each other in proper form and technique, we
certify the Soldiers in Tactical Strength & Conditioning from the NSCA. Not only does this ensure that everyone is utilizing the same, proven methods, but it allows the Soldiers to build on their knowledge base and take this information to theater with them. The Soldiers are trained using TRX straps, conventional weight lifting apparatus, dumbbells, kettlebells, hoops, tires, bands, sledge hammers, agility ladders, hurdles, and so forth. The training utilizes items that can be found anywhere and does not require large expenditures of money to purchase pieces of equipment with a large foot print.
By doing the training in‐house, using US ARMY personnel, we ensure that what is being taught is correct, current, and repeatable. In essence, we are the quality control that may not be found with external organizations.
MEF Strength & Conditioning Centers of the Future
Feedback
Dr. Briggs‐
The MEF training or functional training as it was called before we deployed
was fantastic. At first glimpse, it would seem easy until one tries it. It
can be a humbling experience at times. As a 1SG, I would have regular
circuit sessions for my company. At first, Soldiers hated it, but
eventually learned to respect it. During our last deployment to Iraq, my
BDE had an AAB mission, but only after 2 months of full spectrum OPS. The
usual gamut of expected injuries was minute or non‐existent. My 224 Soldier Company did not have any NBI's due to carrying heavy loads, dismounting/mounting vehicles, or even running PT on 1" gravel. I can't speak for the rest of the BN, but my medics running the aid station for the BN had a lot of free time to train and focus on trauma. They were not inundated by preventable injuries or overuse problems. The only difference in our physical training for this past deployment was the MEF. Kudos to you and your trainers. Also, the TRX system is fantastic to sustain a good level of fitness.
N. Shaw
MSG, USA
Operations SGT
4‐6 IN "Regulars!"
Feedback
I had the opportunity of working out with 100 or so Soldiers for an hour today at the Ironworks Gym at Fort Bliss. It was by far the best workout for the Soldiers I have seen done in the US Army. They used 26 stations with 5 soldiers per station in a non‐stop rotation of 1 minute per station for 3 rotations. From tire flipping, sledge hammering, heavy ropes, sleds, weights, jumping, plyometrics , dumbbells, and TRX, to footwork drills, they hit it all. It was all about change of direction for different muscle groups, endurance, toughness and being a part of a team. Very well done. The gym set up looks like a NCAA Division 1 football program. The pace, the motivation, the training was a testament to not only get the Soldiers in better shape but brought them together to compete and fight to become better than they are. From 20 years in the game, I would highly recommend this program to your FOBs and bases here in the US. It’s making the Soldiers Army Strong to compete against the world and win. ‐Riki Ellison, Military Lobbyist, former NCAA and
Super Bowl Champion
Feedback
I have been doing the MEF two times a week for six months and have to say it
is an experience. Day one I hated it why because it hurt and wore me out,
six months later it still the same but I know it has helped me increase my
APFT score by 26 points. You only get out of it what you put into it, there
are no shortcuts and no pacing yourself it is all out. One of the great
aspects of the MEF is that even those on profile can do it, the instructors
will coach and modify it to the particular profile. SFC James O'Neill
2‐356th LS, 402nd FA BDE, DIV West, First Army
Feedback
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"MEF is our team's secret weapon for physical training. We regularly score 20‐30 points higher team APFT score average by adding MEF just twice a week to our PT plan." MSG Vance Switzer, 5th Armored Brigade
Contact Information
Doug Briggs, Ph.D., CSCS,*D, RSCC,*D
Director of Human Performance‐US ARMY/MWR
Bldg. 2930, Cassidy Road, Stout PFC
Fort Bliss, Texas 79916
(915) 568‐6458
Douglas.briggs1@us.army.mil
John Barela, M.S., CSCS, RSCC
Sports Specialist‐Strength & Conditioning
Bldg. T20700, Anzio Way
Fort Bliss, Texas 79916
(915) 744‐5201
John.d.barela2.naf@mail.mil