He's Fit

Click here for the Lead Stories

Soldiers: Too Fat To Fight?

Posted April 17, 2008 at 04:00 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: In The News, His Health, Lifestyle Health, Special Features, He's Fit Reviews

military training I recently read an article which commented on the obesity epidemic the U.S. and how it has invaded the military.According to That’s Fit, despite the grueling training many men and women in the service undergo, our soldiers, on average, carry more body fat than they ever have before.

“According to a related article on Military.com, 20 percent of all male recruits and 40 percent of female recruits are too heavy to enter into the military ranks. As a result, some are failing out for not meeting minimal fitness standards, and others are just barely squeezing by.”

I have seen this first-hand, as I have friends who were repeatedly denied due to their weight. My friends were assigned trainers to get them down to the required maximum allowable weight, meaning they just barely passed the entrance requirements.

I am pretty sure you can imagine what happened within 6 months of their joining the military – that’s right, they gained their weight back. Personally, I am not sure where the blame is due – the government for not being more strict on this issue, or the food industry for supplying us with the crap that has led to such an ill state of health for the country as a whole. Of course, I would also have to point the finger at the population as a whole also, but that is a whole other rant.

I am a military brat – my father spent 20 years in the Navy and my mother was in the Marines. My uncle was also a Marine; my grandfather was in the Army… you get the picture.

military run At no point did I ever see any of them overweight. At no point did I see any of their friends overweight, at least not while they were on active duty. Of course, the obesity level wasn’t anywhere near as high then, either.

Still, it stands to reason that this could be more tightly regulated, especially in the armed services. I can’t help but to wonder exactly how effective an obese soldier is in comparison to a soldier that is not.

According to a related article and study, today’s soldiers are about thirty seven pounds heavier than soldiers who served in the civil war.

Another issue that I may assume would be a center of controversy is the issue of BMI (body mass index). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.

As you may know, BMI does not take muscle mass into account, and thus a person who is quite muscular and in great shape may still produce a BMI indicative of obesity.

If you think you’re fit and willing, try tackling one of these military training workouts.

Research sources and for more information: [picture]