The U. S. Army needs officers who are
“physically, spiritually, and mentally fit in order to
meet the challenges of leading American soldiers around
the world,” according to Jacksonville State University’s
professor of military science, Lt. Col. Henry “Chip”
Hester.
“A leader who is fit is better equipped to manage
physical and mental stress and more resistant to
sickness and injury. This is true for nearly everyone,
not just soldiers and ROTC cadets. The Army considers it
an issue of readiness, while others may consider it as
something that lends itself to a better quality of
life,” Hester said.
“While a part of our leadership curriculum in the
Military Science Department at JSU focuses on mental and
spiritual fitness, we spend a lot of time instilling an
ethos of physical fitness in our cadets that we hope
they will keep whether or not they decide to serve in
the U.S. Army.”
According to Hester, the physical fitness program
consists of four components: flexibility, muscular
strength, muscular endurance, and cardio-respiratory
endurance.
“You’ll frequently see Army ROTC cadets running on
the Ladiga Trail or around campus in their distinctive
black and gray Army physical training or PT uniform, two
or three mornings each week between 6:15 a.m. and 7:15
a.m. While it is not always readily apparent, our
running distances vary depending on the fitness levels
of each individual.”
“We typically divide our cadets into ability groups
based upon their level of physical fitness and generally
run anywhere between two and four miles each morning or
twenty to forty minutes. For cadets who are
exceptionally fit and want more of a challenge for
themselves, some groups may run as many as five to eight
miles during a PT session. We currently have a group of
11 cadets training to represent JSU and compete in the
Army 10-mile marathon in Washington, D.C., in October,”
said Hester.
While ROTC cadets do run quite a bit to build and
sustain their cardio-respiratory endurance, the
remaining three components are equally important,
according to Hester.
“Each PT session begins and ends with warm-up and
cool-down stretches and exercises that improve and
maintain good flexibility.” Hester said. “No Army PT
program would be complete without a good dose of
pushups, sit-ups, and abdominal crunches, which all help
to maintain and improve upper body and abdominal
strength and endurance.”
“At least once each week we attempt to integrate
swimming, weight training or a competitive sporting
event to add variety to our program and prevent it from
becoming stale or boring.”
The cadets are young people in the prime of their
life, which means they’re able to exercise harder than
older people. But how can ordinary people adapt a
“gentler” program similar to the ROTC physical training?
“Physiological differences between younger and older
men and women may limit the frequency, intensity, and
duration of their exercise program,” said Hester. “That
being said, however, my boss is an Army Special Forces
Colonel who recently turned 50 this past year and can
run circles around my best cadets.”
“Even with young college students, however, we are
very careful to ensure that each cadet is medically
cleared to participate in our physical training or PT
program, and we monitor them to ensure they exercise in
a safe manner. I believe it was Clint Eastwood who said
‘a man’s gotta know his limitations.’ That’s probably
good advice.”
According Hester, they conduct formal physical
training (PT) sessions three times per week.
“To measure individual muscular strength and
endurance, we count how many pushups and sit-ups each
cadet can do in a two minute period, and then we time
how long it takes them to run a 2-mile course.”
“By the end of their junior year here at JSU, I have
very high expectations for our cadets. I would like our
female cadets to be capable of performing at least 36
pushups and male cadets to do at least 64 pushups in two
minutes. I’d like both male and female cadets to be
capable of performing 72 sit-ups in two minutes, and I’d
like for them to be capable of running two miles in
13:42, for males, or 16:24 for females.”
“We weigh our cadets monthly, calculate their
percentage of body fat, and if needed, coordinate
nutrition counseling with Dr. Deborah Goodwin in the
Family/Consumer Sciences Department, to help ensure our
cadets are eating right. Exercising as a group is very,
very important for us. We not only challenge and
encourage each other, but we are accountable to each
other. If you ever plan to begin a personal fitness
program, find a partner to hold you accountable and to
challenge and encourage you.”
For more information, visit the ROTC Web site at
www.rotc.jsu.edu, or call Colonel Hester at (256)
782-8021 or e-mail him at hhester@jsu.edu.
