The Canadian military has had to change its basic training regimen because raw recruits are coming in fatter and weaker. Last year more than one in 10 trainees were sent to a special program -- a sort of military fat camp -- just to make the minimum fitness standard.
"The lifestyle of Canadians has changed," acknowledged Cmdr. Hubert Genest, spokesman for the forces' recruitment branch. "They're not as active as they were."
On average, we spend more time staring at screens, eat more crappy food and get less exercise than ever before. Genest said that society's spreading girth and shrivelling muscle mass presents an "interesting problem" for the military, which has been on its biggest recruiting drive in decades.
"It's easy to be selective when you only take in 1,000 people a year," he said. "But when you have to open the gates and take 5,000 or 6,000 recruits, you have to accept the fact you're going to get all sorts of people who aren't in as good a shape as they should be. They're all good people, strong candidates, it's just that some of them aren't in shape."
In the past, potential recruits had to pass a basic fitness test before they were accepted into the regular, or full-time, military. That changed in 2006, when basic training for all three branches -- Army, Navy and Air Force -- were centralized at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in St.-Jean-sur- Richelieu, 25 km south of Montreal. All raw recruits from across the country spend 14 weeks at the school. The first week includes a four-step fitness evaluation, which includes a shuttle run, pushups, situps and hand-grip to measure strength. Those who flunk the evaluation are put in a special remedial program called Warrior Fitness Training, designed to whip them into shape.
Of the 6,400 recruits who started basic training last fiscal year, just over 700 (11%) went through the program. Program participants spend nearly half their day in intensive physical training. They take classes in nutrition and self-motivation. As soon as they can pass the evaluation, they're put back into regular basic training.
They're given 90 days to shape up. If they can't do it in that time, they're washed out and sent home. Recruit school spokeswoman Andree-Anne Poulin said while there's a higher proportion of flabby recruits, they're getting older, too.
"Our average age is 22 or 23," she said. "But we're getting quite a few in their 30s and 40s, wanting to start a second career."
Interestingly, no matter how unfit they are when they start, career military types are much fitter on average than the civilian population. All personnel must pass an annual fitness test. In the army, that test includes a timed 13-km hike with a full pack. Genest said even in the confined quarters of a naval ship, sailors work hard at staying in shape.
"The flight deck of a frigate has lots of exercise equipment and everyone is expected to spend an hour a day in the gym," he said. "Being fit is part of your job in the military."
The forces' recruiting website explains how it transforms recruits from flab to fab.
"You'll be up early, very early. You'll do lots of pushups, situps and chinups. You'll run. You'll practice drill. You'll learn about weapons, how to handle them, take care of them and how to use them. You'll learn about maps and compasses and how to live in the field under tough conditions. You'll learn First Aid and CPR. In short, you'll become a soldier."
By: Shelldrake
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