From running hills in the desert heat to carrying hundreds of pounds of gear on “humps” up to 20km long, the Marines of the Infantry Training Battalion at the School of Infantry (West) are always looking for new physical challenges and ways to improve their combat effectiveness.
On June 2nd, Fitness Anywhere’s Chris Frankel and Alex Roodhouse introduced the TRX to the instructor staff at ITB, and the Marines took to the training with the same ferocious tenacity that has made them feared and respected around the world. Having survived the same challenging situations and environments which gave birth to the TRX in the SEAL teams, the Marines instantly recognized the value of having an individual training system that is highly portable and functional. Yet seeing the TRX initially as “just a couple of straps”, some of the Marines were skeptical if the TRX was such a system.
Undaunted by the skepticism (as anyone would be who intimately knows the burn of Suspension Training), Chris and Alex challenged the Marines to an introductory competition: suspended burpee’s and atomic push-ups. Shortly after the first few sets, the Marines began to believe. At the end of the challenge, they were TRX disciples. After such a grueling challenge, most of us would dust off, grab some water, and call it a day. But that is why most of us aren’t Marines.
After burning themselves out on burpee’s and atomic push-ups, for the next 6 hours the Marines diligently set about the task of learning the ins and outs of Suspension Training. With the completion of the Military Suspension Training Course, the instructors at ITB will now take the TRX to the students at SOI: new Marines fresh out of boot camp, eager to learn the ground combat skills that are the foundation of every Marine’s training. The TRX will provide these Marines the ability to exercise anywhere and anytime during their grueling training cycles, enabling them to maintain and improve their combat fitness.