I'm of the mind that you should be doing "work-up training" year round. Not neccesarily by the book, but not the way it has been in the past: "Ohmygodit'sBFTtimeagain..... let's do 12.9 km 3 times in 3 days, then do the march the 4th day........". IF units did the training throughout the year, you could do it anytime, anywhere. However, reality creeps in, then it gets put on the backburner, then everyone seems to wait to the last minute, and tries to squeeze everybody in, within a two day period. It's not like you have to book the roads or fitness trails, or at the worst, book the training area road, if you have a training area attached directly to the base.
When I was in Bosnia in 2000, our OC (a pretty big guy) decided that we should focus on doing more "weight-bearing" marches (ie rucksack or webbing marches) because there was a study out of the US Army stating that you should spend 90% of your trg time doing the weight-bearing marches and 10% running (of course we were doing it the opposite ratio in our unit previous to that). I never did read the study (I'd like to think he wasn't snowing us....) but it makes more sense than strictly running all the time. The problem with it, is the time required to get a decent workout in. There's not much sense in walking around for 30 minutes and then calling it a day, to shower, and head back to work. A change in thinking has to occur, and yes, you may have to miss coffee and toast at the mess, but what's more important?? Well, the coffee and toast usually wins out.....
Another one of my 8 million pet-peeves is people who complain when they have to do more than 1 BFT per year (remember, it's a MINIMUM of one, not a maximum....). It's not like it's the Bataan death march. Or the ever infamous "Why do 12 km for training..... let's do another km, and then we're done with it!!!!". Well, the point of the training is just that: training. It might not be exciting, but you are out sweating and getting the heart rate up, getting your body used to the weight, your boots, the equipment (helmet, webbing (now TV), and weapon), and getting some fresh air. We have a habit of giving people the day off after completing the BFT, as though it were completely draining (though for some I thought we'd have to break out the cardiac cart.....). You're supposed to be able to fight right after the march, not go and moan and groan at home on the sofa. The weight IS pretty unbearable.... yeah, right...... it's real close to a combat load (or not.....).
I try to run the BFT now, just to see how fast I can do it (best time: 1:24:00). I could have (in theory) lapped one of my soldiers on the 6.5 km fitness trail we use in Gagetown if I went around a third time. Now, HE was hurting at the end of it. The best part is people saying that I am going to hurt myself doing that. Yes, I might hurt myself. But then again, I may actually improve my fitness level somewhat. And be ready to do Mountain Man. And the marathon I plan to run. And perhaps ready to deploy.... But I should be a good Sgt and follow up at the back, and try to motivate the soldiers who have no motivation, and tell them that they can do it, when we both know that they really can't. But I won't play that game.......
Anyway, if a unit says that it doesn't have time to do the training, but have time to play ball hockey once or twice a week, or have stand-downs every Friday afternoon, or prolonged lunch hours, etc isn't serious about their job. The problem is that units feel that it has to be all or nothing: everybody out together, or nobody. I see a lot of people (by looks, senior NCO's or senior officers) out in pairs or small groups doing the training just before lunch, or towards the end of the day. IF units trusted their younger soldiers (and IF the younger soldiers could be trusted to do it without dogging it....) to follow this approach, maybe the training would get completed. And we might have a fitter military. But who am I kidding......
The people who are serious about doing the training (or PT) on their own find time to do, whether it means giving up the 90 minute lunches we seem to take, or in the evenings, or weekends. I'm 36 years old, with 3 young children and I manage to do it. It helps that I am a Sgt, so I can skin with little or no objections from my boss(es), but I have rarely been approached by my subordinates to leave early for lunch to do PT (and not expect 60 minutes to eat afterward)). I also train when I'm teaching courses in the field (we stay in shacks the majority of the time), whether it's running (in the dark) or going to the ATCO trailer that has a mini weight room set up. I have gotten fairly strange looks from people, and downright idiotic questions asked of me, when I run in the training area. I was running from Worthington Tank Park to Petersville (in Gagetown) when I was training for Mountain Man last summer, and had 2 people overtake me in their vehicles asking if I needed a lift, or was I just doing PT (in PT gear and carrying a rucksack). I guess THEY don't do PT in the field.
Anyway, I feel a little better after that rant, but it just goes to show how much PT (in particular "combat" PT) has taken a backseat to all the busywork we create for ourselves.
Al