U.S. Army Tells Soldiers to Shape Up or Ship Out

Serving in the military in an active combat zone puts young men in harm’s way.

So it makes sense to do everything possible to make our soldiers more fit in order to lower that death rate. The new Army test was designed to improve soldiers’ fitness … if it doesn’t injure them in the process. In particular, the dead lift is highly questionable because if not done correctly there is a good chance of injury. And the new standard may be so high that it will be hard to recruit soldiers. Even football stars fail to match the army guys. And it seems illogical to hold women to the same standards as men. MAYBE they could be for exercises relative to their size and weight, but not to ones like the dead lift or pulling a heavily-laden sled.