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Surprising Science

Army Basic Training: Yoga, Rest

In the first redesign of its physical fitness test in 30 years, the Army incorporates elements of yoga and the benefits of rest. Some vets ask if the Army is babying new recruits.

Not surprisingly, there is some resistance from the old guard when it comes to incorporating yoga into the Army’s training regimen: “Army culture is hard to change, even in the name of better fitness. ‘Lots of folks are saying, ‘Ah, you’re babying them,’ General Mark Hertling reports. ‘You’ve got to drive them hard, and work them until it hurts.’ Yet such hard-charging training often came with a huge cost, he notes. ‘When you’re driving people until it hurts, that will result in injury. Not just in fixing people and mending bones, but in lost training time.'”


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