And nobody ever accused the Army about being "cutting edge" when it comes to physical fitness. They are still doing situps for the physical fitness test which are absolute murder on you kneck and back. I tore my trapezius during a PT test in training doing situps, and my back problems started with the muscle imbalance created from situps when I had to "roll to one cheek" to keep my tail bone from contacting the ground on each rep. There are literally dozens of safer, more effective exercises that measure core fitness more accurately than situps. But they're tradition. The Army sucks at this kind of stuff.
As far as the shoe debate, I can see them banning VFFs based upon their ridiculous appearance (and yes, they do look ridiculous even though I have a pair of Sprints), but they have painted themselves into a corner on this one. How flexible and lightweight does a shoe have to be to be considered "minimalist" or a "racing flat" in the eyes of the Army. I can tell you right now, there are a lot of shoes that are tagged with the "minimal" tag that I do not consider minimal at all. Ex: Saucony Kinvara, Nike Free, NB Minimus Road. Are soldiers not allowed to wear these either? Do they really expect commanders to personally inspect a soldier's PT attire and weigh their shoes?
On another note: I further injured my back in Iraq (trying to lift an overturned HMMWV.... long story) and aggravated it through various other athletic means. The VA was a friggin' joke and a runaround (I was in the Reserve). Running was painful, and I had no success with a civilian chiropractor. I remained on profile during most of the remainder of my eight years in the Army due to a bulging, herniated disk. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Ken Bob Saxton's site that I found out about the joys and wonders of running shoeless. I would never have recovered from my injuries if I had not started running barefoot (I later started working my core with the assistance of a PT - again, no thanks to the Army). I can rant on the Army a bit more, but I don't want to seem like I'm attacking servicemen, so I won't.
And lastly, a big LOL at "bankrupting the PX." Is that even possible? First of all, they sell a whole heck of a lot more than just shoes. Second, most soldiers get their regular running shoes through other channels ALREADY. I know I did.
As far as the shoe debate, I can see them banning VFFs based upon their ridiculous appearance (and yes, they do look ridiculous even though I have a pair of Sprints), but they have painted themselves into a corner on this one. How flexible and lightweight does a shoe have to be to be considered "minimalist" or a "racing flat" in the eyes of the Army. I can tell you right now, there are a lot of shoes that are tagged with the "minimal" tag that I do not consider minimal at all. Ex: Saucony Kinvara, Nike Free, NB Minimus Road. Are soldiers not allowed to wear these either? Do they really expect commanders to personally inspect a soldier's PT attire and weigh their shoes?
On another note: I further injured my back in Iraq (trying to lift an overturned HMMWV.... long story) and aggravated it through various other athletic means. The VA was a friggin' joke and a runaround (I was in the Reserve). Running was painful, and I had no success with a civilian chiropractor. I remained on profile during most of the remainder of my eight years in the Army due to a bulging, herniated disk. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Ken Bob Saxton's site that I found out about the joys and wonders of running shoeless. I would never have recovered from my injuries if I had not started running barefoot (I later started working my core with the assistance of a PT - again, no thanks to the Army). I can rant on the Army a bit more, but I don't want to seem like I'm attacking servicemen, so I won't.
And lastly, a big LOL at "bankrupting the PX." Is that even possible? First of all, they sell a whole heck of a lot more than just shoes. Second, most soldiers get their regular running shoes through other channels ALREADY. I know I did.
