Women Combat Marines and a Back Workout

During a year long training experiment conducted by the University of

Pittsburgh and the United States Marine Corps, females have been training alongside males in small combat units. Thirty percent of the women left the training due to physical injuries like stress fractures. That is a very high rate of injury, but the training included carrying packs over 150 lbs. and dragging 220 lbs. simulated injured Marines out of armored vehicles. Like all individuals... male or female... some can cut it and some cannot. A third of the young men that started in my boot camp training platoon washed out. Not surprisingly, some of the woman Marines outperformed their male counterparts. Women will begin serving in combat roles come January unless the Marine Corps or the Pentagon decide that some of the jobs should remain closed to them. The simple truth is this: If a person, man or woman meets the qualifications to do a job.... combat or not... let them do it. Service to one's country is not decided by genitalia... it is decided by heart.

Today's quote is from Carly Simon:

"A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars."

Workout: Back

Warm-Up: Perform each exercise in order to complete a set. Three sets total.

Jumping Jack, 50 repetitions

Bicycle Abdominal Crunch, 100 repetitions

Trunk Twist, 25 repetitions

Barbell Good Morning, 25 repetitions

Weight Training:

Deadlift, 5 sets of 1-2 repetitions

V-Handle Pull-Up, 5 sets of maximum repetitions

Sumo Deadlift to High Pull, 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Rotating Wall Ball Toss, 3 sets of 20 repetitions

T-Bar Landmine Row, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions

Kettlebell Swing, 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Bent-Over One Arm Dumbbell Row, 3 sets of 4-6 repetitions

Have a Great Day!!