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What's the ideal military body?

post #1 of 53
6/18/08 at 11:36pm
Thread Starter 
What's the ideal body for a soldier according to the military?
I don't care how you measure it. Weight, height, fat %, waist and chest size etc.
Just curious.
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post #2 of 53
6/19/08 at 12:40am
Depends on many things. I suppose all builds are going to have their place, so long as that person is in good physical condition.
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post #3 of 53
6/19/08 at 12:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spilotro View Post
Depends on many things. I suppose all builds are going to have their place, so long as that person is in good physical condition.

Not at all. The air force for example, prefers all their men whether 5'0 or 6'2 to have a 32" waist.
These are the kinds of things i'm asking about.
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post #4 of 53
6/19/08 at 1:23am
honestly, that is pretty much impossible to answer. If I had to give an answer

5 foot 10, 180 pounds, able to do 20 pullups and run a 3.5 hour marathon.


but let me answer that a different way - in an infantry company (and, lets face it, the only thing that really counts is Infantry) you will have some riflemen, some machine gunners, some snipers, some mortarmen, officers, sargents and a wide variety of others. you need some guys who are comfortable carrying a 60 mm mortar but aren't that great at sprinting, and some guys who are great at running but can't carry anything heavier than a normal pack. and you need both kinds.
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post #5 of 53
6/19/08 at 1:26am
I carry a bengal tiger in a large slingshot.
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post #6 of 53
6/19/08 at 1:57am
I carry my banana in a bengal tiger hammock.
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post #7 of 53
6/19/08 at 2:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LA Guy View Post
I carry my banana in a bengal tiger hammock.

^^ This is a "pussy" joke waiting to happen.
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post #8 of 53
6/19/08 at 2:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackplatano View Post
What's the ideal body for a soldier according to the military?
I don't care how you measure it. Weight, height, fat %, waist and chest size etc.
Just curious.

Do you ask this as "what is the ideal body for a fighting machine?"

If so then as normal people go I would say look at the build of a strong safety in the NFL and stick him in the military... i.e. Pat Tillman - 5'11" - 202... great strength to weight ratio. Above average intelligence, agility, eye sight etc... But this obviously can vary, because you look at a guy like Lebron James with all those stats (apparently he can kick out 25 pull ups no prob) and he is obviously a athletic specimen.

Also why does the air force prefer a 32" waist?
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post #9 of 53
6/19/08 at 6:36am
..
Edited by merkur - 7/27/11 at 1:51am
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post #10 of 53
6/19/08 at 6:41am
the 32" waist comment is one of the more absurd I've ever heard
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post #11 of 53
6/19/08 at 8:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBW View Post
the 32" waist comment is one of the more absurd I've ever heard

+1. There's a the "Dumb Threads" subforum for this kind of thing...
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post #12 of 53
6/19/08 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
honestly, that is pretty much impossible to answer. If I had to give an answer

5 foot 10, 180 pounds, able to do 20 pullups and run a 3.5 hour marathon.


but let me answer that a different way - in an infantry company (and, lets face it, the only thing that really counts is Infantry) you will have some riflemen, some machine gunners, some snipers, some mortarmen, officers, sargents and a wide variety of others. you need some guys who are comfortable carrying a 60 mm mortar but aren't that great at sprinting, and some guys who are great at running but can't carry anything heavier than a normal pack. and you need both kinds.

This hits the nail on the head. The military is not some monolithic entity. There are many different jobs to be done and different body types suited to the work. Just like football players vs triathletes.
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post #13 of 53
6/19/08 at 12:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by merkur View Post
32" waist huh? Is that anatomical waist or pants waist?

Quote:
Originally Posted by KBW View Post
the 32" waist comment is one of the more absurd I've ever heard

Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
+1. There's a the "Dumb Threads" subforum for this kind of thing...



Well it's true. Google it if you doubt me.
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post #14 of 53
6/19/08 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackplatano View Post
The air force for example, prefers all their men whether 5'0 or 6'2 to have a 32" waist.
No, it's not true, not the way you phrased it. They don't specify the waist to be exactly 32" (which would be absurd, as people have said), they have a maximum waist size limit of 32.5". This rule is also ridiculous, since it doesn't account for height or age, but not as ridiculous as what you wrote.
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post #15 of 53
6/19/08 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackplatano View Post
Well it's true. Google it if you doubt me.

It's not a strict cutoff, but part of a comprehenssive fitness test. Below 32.5 just scores the highest.

http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0104/fitness.html
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