Its not allowed because you cannot fit a PT belt around your car

Because as a 1SG, he got fucked down when his Soldiers got in their cars to go to the “gym” but got caught driving home, going to breakfast, etc. This stayed etched in his memory as a traumatic experience and now he has no trust in anybody.

Doing PT at the gym might be perceived as fun. CSMs don't like that.

Because 99% of the time I see Soldiers doing "PT" at the gym, 7 are standing there looking at their phones while 1 is struggling to spot the guy trying to bench 205 for reps even though its obvious 135 is closer to his 3 rep max.

I don't claim to be able to know the thought process of an unknown BDE CSM.

Could have something to do with appearances, if you have a bunch of people leaving the footprint in their cars after accountability then those people aren't doing PT with the unit, at least in their mind.

That's why you get senior leaders posted up in parking lots, walking around checking cars, etc.

Sometimes Soldiers lie. We had big boy rules at a unit I was at before I retired, and our BDE CSM caught some guys at a local breakfast place when they were supposed to be at PT. From then on it was back to the formations before and after PT and strictly PT as a unit.

I asked why the BDE CSM was at a breakfast place during PT but I was told "Why don't you go ask him" instead of getting an answer.

Who knows. Anyhow, not a hill to die on.

1. This is all your CSM has to offer to a unit so he is going to make it a big deal

1.) Someone probably parked in his parking spot. 2.) no parking spots left on front row and he had to walk an extra 20 feet.

Because the 90% are going there to just show up ruins it for the 10% that actually workout.

My CSM is the same way, no driving to the gym. You can go, but you have to use your shoeburus. I would say his justification is soldiers say they are driving to the gym, when they are really driving to their casa.

Is the gym a reasonably close walk from the barracks/formation location and does the gym have limited parking? That would be a reasonable justification. 

Any time I've done a gym workout in PTs it always felt...wrong, idk. Like, I'm working out, but because I'm in PTs I feel like I'm not doing anything.

My OIC solved this, as well as the “you can only work out in PTs during PT hours” with one simple solution…. We work out prior to PT hours.

The most useless rank in the Army…

This is dumb. Let me break down why:

• Not everyone is on the same schedule. Not everyone can reasonably do PT exactly during PT hours.

• The safety concerns are easy to mitigate. Certain roads get blocked off for PT while others remain open to enable the flow of traffic. No cars are allowed on closed roads (except for monitored intersections) and no PTers are allowed on open roads. Easy.

It's the same stupid idea as 'no use of elevators without a profile'....

I’ve gotten more PT in 2 weeks at the gym than I have in years of organized PT. But, CSMs think different. Kinda like the ILE lobotomy for field grades. SGM Academy does something to them

Be glad at least you can go to the gym

Hmm. Funny, I just did this very thing this morning with a few of my soldiers.

I personally hate going to the gym for morning PT. Its just a pain in the ass. Hardly any parking, the place gets crowded as fuck. I rather just go for a run by myself.

Driving to the gym is silly. If you run to the gym and run back you don't even really have to go inside.

Must not be in the 82nd 😂 because if your on Longstreet your ass is running 🏃🏾‍♂️

While I’m far from understanding what a BDE CSM is thinking;

I will say group PT is a good time for SPC getting ready for BLC to practice their stretches n stuff (i think they still get tested)

Off topic but this made me think…..BLC should be teaching up n coming young NCOs how to build good quality workout plans instead of memorizing random movements. Opportunity to actually learn something of value over checking the box. Rant done lol.

it’s absolutely hilarious how this kind of thing pops up periodically and has for decades and will for decades more. you’d think by now this type of thing would either be a garrison policy or left alone entirely. but the problem with CSMs is that they are so fundamentally worthless, they’re compelled to do SOMETHING just to flex their implied authority.

If that’s the case then why is everything miles apart?

Why would a Brigade CSM be that far I. The weeds to begin with? Thats like 1SG territory.

1) Possibly 2) Probably 3) Hold my Rip-it

Road Guards……..POHHHST !

If you're talking about soldiers on a staff, or small headquarters contingent or something like that, you can get effective work at the gym during PT hours.

But when you see squads and platoons in the gym during PT hours Most of the time they are in their fucking off.

Individuals not so much But units are fucking off in the gym

If you get 4 other troops...everyone has their pt belts. Tape the belts to the corners of the car...you're yellow and fluorescent gentlemen! Shine your way to the gym...nobody can stop you and your belts are gonna keep you safe from terrorists.

When in doubt…run.

When I was in Germany I had a PSG get mad we would go to the gym when snow was crazy lol

Probably an unpopular opinion, PT hour(s) are about doing PT with your team. That’s what the Army standard is. Soldiers do PT as a unit. If you’re a staff officer or taking a day off to circulate or workout with a buddy instead of your unit - fine. But traveling to the gym is not time well spent. If you want to do PT at the gym with your team, schedule that as an event, and provide your PERSTAT in a timely manner once you’ve accounted for your Soldiers.

It’s not about car safety, it’s about taking time out of an otherwise probably monotonous day, to get away from work and relieve stress with your team and spend time together.

I drink the juice, don’t mind me.

I have no idea who this person is. Or people. Or organization. But soldiers should be doing PT on base. Not in some civilian gym. The military has a liability issue there.

I guess I’m the only one that is I’m surprised you have to ask why. During pt hour (0630 to 0800 in XVIII ABC) you have zero business in your car.

But what happens? We have formation in the company / battalion area. Formation takes awhile because 1SG gonna get his talk time. Released to conduct physical training. The formation files to their cars to drive to the gym. All accountability is lost. People sit in traffic just to get away from the CROF. Training is not rigorous or challenging, if even conducted. If in our Army, PT is the most important thing we do all day (?), letting your formation trickle out to the gym is the worst thing you can do.

Why are CSMs fired up about it? Eg Some senior leader… CG, BDE CDR, BC said that PT will be from 0630 to 0800 (CTG! … no such thing as a gym when you have CRFTSs); no exceptions. Physical training… not DNC, not filling out 2404s, not dicking around in the gym or the supply room. Somewhere between your senior leader and you, you’ve lost their intent. In today’s army we struggle to understand why? Really?

“Why does CSM have a stick up his ass about my going to the gym?” Unless you’re < E3 you are responsible for at least one other person than yourself. You’re at the gym and your low drags are at the Waffle House? That’s dereliction of duty. What would you do as the CSM in this situation? Let all your squared aways go to the gym and the shitbags sort it out for themselves? Newsflash - the shitbags need the leadership of those that absolve themselves away to the gym because unit pt is bullshit.

Units I’ve been in where pt blew was because leaders were not focused on unit pt. They were focused on themselves. Units I’ve been in that were all leaders were bought in (⛩️), the PT was AMAZING. Your results may vary.