The Army has 2,000 master fitness trainers and plans to prep several thousand more. Here's a closer look at three of these PT standouts:
Sgt. 1st Class David Howell
Age: 32
APFT score: 263
Job: AH-64D Apache armament repairer with A Company, 1-222d Aviation Regiment, working as a senior platoon sergeant for Advanced Infantry Training
Fitness philosophy: "I've always been about overall fitness, not just into lifting weights or running 500 miles per week. You've got to bring balance. I think PRT goes right along with that, which is why when I saw it, I was a big fan right off the bat."
Tip: "With sumo squats — a lot of soldiers who are told for all the other squats to keep their feet square — and on this one, you want to rotate them out slightly. So a little bit of a difference makes sure soldiers aren't straining their knees."
Sgt. 1st Class Michelle Loftus
Age: 30
APFT score: 280
Job: Department of Primary Care noncommissioned officer for MacDonald Army Health Center
Fitness philosophy: "There's a saying that a medic is your worst patient and we are, because we think we know better, but sometimes we go down a misguided path. It's bringing it back to the basics of what good nutrition is and how to do it appropriately."
Tip: "I work in the medical field, and we're constantly picking up and putting down litters. The lifting and squatting motions [in PRT] are key to preventing lower back injuries."
Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Logan
Age: 37
APFT score: 278
Job: AIT platoon sergeant, E Company, 244th Quartermaster Battalion
Fitness philosophy: "I'm a long-distance runner, and I focus more on endurance than strength. The big thing with running is teaching the correct form."
Tip: "[When running] don't come down on your heels, which is what causes the most injuries. You have the pressure coming from your ankle to your knee to your hip to your back. It's three times your body weight coming down on those joints. When you come down on your toes, it's a fluid [shock-absorbing] motion."
