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This week we're bringing you an episode of the Captains and Coaches podcast hosted by Tex McQuilkin. Alex met Tex at the 1st Armored Division H2F summit at Ft Bliss, and Tex really appreciated the discussion of Nazareth Syndrome from Alex's presentation. He also gave a hell of a hands on coaching development session.

At Captains & Coaches, they believe leadership isn’t just taught—it’s built through action, resilience, and teamwork. Their mission is to empower athletes, captains, and coaches to excel not just in sports, but in life. They don’t just focus on physical training. They deliver a comprehensive approach to developing confidence, leadership, and mental toughness. Whether you’re guiding a team, leading on the field, or supporting from the sidelines, their tailored programs are designed to meet your unique needs and drive long-lasting results.

Tex McQuilkin brings over 15 years of transformative experience as the Founder and Leadership Strategist of Captains & Coaches. His unique methodology bridges the gap between physical excellence and leadership mastery, empowering athletes to become exceptional performers and influential leaders.

From youth athletes to elite collegiate competitors and special operations forces, Tex has guided individuals and teams to breakthrough achievements through his signature blend of disciplined training and empathetic mentorship. As a former four-year starter and three-year team captain for Marymount University Men's Lacrosse, he intimately understands the challenges and opportunities that shape athletic leadership.

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this week's episode we break down a number of major updates to the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program that were presented by LTG David Francis at a recent AUSA Hot Topic session.

Key topics discussed:

- H2F Return on Investment (ROI) data

- Athletic Trainer contracting

- Planned expansion over the next few years

- H2F in the Army Reserve and National Guard

- Planned facilities, called Soldier Performance Readiness Centers (SPRCs)

- Benefits observed from shifting PT time

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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For at least the last four decades every soldier who has taken a PT test has listened to a scripted set of instructions before starting. Those instructions, whether it was an APFT, ACFT, or AFT included one identical sentence:

"The results of this test will give you and your commanders an indication of your state of fitness and will act as a guide in determining your physical training needs."

But if you ask soldiers whether they've ever been given feedback on what their scores say about their training needs, most will say no.

That's why we put together AFT Insight. It includes a calculator that will turn your raw performances into point scores, but it's also much more than a calculator. It will help you determine your "fitness archetype" and explain what that says about how you should train.

Try AFT Insight here: https://aftinsight.com/

In this holiday season as we approach the end of the year, we're getting a little reflective. In this episode, we're looking back at the experiences that got us to where we are in terms of how we approach our own health and fitness. Hopefully along the way we highlight some helpful insights.

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This episode actually originated at AUSA during the Sergeant Major of the Army's Professional Development Forum. When CSM Curry submitted a question asking whether physical training during PME would actually be strenuous, I knew I wanted to hear his perspective. And then when I found out he already listened to this podcast, it was a done deal.

Command Sergeant Major Shaun D. Curry is a native of Wauwatosa, WI and he enlisted in Army in February 2001. CSM Curry’s previous assignments include 2nd Ranger Battalion (JBLM, WA), Human Resources Command / 75th Ranger Regiment Headquarters (Fort Knox, KY), 3rd Ranger Battalion (Fort Benning, GA), 6th Ranger Training Battalion (Eglin AFB, FL), Operations SGM of 2nd Battalion 5th SFAB (JBLM, WA), Battalion CSM of 1st Battalion 21 Infantry Regiment (Schofield Barracks, HI). His most recent assignment was the Brigade CSM for 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Schofield Barracks, HI).

CSM Curry completed all levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Military Education up to and including the Sergeants Major Academy (Class 69). His additional military schooling includes Airborne School, the 75th Ranger Regiment Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP), Static Line Jump Master School, Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE-C), Reconnaissance Senior Leaders Course (RSLC), Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Foundation Course (SHARP), the Common Faculty Development Program Instructor Course (CFDPIC), Master Resilience Training Course (MRT), Combat Advisor Training Course (CAT-C) and Jungle Operations Training Course (JOTC). CSM Curry holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of the Incarnate Word.

CSM Curry deployed 14 times for a total of 61 months to both Afghanistan and Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Bronze Star Medal (3rd award), Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal (5th award), Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutists Badge, and he is a member of the Order of Saint Maurice.

CSM Curry is married and has three children.

https://flowcode.com/p/wR6h4oKsT

https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Muddy-Boots/Warfighting-Readiness/

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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It's always a great episode when you get to bring a personal friend on the pod! This week's guest was a very physically fit infantry officer when he and Alex were in the same battalion. He went on to join Special Forces, but ended up being medically retired. Holistic approaches to health and fitness have featured prominently in his transition and recovery journey, and we had him on to learn what that has looked like

Will Webb is a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who now supports Veterans through holistic wellness and mental health work. Growing up in a military family and later graduating from West Point, Will spent a decade in service until a career-ending injury forced him to slow down and confront how deeply the mind, body, and spirit are connected.

That transition led him on a personal healing journey, including a life-changing ayahuasca retreat in Peru that helped him reconnect with his spirituality, face his shadow, and find a new path aligned with service and purpose.

Will now works with Heroic Hearts Project and the Truxtun Foundation, two nonprofits offering holistic options for Veterans. He’s also earning his Master’s in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, specializing in Spiritual and Depth Psychology.

Based in Venice, California, Will shares the practices that supported his own recovery - surfing, yoga, sound healing, and transformational life coaching - helping others regulate their nervous systems, cultivate resilience, and step into alignment with their truth as they navigate the next chapter in their lives.

elevatedventuring.com

Or email him at: [email protected]

Heroic Hearts Project and Truxtun Foundation

https://warriorside.org/

Learn about the use of MDMA with soldiers in Ukraine here: https://www.lucid.news/maps-mdma-assisted-therapy-ukraine-war/

Some examples of Icaros can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ZyDBxPNqRvAUJQEk2hFVC?si=e51a305efd38464f

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This episode covers two primary topics: First, we chat about wearable technology, its evolving accuracy, and how to implement it to change health and fitness behaviors at scale. Second, we discuss the challenges of doing business with the military, particularly in the technology space where innovation is rapid and constant.

Geoff Wylde leads ŌURA’s Human Performance team, delivering technology solutions that help tactical and critical workforce communities optimize physical and mental readiness. Beginning with an illness‑monitoring initiative for the U.S. Air Force, his team has expanded Oura’s programs for first responders, active‑duty military, and veterans to include athletic performance, fatigue risk management, chronic stress management, and holistic health and well‑being. Before ŌURA, Geoff led programs on technology policy and industrial strategy at the World Economic Forum and spent a decade in strategy consulting at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Outside of work, Geoff volunteers and serves on the board of Healing Waters, a nonprofit that brings chronically ill and at‑risk communities into nature through camping and whitewater rafting in Northern California.

Here's a peer reviewed validation study that compares the sleep/HRV accuracy of Garmin Fenix 6, Oura Generation 3, Oura Generation 4, Polar Grit X Pro, and Whoop 4.0.

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠⁠

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Dr. Rich Willy is a new Associate Professor in the PhD program in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. He holds a PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Science from the University of Delaware and a Master’s of Physical Therapy from Ohio University. He is a licensed physical therapist with over two decades of clinical and academic experience. His research focuses on the biomechanics of running-related injuries, bone stress injuries, and rehabilitation strategies for tactical and athletic populations.

Dr. Willy has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and his work has been featured in high-impact journals such as British Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, and American Journal of Sports Medicine. Dr. Willy contributes to clinical practice guidelines for patellofemoral pain and running injuries. He is a frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences, including symposia for the US and International Olympic Committees, NBA teams, and sports medicine meetings.

His research has been supported by the Department of Defense and APTA Orthopaedics, among others. Current projects include optimizing load carriage biomechanics, developing sex-specific training interventions, and advancing wearable technologies for injury prevention and rehabilitation.

He and his wife also run Montana Running Lab, a hugely valuable resource curating the best clinical evidence for athletes and rehab professionals. We highly recommend their instagram as an evidence based source of information. We'll talk a bit about some of the resources available there at the end of this episode.

Our guest this week recently published an opinion piece criticizing how the Army undermines its health and fitness efforts through the poor nutrition environments on its installations. We dive into that conversation, looking at both the problems with Army nutrition, and the many ways leaders are working to fix them.

MAJ Christina Deehl is a Registered Dietitian from Army's Medical Center of Excellence where she works in the Directorate of Training and Doctrine. Her recent op ed stirred up a lot of conversation about the gap between what Army leads aspire to in the nutrition domain of H2F and the actual food environments on our installations.

Christina has 16 years of active duty service, including time with H2F at the 101st and XVIII ABC, serving as the command performance dietitian for US Army Special Operations Command, a fellowship with the Olympic Committee, clinical time at a couple hospitals, and two stints as a cultural support team leader.

Around the time we recorded, research by a team she was on was also published: Normative fat-free mass index values based on body composition method in Army personnel

Other references from the conversation:

DA PAM 30-22

AR 30-22

Fixing the Randolph Sheppard Act

GAO Report: Food Program:

DOD Should Formalize Its Process for Revising Food Ingredients and Better Track Dining Facility Use and Costs

GAO Report: DOD Food Program:

Additional Actions Needed to Implement, Oversee, and Evaluate Nutrition Efforts for Service Members

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MOPs & MOEs delivers our training through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrainHeroic and you can ⁠⁠get your first 7 days of training with us FREE by clicking here.⁠⁠

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On this episode we revisit a popular debate, but with a few new angles. This is not a typical strength vs cardio conversation, since everyone should obviously do both. Instead we focus on the "optimization" challenge of finding an appropriate balance between the two.

Baseline health guidance (both for Americans and globally) calls for 150 minutes of "moderate to vigorous physical activity" weekly, plus two days of muscle strengthening activity. That provides a starting point for minimum activity levels, but what about performance goals?

We chat about strength and endurance standards from a few different sources, as well as research on dose response to strength training vs cardio.

For the Ranger Regiment data mentioned, the more recent version is no longer available since their human performance page has been deactivated, but here's a link to the older data we discuss.

BYU/University of Minnesota study on dose-response association with mortality

Harvard/Iowa State optimum dose study

Rand study on ACFT associations with injury risk