Brian Stann took being a “warrior athlete” to new heights, but some of the training he did to get there as a Marine left him with permanent damage to his body — and he doesn’t want to see the same happening to you.
Stann attended the grand opening of the Corps’ new High Intensity Tactical Training facility at Join Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., on April 15. He demonstrated how Marines can use the premiere functional fitness program designed just for them to work out smarter and faster than they trained in the past.
“As Marines, we sometimes think a good workout is when we can barely make it back to our office to get changed,” Stann said. “It doesn’t always have to be that way. It should be something that makes you feel better, not that makes you feel more broken down.”
The Corps has opened 35 new HITT facilities across the world. Marines are slowly embracing the new techniques that can replace some of the long runs and heavy weightlifting that Stann found led to problems down the road. When the former captain and Silver Star recipient left the Marine Corps to pursue a professional mixed martial arts career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Stann said he realized athletes were training smarter than Marines.
“On one end you have me fighting for money, and on the other end I’m fighting a war, for people’s lives,” Stann said. “So much more important, yet I wasn’t at my peak physical condition. …And I thought that was really unfortunate.”
The roll-out of HITT, which was launched in October following two years of development, was great to see, Stann said. Allowing Marines to train according to their deployment cycles is a strength he said will ensure Marines are at their peak just before they deploy, and aren’t overdoing it beforehand.
Pick up this week’s issue of Marine Corps Times for more on what Stann likes about HITT, or read it on online here.
Also in this issue: details on a new service rifle the Marine Corps is considering; new uniform and grooming regulations that allow for certain religious apparel; and why Marines who showed up to train in Morocco were told to pack it up and go home.
