NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Forty soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell recently visited Baptist Sports Park for a two-hour physical fitness and training workout.
Titans assistant head coach/strength and conditioning coach Steve Watterson and strength and conditioning assistant Jason Novak conducted the training inside the Titans' practice bubble.
Watterson began with an explanation of how professional athletes trained in the past and how things have changed to make workouts smarter and more productive. Today's methods and techniques allow for a quicker recovery, which is important in producing better results.
Kettlebells were used during the workout and added a new twist for some soldiers. Watterson demonstrated how an entire workout can be designed and completed with using just one kettlebell.
Master Sgt. Terry Pevehouse, Jr. with the 5th Special Forces said the workout was beneficial for the soldiers and said he was impressed by the versatility that a kettlebell can provide.
"I've been in the military now for just over 20 years, and coming from an old-school background, we had very simple moves," he said. "It was push-ups and sit-ups. What I saw is the wave of the future. It's bringing in some new techniques, bringing back some of the old methods of doing things with the kettlebells. I was impressed with the amount of different things they could do with the kettlebells."
The NFL has some world class athletes, and so does the Army's Green Berets. Even though the objectives and missions are different, there are similarities in the ways each group trains to achieve fitness goals are somewhat similar. The ability to exchange ideas and explore new avenues to better train and keep soldiers fit was very helpful.
Not only does the NFL and the Army want to maintain excellent physical condition for players and soldiers, both groups want the ability to rehab them from injury as soon as possible and extend the career spans for players and soldiers.
"The amount of techniques, the experience that Coach Watterson was able to bring to our soldiers — show them some basic, simple moves with minimal equipment — is going to be a tremendous help to our soldiers in the future," Master Sgt. Pevehouse said. "We build professional solders. You guys build professional athletes. What you're able to do now is bring some of the similarities in and teach our guys more."
After the workout session the soldiers were given a behind-the-scenes tour of Baptist Sports Park, which included the training room, weight room, meeting room, press room and locker room.
