A report is out and astoundingly 2/3 of reserve troops are overweight. This one hits home for me because my Dad was a member of the National Guard Army and retired after 20 years as a SFC. I grew up dreading weigh in week for my Dad. He was always right on the cusp of the Army weight standards. The week before he would starve himself, take water pills from his Doctor (this was the 80's) and work out non-stop. He would be on the exercycle in our house for hours. He knew they were serious about the weight standards and he was not about to fail and risk his standing or rank. Apparently something changed somewhere along the way. I'm certainly glad he worked hard and made sure he made weigh in every month. It affords my mom a bit of a pension each month and fantastic health insurance for life. It's too bad today's reservists don't take the standards as seriously as my Dad.
Completely unacceptable.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here.
We will be FIT, not FAT. pic.twitter.com/KWMlFbS1c8
Kick people out if they fail a fitness test thanks https://t.co/vOul4N5u7k
— Drew Rowan (@Drowan35) April 25, 2025
This was my Dad's biggest fear back then. But you know what? It was good for him to have that fear. It kept him motivated. It made him stay in shape. It forced him to meet a standard. That's a good thing. It's shocking that has been abandoned in the Reserves.
We’re a few days away from a judge blocking this and stating there’s a constitutional right to be fat in the military. https://t.co/QVpPQkB1eM
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) April 25, 2025
We live in a society where there are zero standards for behavior and decorum anymore. People wear shorts to church, pajamas to Wal-Mart and white shoes after Labor Day (just kidding on that one. I live in Florida and we've never followed that rule. Plus, we mostly wear flip flops). Some standards are good for society and certainly for our military.
Overweight but can pass tape?
— Patriotic2024 (@thepat1945) April 25, 2025
Non issue imo. Tons of soldiers who are power lifters are "overweight" https://t.co/6mgKOf32Dn
Overweight or out of tolerance? I’m technically “overweight” according to the ht/wt table. Any Soldier that has a reasonable amount of muscle mass will be overweight on the chart and will require to be taped. Or be 540 fit like a true stud.
— The Buddy CSM (@TheBuddyCSM) April 25, 2025
Let’s make sure we’re looking at… https://t.co/1YGVwGmZYa
This is a fair caveat and one the military should allow for. My son is 6'3 but his weight would probably put him in the 'overweight' category in the military. He is a Firefighter and a power lifter. He strength is remarkable, and he can pass all of the physical tests he has to take, as well as an extensive physical each year. With power lifting such a big part of the lives of many young men, it should be a consideration. There needs to be more metrics than simply weight.
Haha I love that he phrased it this way. “Fit not fat” is blunt & refreshing after years of body positivity mess. https://t.co/XNAutYNivR
— Anna James Zeigler (@ajzeigler) April 25, 2025
It's the perfect way to put it.
