This Week We Return to Training for Fighter Pilots
This month, we kicked off our fitness challenge – returning to classic home workouts – with a scientific seven-minute workout . This week we will go back a little further into the history of the Canadian 5BX Institute, originally invented for military pilots deployed in places where there is no gym or a lot of training space. I bet a lot of us can understand.
Training has become popular outside of the military, and it’s not for nothing that it has become a classic. Here is a PDF of the complete brochure explaining this routine . Not only does the introduction provide excellent (if outdated) explanations of why you should exercise at all, the booklet provides a complete exercise program. There are six charts; the idea is that you start with the simplest and move on to the next when you get better. Each chart also gives you a score, so you have an estimate of how fit you are and a goal to aim for. There are recommended ratings for civilians and for flight crew based on your age.
Instead of following the instructions, I skipped straight to Table 3. The exercises are a little odd, so read the instructions carefully. I replaced crunches with squats as they are considered potentially unsafe these days (although I don’t know how serious this is). This table also has a movement similar to the dog’s downward movement, but it is actually a push-up, where you hit your chin and forehead against the ground before sticking your butt in the air. I’m not 100% sure I did it right.
To complete a workout, you do each exercise for the allotted number of minutes and you count the number of repetitions. This meant two minutes of toe-touch stretch; one minute each for squats, back extensions, and weird push-ups; and six minutes of jogging in place with bent knees.
My results are: five + toes, back extension and running … but firm D. push-ups. Am I doing wrong with them or am I doing wrong? Both are possible.
Overall, I found this workout to be more balanced than the seven-minute workout, although it took less time to do strength exercises. I complained that one is not very difficult in the leg section, and this one is not at all. (Yes, you are running, but there is nothing like squats or lunges until you get to the jumps in Table 4.) Training was not originally designed to keep you fit, but simply to help you keep fit as you train. I don’t have a better option, so I suppose it works in this regard.
Bottom line, I love it. If you’re looking for something to do at home, I think this is a better choice than a seven minute workout. It scales with your fitness level and always gives you a goal to look forward to. Table 6 is for “champion athletes”. Good luck.