Beyond the Monotony: ASU Program Reinvents Military Fitness Through Sports Science
Through ASU’s Military and Veterans Resilience and Health Collaborative (MVRHC), active-duty troops, ROTC cadets, and veterans are learning to rethink physical readiness with evidence-based, tactical fitness routines designed to enhance battlefield performance and curb preventable injuries.
“We have a really great relationship with ASU, and some of you don’t know that,” Lt. Col. Brandon Staub told his leadership teams during a recent fitness session. “Really open up the aperture on what is available to you, not only as a soldier, but also in a leadership position and to take this back with you to use with your future soldiers.”
Staub noted that shaking up conventional regimens is vital for long-term engagement and force readiness.
“You can spice PT up a little bit,” Staub said. “Like the brigade commander — one of his big hits on future soldier training is that it’s fun. By varying and making it different and not monotonous, it’ll make it fun.”
At the heart of the initiative is the collaborative’s Warrior Health and Fitness Program, a no-cost, comprehensive wellness initiative tailored to military communities.
“Our warrior health and fitness program is free for service members, veterans and their families for 90 days,” said Dr. Rachel Cassalia, who oversees programming for the collaborative. “You have one-on-one sessions. You also get to meet the registered dietitian throughout that time as well.”
The program pairs hands-on movement with deep-dive education.
“Usually, we run through an educational seminar in addition to doing some workouts,” Cassalia said. “For example, with the ROTC program we remain for two days and do various lectures and hands-on training too, just to make sure that technique is there with all the exercises and things that we're training.”
The curriculum shifts the focus away from superficial fitness goals and toward functional, full-body durability.
“I assist Rachel with some of the military initiatives, but I primarily run our sports science,” said Joseph Marsit, an expert in strength and conditioning with more than 25 years of academic and professional experience.
Marsit led participants through corrective and compound movement patterns, emphasizing physical longevity.
“The main purpose for today was just to deliver a balanced workout out, making sure we're hitting some of the key areas that are often overlooked,” Marsit said. “Fitness has kind of been hijacked by just arms, calves, and stuff. And there are motions and body areas that need to be focused on that we need to make sure we're doing the right way, to avoid injuries.”
The intensity and technical focus resonated on the training floor.
“It’s a good experience so far,” said 1st Lt. Aalia Gomez midway through the drills. “I’m feeling very warmed up and I’m excited for the workouts.”
Catching her breath after the tactical conditioning circuits wrapped, Gomez was quick to evaluate the impact of the session.
“Yeah, I’m happy with the workout and feel energized from top to bottom,” she said.
By blending the expertise of certified coaches, registered dietitians, and sports scientists, ASU’s collaborative aims to ensure that when service members return to their home units, they carry not just sore muscles, but the tools to build a healthier, more resilient military.
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