Military Man

Army captain Greg Plitt is on a mission to push himself beyond his limits.

“I never expected to be on active duty,” says 26-year old Greg Plitt, who currently serves as second in command of 176 personnel in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), stationed in Washington, D.C. “My sister Ginnie went to the Naval Academy and was a huge influence on my decision to go to military college,” Greg says.

Greg attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on a wrestling scholarship. “I could have followed my sister at the Naval Academy, which was near my home and family, but the opportunity provided by West Point was a chance for me to prove myself on my own,” Greg remembers. “To say that I chose West Point to face a fear wouldn’t be lying.”

Upon graduation in the year 2000, Greg decided to go into active duty despite his original intentions to the contrary. “West Point was huge for me in terms of character development and discipline,” he recalls. “The values of Duty, Honor, and Country aren’t just hollow expressions they throw around casually. Becoming an officer in the Army really is about living a code of honor through leadership.”

Greg headed to Ft. Benning for Ranger School, Airborne School, a mortars infantry leader's course, and an infantry officer’s basic course. His first assignment was with the 1-503rd Infantry Battalion in Korea, where he performed Air Assault missions for 13 months.

Ever since he was in high school, Greg was an overachiever. “Even though I was the youngest and smallest kid in the gym, I had the biggest fire in my eyes to learn, grow, and overcome,” Greg says. “I asked questions, took notes, read everything I could, and tried various workouts to see what worked best for me.”

All that intensity paid off, and Greg became a champion wrestler and football player. But he wasn’t your typical high school jock. He also excelled in golf (he’s a 4 handicap and has a hole-in-one to his credit), he received straight “A”s, and ran a landscape business on the side with 10 employees and more than 35 clients.

Today, Greg is attracting attention as a spokesman for living an active, fit lifestyle. “I love adventure and discovering who I am mentally and physically by pushing my current limitations.” Greg and I talked about what it takes for guys from all walks of life to be all that they can be.

• The Value Of A Military Mindset “In the military, your character is tested under the most stressful conditions, to ensure that your leadership is solid and your decisions remain sound. Extreme variables are thrown into each situation, such as sleep deprivation, hunger, limited resources, challenging weather and terrain, and unanticipated enemy actions—just to name a few. I am forever grateful for my military experience and expect it to serve me well in whatever I decide to do next.”
• Don’t Collect Stamps “I’ve always chosen a path of challenge. It’s never well marked and it’s full of obstacles, but the reward is ten times that of the beaten path most people walk. I have lots of exciting hobbies, and skydiving is a particular favorite. I’ve done over 600 jumps and have a D license and a pro rating. In addition, I love hunting, fishing, SCUBA, and just about all water sports.”
• The Importance Of Short-Term Goals “Each day, my goal is to go to bed stronger mentally and physically than when I woke up that morning. The result of accomplishing small, daily goals is renewed confidence, which is critical if you want to turn your dreams into reality.”
• Life Of Bryan “In the summer of 1992, I had to volunteer for two weeks helping handicapped kids as part of a high school graduation requirement. At the beginning, I really wanted to be doing something else with my vacation time. On the first day, I got paired up with an eleven-year-old kid named Bryan. I couldn’t tell what his handicap was—he was active, happy, and had an amazing zest for life. Later that day, his parents told me he had an extreme case of MS and wouldn’t live to be a teenager. That night, I decided to devote all my time to Bryan. His parents let me take him out for more activities each day, and we developed an awesome friendship. I can still see his reaction when he caught his first bass…it was simply perfect. Bryan excelled in everything except for swimming. He wouldn’t even go into the water, but as he began to trust me, he decided to give it a chance. It was tough going, but by the end of the two weeks he was swimming on his own with a huge smile. On the last day of camp, the kids had a sports challenge. I was running late due to traffic, and by the time I arrived the swimming event was already underway. I ran in to find Bryan swimming a lap unassisted. His parents had tears in their eyes, and so did I. I ran over to the side of the pool and cheered him to the finish. Bryan touched the wall and looked up at me with a smile that would cause the strongest of men to cry. I told him he was amazing and that there was nothing he couldn’t do. I kept in touch with Bryan for a year or so. Then one day I received a letter from his parents thanking me for all I had done for him. They said he talked about it all the time. Included in the letter was a picture of Bryan with two dates on it—the year he was born and the year he passed away. I learned so much from Bryan about what is and isn’t important in life. Bryan was one of the strongest individuals I’ve ever met. I will forever miss him, but he will always be an inspiration to me.”
• Success Through Failure “Failure is the most honest test result you can ever receive. It allows you to know where you need to improve, so you can concentrate on your trouble areas. If you can take a risk, learn from failure, and train yourself to do better next time, the end result will make you a more capable, confident person. I believe that life is nothing more then a never-ending search for who you are and what your maximum potential is. If you never try anything, you’ll never fail, and therefore you’ll never get past your shortcomings.”
• Keep Your Body Guessing “Similarly, if you do the same routine every time you hit the gym, you’ll never grow past your workout. When you change your routine constantly, your body will fight to improve itself and grow in order to survive in what it thinks is a changing world.”
• Cardio Correctness “If you want to get ripped, you must do cardio correctly. I keep my heart rate relatively low and go for at least 45 minutes, three to four days a week. If you do cardio too intensely, your body breaks down carbs and muscle instead of fat. But if you keep the intensity low enough to carry on a normal conversation, your body will break down fat for energy. Doing cardio this way can be boring, so I suggest you grab a book or watch the game on TV.”
• Diet Right “You’ll get great results if you stop feeding your appetite and start eating to fuel your body. The body doesn’t need all the crap most people put into it. Personally, I live on a low fat, low carb, high protein diet. I try to get 300 grams of protein in a day through shakes, bars, and regular food. The foods I try to eat are chicken, turkey, and fish. I stay away from greasy foods and all fast foods. As for liquids, I rarely drink anything but water. One single rule I live by is that I never go to bed on a full stomach. If you can simply go to bed on an empty stomach, you will do wonders for your physique. If I have to cheat, I will do it early in the day to ensure that it’s burned off before bed.”
• The Girl Of My Dreams “My ideal woman is one who constantly challenges me, and makes me work to keep up with her. She’s extremely fun-loving, yet mature enough to say what she thinks and leave the games for someone else. She’s independent, driven, confident, and wants a supportive relationship free from jealousy and competition…If you know anyone, let me know.”

The following grouping of exercises is an example of what Greg does to stay in peak condition year round. The whole workout stresses a military style protocol...more or less making the most out of limited resources. In the military, when you are in the field or deployed, the chances of having a full blown gym to use is rare, so you make the most with pulling your bodyweight. A set of dumbbells and a tree limb can provide a whole workout if you use your imagination.

Bicycle Maneuver – Be sure to exhale while contracting your abdominal muscles.
Twisted Sit-Ups – Same rule applies here. Also do not pull on your head, this will stress your neck.
Bench Push-Ups on Knuckles- A lot harder than it seems.
Lunges- Keep your knee tracking over your big toe to ensure safety.
Dumbbell Rows- Maintain a flat back while doing these.
Front Raises- Excellent for front delts and upper chest development.
Overhead Triceps Extension- Be sure to keep elbows tight to your ears.
Alternated Standing Dumbbell Curl- You can also change the hand position and go from neutral, pronated to supinated very easily.
Arnold Dumbbell Press- Go very slow and controlled with these.
Reverse Bar Dip- Excellent for triceps.
Regular Bar Dip- Keep elbows out to put emphasis on chest. Keeping elbows tight to body will involve more triceps.
Rocky Hanging Sit-Ups- These are very challenging. Be very careful when attempting to do these.
Hanging Leg Raises- Abs rule! These work!
Hanging Twisted Knee Raises- Be sure to exhale again.
Single Arm Pull-Up- Work up to these.
Chins- One of those “must do” exercises
Pull-Ups- Changing the grip changes the neuromuscular involvement.