Scottish Soldiers Battle It Out At Army Warrior Fitness Competition

Teams across Scotland gathered in Edinburgh to battle it out against each other in the first heats of the Army Warrior Fitness competition.

It is the third year the event has taken place in Scotland with teams competing for spots in this summer’s final event in Aldershot.

Each event is a challenge – even for the fittest of soldiers – and the atmosphere is highly competitive.

“It is tough, they seem to pick a different muscle group per event,” said Officer Cadet Amy MacDonald from Glasgow Universities Officer Training Corps.

“They don’t, but you always walk away with one part of your body that you can’t move for the next three days. Today it’s the legs!”

“Personally, I do a lot of functional fitness, CrossFit-style training, so I was really happy to find out that the Army was kind of taking that on board as a fitness competition,” said Lance Corporal Liam McGregor of 2 SCOTS.

“I’ve pretty much done most years it’s been running, I’ve done every British Army Warrior Fitness comp I can do.”

Staff Sergeant Josh Shackleton, a physical training instructor with 3 RIFLES, says the training complements day to day work: 

“The shift in dynamics with fitness within the Army and the introduction of the Army Physical Training System and we’ve got the Physical Employment Standards change and I think that AWF just complements that perfectly and it just happens to all intermingle and support each other along the way."

Ultimately 2 SCOTS, the Scottish and Northern Irish Yeomanry and the Glasgow Universities Officer Training Corps claimed the top spots in the first heat.

But there are three others yet to be held over the next few months before the final takes place in Aldershot in the summer.