Movement beyond recovery: H2F aims to increase lethality with 5-domain approach to health, fitness

Movement beyond recovery: H2F aims to increase lethality with 5-domain approach to health, fitness

UNITED STATES

09.22.2026

Story by 2nd Lt. Melissa Meadows 

Fort Benning Public Affairs Office

Movement beyond recovery: H2F aims to increase lethality with 5-domain approach to health, fitness

FORT BENNING, Ga. – During the 2026 Maneuver Warfighter Conference, Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) representatives highlighted how recovery-focused training directly drives Soldier lethality and mission readiness. Throughout three presentations Sept. 16-17, discussions centered on the system’s five foundational domains: physical, mental, spiritual, nutritional, and sleep readiness

“We’re about optimizing human performance to dominate now and in the future fights – that’s what the H2F system is all about,” said Col. Marcus Wright, H2F director. “The return on investment is continuing to train positively and show that our assets out there … are helping bring lethality back to the force and increase it.”

Wright and Dr. Tim Murray, health economist and research statistician, placed emphasis on H2F’s integration into daily physical training and how graduates of the new H2F Integrator Program are getting injured Soldiers off physical restriction profiles and back in the fight quickly, with proven metrics

“If I add two more Soldiers back to that formation in that squad, I’ve added 420 more rounds going downrange,” Wright said. “Our baseline is this right here. The Army is a team sport. We don’t do anything alone.”

Murray echoed this, providing data on the aggregate number of profiles for injured Soldiers and their return to duty timeframes

“The average duration that Soldiers spend on profiles due to musculoskeletal injuries drops by about five to six days per injury [when following H2F programs],” Murray said. “That may not seem super significant in the context of an injury, but it aggregates the fact that the Army loses over 10 million days a year in musculoskeletal injuries.”

Real-world Application in Units

Airborne units are already seeing an impact on their training and recovery schedules because of H2F initiatives H2F program director for 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division

“[Our] Soldiers do get injured. They have 24 hour-access to our injury control team, which is typically unheard of within the medical field,” said Middleton. “That ability to see Soldiers immediately after an injury occurs exponentially increases, [thus reducing] their recovery time … We’re taking care of these Soldiers … [and] putting combat power back in the hands of commanders.”

Years of research and field data corroborate these findings, Murray said, pointing to the power of predictive analytics in driving program decisions across formations

“We try to leverage this large data to provide information, both up and out,” Murray said, explaining that deeper analytics allow leadership to see what is working, adjusting where needed, and justify continued expansion.”

For Wright, that insight supports a critical cultural shift: moving beyond baseline physical fitness test scores toward total force wellness

“It’s not about the test. The [Army Fitness Test] is a measure twice a year and [is] a snapshot in time,” Wright said. “It is about collective level training and being able to go out and fight and win our Nation’s wars.”

Whether it’s repetitions in a gym or reacting to enemy contact on the battlefield, the H2F System hopes to give Soldiers some of the tools required to handle any given situation

Encouraging Patterns in Basic Training Battalions and Beyond

Samantha Jones, 194th Armored Brigade H2F program director, shared her program’s impacts on initial entry training (IET) and the importance of building healthy habits early in a Soldier’s career

“I think of it as planting the H2F seed … through the empowerment and leader development of our cadre and drill sergeants,” Jones said. “We initiate that immediate H2F touchpoint in existing programming like drill sergeant orientation programs.”

The daily face-to-face interaction with trainees helps reinforce what H2F and the cadre are working toward: better prepared Soldiers and fewer injuries

In the first two weeks of initial entry training, also known as Red Phase, H2F specialists partner with drill sergeants for early movement instruction, including conditioning drills and stretches

“This not only builds that foundation of injury prevention and high performance to come down the line,” Jones said, “it also helps them succeed in their training and mitigate [injuries].”

This methodology works its way through the chain of command as training calendars evolve

“Not only are we creating more educated leaders and drill sergeants and more ready trainees as soon-to-be Soldiers,” Jones said. “But we’re handing over to the operational commanders a new Soldier who is combat-ready and going to continue to grow.”

As Lt. Col Joe Cruz, U.S. Army Reserve H2F strategic integration coordinator stated, “we want readiness. Readiness means you have Soldiers available. Soldiers available means they’re ready for training, and training creates lethality.”

Lt. Col. Gary Helton, H2F Academy director, is helping to ensure the training program and H2F-I efforts cover multiple aspects of physical and mental health

“Most Soldiers have the skills [and] the tools to meet the psychological demands of the mission. No matter how difficult that may be,” Helton said. “But when it comes to that spiritual piece [and motivation] we’re talking about your ‘why,’ your anchor … your purpose.”

Building and maintaining positive relationships with sleep, nutrition, and mental health are part of the H2F system’s training goals. Another aim is reducing reliance on prescription painkillers for injury management

“We looked at the pharmacy data, and we see that Soldiers who are in H2F are less likely to be prescribed [NSAIDs],” Murray said. “Soldiers are managing their injuries better. They are managing their pain. They’re not having to rely on NSAIDs … to help them get through the day.”

A common misconception about the H2F program is the need to have a current profile or acute injury

“H2F is for the entire brigade, the entire platoon, and entire formation,” said Amos Mansfield, H2F Integration Team program director. “At the end of the day, it’s owned by the commander. It’s executed by the NCOs.”

H2F’s over-arching approach to year-round training and strengthening was emphasized by the panel members

“The secret sauce for the H2F program is the planning and programming of the H2F system and the assets associated with it,” Wright stated. “We want to be able to optimize human performance across all domains through innovation and leveraging technology.”

All-encompassing Training Programs

The H2F Pregnancy and Postpartum Performance Training (P3T) program’s focus on postpartum return to duty has also built a strong framework for recovery efforts

Murray’s team analyzed historical fitness data for Soldiers across pregnancy profiles, comparing baseline test scores with the time required to regain full operational fitness following postpartum return to duty

“We found that Soldiers in H2F-reonths faster,” Murray said. Access to athletic trainers, nutritionists — both while pregnant and postpartum — gives Soldiers the specialized support they need to safely manage their recovery and return to duty, he said

P3T and other best practices initiatives can be found in the H2F Journal’s first edition, available HERE

In addition to the journal, speakers encouraged audience members to read Army doctrine like FM 7-22 and anticipate forthcoming guidance on conducting and scoring the Combat Field Test

“We’ve been working with [Army Headquarters] to develop and then publish [CFT guidelines]. We anticipate [publication] in the next month to be able to help you guys execute that to standard,” Wright stated. “It is about keeping people healthy right from the beginning, not fixing them after they’re broken.”

The H2F Academy recently began transitioning to the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, in support of operational and training efficiency. The H2F Complex is slated to be fully operational January 2027

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