Hey guys, been lurking on the forums for a while, reading up on every possible question I could have, but i have a somewhat oddball one. Is my height going to cause me any problems during the course of training(for para-rescue)?

I'm 6'6", and while its not as extreme as some, its still pretty tall. Im just trying to know as much as I can before hand, and be prepared for anything.

Thanks in advance!
-Josh

Search. this was the 2nd link after searching for "Height" This may answer your question.

http://www.specialtactics.com/ubbthreads....html#Post52884


Although no height standard is established for CCT & PJ the man packable loads of minimum essential mission and survival equipment does biomechanically favor an optimal body weight and standing body height male gender body. Studies have demonstrated the rule of thumb expectation for man packable weight is: 30% of Body Weight optimum for Fighting Load. 45% of Body Weight optimum for Approach March Load. 60% body weight optimum for carriage in the sustained march load. 75% of body weight for carriage in the Existence Load. BTW, the terms fighting, assault, approach, sustained and existence define how long and far you are expected to carry this weight. The assault load=carry indefinately in addition to food and water to assault, engage and fight the enemy. The approach march load=conduct a 20-mile hike during a time frame of eight hours with the reasonable expectation of maintaining 90% combat effectiveness. The existence load=limited marching from the landing zone into a secured area. Sustained March Load - that load which may be necessary to accomplish the mission in conditions where approach marches are through terrain impassable to vehicles, or ground/air transport are not available. <--- Thus is what PJs do a lot of. If the helicopter could get to the survivor(s) we would much prefer hoisting the survivors to the express bus home. Consequently, the 5 foot 5 inch (65 inches) tall team member is working a bit harder than taller team members, when the typical weight of fighting load and other mission essential equipment is generally 50 pounds or more.

Oops, searched for just "tall" before, didn't think to search height as well.

Thanks.
-Josh

As a PJ i know 2 guys that are PJs that are around the 6'6" mark or so. the big issue for them has always been wieght. Parachutes have a max load that they can carry (350 Lbs or so) that includes the weight of the chute, the jumper and their gear. If you weight around 250lbs or so you will be pushing the max weight for the rig.

If you are to big to jump you cannot do the job.

???? I’ve known a few 6'2" tall and taller PJs, but I don't recall them having weight pushing close to 250 pounds.

However weight suspended (jumper and equipment) under canopy not body height must not exceed the canopy's design limitations. Plus there are considerations of higher rates of descents for DZ located at elevations 5000 feet and higher above sea level and opening sequence stresses put on canopy by the weight connected to it at altitudes above 10,000 feet MSL.

Thus there are height and weight minimums and maximums unsuited for duty, rather than unfit (nothing is funnier than seeing a short person with insufficient upper body strength trying to open and close a C-130 jump door in-flight).

The standing height causes for disqualification are not specified specifically for Weapons Controllers/Directors, Combat Control, Pararescue and Air Battle Managers. However for some jobs there are sitting height and crotch height that are not compatible with operating controls and safety, especially concerning ejection egress, pertinent to ejection seat systems there is also often a body weight concern too. Some jobs even have a minimum functional reach requirement.

However there are other height causes for disqualification. For instance AR 40-501 discloses:
a. Men: Height below 60 inches or over 80 inches is disqualifying.
b. Women: Height below 58 inches or over 80 inches is disqualifying.

And AFI 36-2905, Fitness Program, Chapter 6, Special Populations, 6.1. Accessions. Weight and body fat determinations (as accomplished at MEPS or other point of entry to service) remain part of accession physical standards and may also be used as entry criteria for accession training programs.

A sufficient research effort gets you eventually to DOD overweight policies and to DOD (applies to all services) service height to weight screening tables which range from a height minimum of 58 inches to a maximum of 80 inches. So 6 foot-6 inches tall weighing in at 250 pounds is certainly pushing the unsuitable to perform parachutist duties operational risk assesment window.

FYI: Maximum 80” tall person weight is 250 pounds, minimum 80” tall person weight is 173 pounds, the preferred maximum for 80” tall person is 227 pounds.

also

Hrm, ok this is a little bit disconcerning considering im still training up and therefore building muscle. Im actually at 238 now since my post in march but that is mostly from me burning off excess fat. Guess its something im going to need to be really in tune with and watch closely.

Thanks guys.

From what I've read, bigger guys (think above the 6 foot mark) have a much higher rate of stress fractures in Indoc and BUD/S, so you might want to take the extra time to make sure you can train up to longer running distances while you can still do it safely on your own time. I'm 6' 3" and the idea of getting dropped or set back for a stress fracture is pretty scary, so at 6'6" you might want to be extra careful.

I thought it wold be funny to show up at the chow hall in a Minny Cooper with the tallest PJ's at work that day. We all fit somehow.
Don B. =6'4", Brian B.=6'4", Mike L.= 6'2" and me the driver a lowly 5'9". In my 4yrs, There were some big PJ's around. The parachute thing is real. One size fits all. I'd jump first and these bigger guys would pass me up and hit the ground quite a bit before I would.

Ive been talking extensively with my personal trainer (who also happens to be my uncle) and were both pretty confident I can cut down to 220 and still be in shape by April 2011 (when my PRK will be cleared). Thank you so much for the heads up, something I wouldn't have known otherwise, and would have just continued where I am.

Luckily even for my tall hight I have yet to have any problems knee wise or getting shin splints. Though the good chances of stress fractures is pretty scary. Are they localized to just feet and lower leg bones? And aside from strengthening excersizes and continued running, is there anything else I can do?

Well I'm not a doctor or trainer or anything, so you may want to confirm this independently, but as I understand it stress fractures occur predominantly in the tibia (ie shin bone, the weight bearing bone in the lower leg), although they can happen in the bones of the foot as well. I suppose technically it could happen in the femur, but that bone is already so large and strong I don't think it would be a problem. The heel area could also be a concern if you have poor form.
As for how to avoid them.. again I'm not a trainer but I think the only thing you can do is just build up the number of miles you run per week over time, eat healthy so you have all the nutrients needed to rebuild the bone, and don't run if your muscles are exhausted. Normally the stresses are absorbed partially by your muscles, and partially through the bone. As the muscle tires, the bone is forced to take more of the blow. If you build up the miles too quickly, the break down will be more and more significant, and the bone won't have time to rebuild itself in between runs. Thus stress fractures. Since taller people have more weight coming down on them each time, a drastic increase in distance will have a substantial affect on the bone. So just be careful that you don't jump straight into a million miles a week, and you should have nothing to worry about. If I had to take a guess, I would say that this probably happens most in the really muscular people that only ran 2 miles a day when training, and then once they get to Indoc the miles are upped and they just weren't ready for it. Maybe there is some genetic predisposition involved. Anyway I'm just repeating myself at this point, but you get the idea.

Obviously luck, fate or whatever you call it has to do with whether someone gets injured,but i think maybe bigger guys should check out all the "new" science with less-is-more shoes like , nike free, 5-fingers or barefooting. Pose and/or chi-running type trainign with correct foorwear boast a dramatic reduction in running-caused injuries. Whether the claims are valid probably is case-by-case though.