Yoga For Soldiers

The Army debuted a new recruit training program on July 1, and there are some fundamental differences with its previous approach.

Among them, reports Katie Drummond at AOL News, is a shift in emphasis away from strenuous physical challenges to developing "core" strength through activities like calisthenics and yoga.

But Army officials insist they haven't simply lowered standards to accomodate recruits who are in less-than-prime physical condition.

"It's not soft," says Capt. Kyle Lippold, commander of G Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery. "It's just different and the physical training has become a lot more regimented and more battle-focused. It's focused on training more people to achieve that initial basic training standard while mitigating injuries."