H2F Human Performance Optimization

H2F Human Performance Optimization is the Army’s Soldier readiness system for physical and nonphysical training. The Army enables it with the five enduring elements of governance, program, personnel, equipment and facilities, and leadership education. The H2F program must meet the commander’s training goals to develop and maintain a high level of readiness appropriate to the unit’s mission-essential task list, individual Soldier duty positions, and challenges of multi-domain operations.

H2F is designed to optimize Soldier personal readiness, reduce injury rates, improve rehabilitation after injury, and increase the overall effectiveness of the Total Army.

H2F is an investment to improve Soldier and unit readiness by addressing the 5 domains of physical and non-physical readiness:

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Five Domains of H2F

The five domains of the holistic health and fitness (H2F) program build the Army’s readiness goals and are based on the principles of optimization, individualization, and immersion. The goal is to improve each Soldier’s physical lethality and mental toughness through the linking of physical readiness, nutritional readiness, mental readiness, spiritual readiness, and sleep readiness.

Mental Readiness

Mental readiness is the ability to meet the mental demands of any combat or duty position, adapt successfully in the presence of extreme risk and adversity, accomplish the mission, and continue to fight and win.

Sleep Readiness

Sleep is the critical requirement for brain health and function. Sleep readiness is the ability to recognize and implement the requisite sleep principles and behaviors to support optimal brain function. In turn, sleep readiness underpins a Soldier’s ability to meet the physical and nonphysical demands of any duty or combat position, accomplish the mission, and continue to fight and win.

Nutritional Readiness

Nutritional readiness is the ability to recognize, select, and consume the requisite food and drink to meet the physical and nonphysical demands of any duty or combat position, accomplish the mission and come home healthy.

Physical Readiness

Physical readiness is the ability to meet the physical demands of any duty or combat position, move lethally on the battlefield, accomplish the mission and continue to fight, win, and come home healthy.

Mental Readiness

Mental readiness is the ability to meet the mental demands of any combat or duty position, adapt successfully in the presence of extreme risk and adversity, accomplish the mission, and continue to fight and win.

Spiritual Readiness

Spiritual readiness includes the development of the personal qualities needed to sustain a person in times of stress, hardship, and tragedy. These qualities come from religious, philosophical, or human values and form the basis for character, disposition, decision making, and integrity.

Five Elements of H2F

The H2F System is comprised of five critical elements: governance, program, equipment and facilities, personnel and leader education. These elements are essential to the success of Army readiness. They ensure and sustain Soldier readiness.

Training Cycles

Training Periods

Period	Characteristics
Base	High volume, low intensity training
Build	Moderate to high volume training at high intensity
Taper / Peak 1	Low volume training at high intensity and high levels of skill
Combat / Peak 2	Peak levels of skill with low levels of volume; for example deployment
Recovery	Reconditioning after prolonged absence from H2F System or as a deload after Peak 2

H2F Macrocycle

	Base (4–12 weeks)	Build (4–8 weeks)	Peak 1 (2–3 weeks)	Combat / Peak 2 (2 weeks +)	Recovery (4–8 weeks)
Physical	High volume Low intensity General strength, endurance and movement skill Needs assessment	Moderate to high volume High Intensity Specific strength, endurance and movement skill	Low volume High intensity High skill	Peak skill Low volume Multi-hour, day, week or month operations	Active rest Physical rehabilitation Goal assessment
Nutritional	Needs assessment Periodized energy and macronutrient intakes for body composition Energy availability Education for strategic timing of nutrient intake around training sessions Macronutrient availability training to stimulate metabolic efficiency	Energy intake adapted to changes in training Specific support for key sessions or environmental conditions (heat, cold, altitude) Body composition refinement Practice of field training, operational or combat nutritional strategy	Energy intake adapted for high intensity training to avoid weight gain Monitoring for optimal body composition prior to combat	Support or fueling for combat including recovery between varying lengths of engagements and patrols and varying environmental conditions Nutrition supplementation practices Nutritional strategies for travel across multiple time zones	Goal assessment Nutrition adapted for light activity levels Minimal weight gain Elimination of supplements and ergogenic aids and performance enhancers Active nutrition for recovery or rehabilitation
Mental	Needs assessment Purposeful motivational skill training Biopsychosocial pain control skill training Values-based self-assessment Technique practice (mental rehearsal, arousal control, deliberate breathing)	Perception work Video biofeedback for physical and physiological control Daily selfawareness log	Optimal arousal Concentration or focus Maximized emotional selfmanagement Occupational and combat-specific mental rehearsal	Maximal trust, confidence and adaptability Written combat coping plan Spiritual justification selftalk Mindfulness	Goal review and new goal setting Deliberate, effective reevaluation of self, self-identity Counseling to mitigate or treat posttraumatic stress Reachback or counseling to review, accommodate, assimilate experiences
Spiritual	Needs assessment Understand the spectrum of options that individuals have to observe free exercise of spiritual fitness or not Emphasize basis or basics of spiritual fitness Rehearse individual spiritual fitness practices	Refine individual spiritual fitness practices to build individual strength. Understand shared practices to build mutual respect and group cohesion	Sustain group and individual spiritual fitness practices Review spiritual fitness topics before and after stressful training events	Support unit members spiritual fitness needs in challenging and stressful conditions	Goal assessment Self-assessment Repair spiritual fitness
Sleep	Needs assessment Appropriate sleep to maximize base period training adaptations May involve withholding sleep to maximize adaptation	Practice of field training, operational or combat sleep strategies Specific sleep strategies to maximize absorption of training and improve recovery	Increased sleep to maximize recovery from previous build period and the high-intensity training of the taper period.	Implementation of sleep strategies to manage recovery and preparation for travel, jet lag and high operational load	Goal assessment of short and longterm sleep strategy—what worked?

References: FM 7-22 (Holistic Health and Fitness) & Army Techniques Publications (ATP 7-22.01 and ATP 7-22.02)