Elite combat troops shred their physiques to look like Hollywood hunks. In the Arctic, that can kill you.
The cold eats away at soldiers, who lose on average 3,000 calories a day while on exercises in the Arctic Circle—even while eating full rations and before they have taken part in any strenuous activity.
“The modern soldier goes to the gym, likes to look lean with washboard abs, so they don’t have any fat on their muscles,” said Swedish Army Sgt. Maj. Fredrik Flink, who leads winter-warfare courses for U.S. Marines and other forces in northern Sweden.
“After three days here, they are really worn down. That is the biggest problem we have,” he said. “Basic things aren’t sexy nowadays.”
