FRANKFORT, Ky. –
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Two Kentucky Army National Guard Soldiers, 1st Lt. Erik Thomas and Col. Eddie Simpson, pushed their limits at the 2025 CrossFit Games in Columbus, Ohio — showing how fitness and readiness go hand in hand.
From August 21–24, Simpson and Thomas, competing in age groups 50-54 and 35-39 respectively, were tested in every dimension of physical fitness. From running and weightlifting to gymnastics and various endurance events, the competition demanded elite-level strength, speed, and adaptability.
The CrossFit Games are the sport’s premier global competition, which attracted over 200,000 of the fittest athletes in the world through a series of qualifiers held across thousands of gyms worldwide.
Simpson, who finished 21st worldwide, reflected on winning the clean and jerk, a two-phase weightlifting movement that involves lifting a heavily weighted barbell overhead.
“I haven’t hit that weight [305 pounds] in four or five years,” the commander of the Kentucky National Guard Garrison Training Center said. “It reminded me that with the right preparation, you can still surprise yourself.”
That preparation, Simpson and Thomas both emphasized, is rooted in the principles of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program, which takes a holistic approach to improving fitness by focusing on five readiness domains: mental, spiritual, physical, nutrition, and sleep.
Thomas, the KYARNG H2F coordinator and a transportation officer with the 307th Support Maintenance Company, finished 13th in his age group by overcoming a rocky start and practicing what he teaches to Soldiers across the state as part of H2F outreach.
(Click to visit the Army’s H2F program:
https://h2f.army.mil/)
“Coming into the event, I was ranked 17th, so my goal was just to improve on that. And after the first three events, I was in 26th place,” he said. “I was a little down on myself, so I had to rely on mental fitness principles I’ve taught others in the past, like keeping things in perspective and adding some positive self-talk after those three events.”
Thomas said he looked back on his performance during training sessions leading up to that point as a reminder of how physically prepared he truly was for each of the next events in the competition.
“Coming back to that next event, I won my heat and took sixth overall—climbing back up to the cut line. The next day, I won another heat, and it pushed me further up to the cut line as well. That became the highlight of the weekend for me,” he said.
Their success, according to Thomas, is about more than competition. Competitive environments like CrossFit develop not just physical strength, but mental resilience, attention to detail, and adaptability under pressure—traits essential to modern warfighters.
Thomas claims it’s a demonstration of how the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program is shaping a new generation of fit, resilient, and lethal Soldiers in Kentucky.
“H2F is not just about getting in shape,” Thomas said. “It’s about building total Soldier readiness — physical, mental, and emotional. Everything I learned and used at the games is now going straight back into our units.”
Simpson agreed and emphasized the responsibility they both carry as leaders in the Guard’s H2F effort.
“Everything we do—everything we learn from CrossFit or at the games—we’re putting it directly back into the H2F program for the Guard,” Simpson said. “We’ve been instrumental in getting the pilot program running for Kentucky, and that means over 6,400 Soldiers are benefiting from the best practices we’re gathering in real time. When it comes to fitness and wellness, knowledge isn’t power unless it’s shared. That’s why we’re constantly bringing it to the units, putting it on social media, and pushing it wherever we can.”
When asked about advanced ways to speed recovery after intense workouts, Simpson said, “I took ice baths between every workout and after every day’s events. It’s about recovery and refueling properly. That was a night-and-day difference from my first time at the Games. It was kind of chaotic back then, and this time I was very methodical. I wasn’t even sore the next day.”
In 2018, Simpson competed in the men’s 45-49 age group and finished 16th in the world.
Thomas echoed the importance of fast recovery cycles. “After any type of training, whether it’s high-intensity training, weightlifting, resistance training, running or anything, you’ve got a 30-minute window. After your training, try to consume 20-40 grams of protein — ideally whole foods, but a shake works. It’s the best way to stay in the fight over a multi-day challenge.”
Both Soldiers plan to return to the CrossFit Games in 2026, but their focus remains on growing the H2F program and fitness culture in the KYARNG.
As the H2F state lead, Thomas is spearheading the effort to train one certified H2F integrator for every 50 Soldiers. This aligns with Army FM 7-22’s goal to provide trained wellness support to every Soldier. Kentucky currently has 75 certified H2F integrators and aims to reach 100-120 by fiscal year 2027.
“Education is the first step,” Thomas said. “Most Soldiers don’t realize the resources available to them. So we sit down — five minutes, 15 minutes — and just talk. I like asking them, ‘What can we do to help you in your wellness, or prolong your Guard career?’
“If we can give Soldiers enough information to make themselves more lethal—both inside and outside of the Guard—and help them build healthier home lives and relationships, I think that’s what we’re really pushing for,” Thomas said.
For Simpson, using fitness as a communication platform has been a key leadership tool throughout his career. “The ability to exercise with your Soldiers — to sweat with them, to push with them in a relatable way — builds trust,” he said. “It shows that you live the standard you expect.”
That trust, he explained, becomes a catalyst for long-term change—the kind of transformation the H2F program is designed to deliver.
“Ideally, a long-term goal is that we don’t have Soldiers failing the Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) or the Army Fitness Test (AFT),” Simpson said. “Through training and education, we can mitigate those issues and change people’s lifestyles. We want to create a culture change that builds a professional Soldier—fit and ready to fight.”
“When it comes to tying lethality to a Soldier’s fitness, most people automatically think about the physical domain,” Thomas said. “But, there’s so much more. We have to look at this from a holistic approach: Are our fit Soldiers mentally ready to go to war? Or just physically ready to go to war? Do they have their personal lives in order?”
Thomas continued, “It’s a lifestyle change. It’s not enough to go to the gym for two weeks and think everything is fixed. Once Soldiers start developing habits—like consuming the right amount of protein, getting enough sleep, and prioritizing relationships with loved ones—that’s when you start to see the culture shift. That’s when we create a more lethal, resilient force, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.”
Their journey is proof: with the right mindset, disciplined training, and the H2F framework, the Army National Guard can build a force ready for tomorrow’s fight.
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