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A behind the scenes look at the Royal Marines Training Camp in Lympstone, Devon. This series of photos show 168 Troop in the gymnasium during week 8 of the training course Initial Military Fitness (IMF).
IMF is based on a Swedish fitness model and has been used by the Royal Marines for at least 30 years in an essentially unchanged format. It is a mixture of fitness training and drill.


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There is an instructor who takes the period and then normally 3 or 4 strikers who are other instructors who move amongst the recruits correcting their mistakes.

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IMF is designed to physically strengthen the recruits before they enter into the Commando phase of training.

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The exercises include a warm up including grid sprints, rope work, sit ups, and pull ups timed with burpees (a squat followed by a squat thrust) and press ups. It concludes with a warm down.

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Everything is synchronised and done in a set sequence which the recruits have previously learnt.

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The exercises are done at the same time on the orders of the instructor and have rhythmic appearance.