LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Former Air Force flight surgeon and world-renowned aerobics expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper famously proclaimed that "fitness is a journey, not a destination."
When the 1st Maintenance Squadron tallied 75 physical fitness test failures in February 2011, Staff Sgt. Bradley Domes, the unit fitness program manager, brought Cooper's mantra to the table to make changes in Airmen's waistlines and lifestyles.
Domes and Staff Sgt. Eric Thomsen, the unit's head physical training leader, developed an intense physical training regimen for the unit, transforming mundane self-paced exercise into explosive, multi-faceted group workouts. The "hardcore" sessions include test fundamentals, such as push-ups and sit-ups, to more inventive activities, including sled pushes and parachute sprints.
The circuits are designed to be intense, but informative, teaching Airmen challenging, but fun new ways to work out to improve their total fitness.
"I designed these circuits to help show that you don't just have to run, do push-ups and sit-ups to get a work out," Domes said. "We still have to do them, but there are other options."
According to Domes, the unit improved its test failures from 75 to 21 since the inception of the fitness program. In addition, the average score for a re-test is between 85 and 90 percent, and the last three failures improved from "Unsatisfactory" to "Excellent".
Domes said education is just as important as hard work.
"I think one of the reasons Airmen fail their test is that they don't really know how to work out properly, or what intensity to work out at," he explained.
Airmen participate in the unit PT sessions twice a week. Airmen who failed their most recent PT test are required to participate five days a week. Domes and Thomsen said the frequency of workouts helps them instill fitness into their every day schedules.
PT test scores aren't the only thing improving as a result of the program.
"The Airmen's attitudes change during the times they attend. I have seen some people that hate to work out turn around and help lead some of the sessions and pursue other fitness activities," Domes said. "The Airmen become more confident. During these sessions, we complete some difficult exercises, and the fact that they can complete them shows their progress not only to us, but to themselves."
Domes recalled an Airman who had a "horrible attitude" about fitness that made a dramatic turnaround, physically and philosophically, after participating.
"This Airman didn't want to be at PT, didn't understand why we did the work outs we did, and couldn't stand that I talked about healthy eating during PT. This member scored very low on his test," Domes said. "After a few weeks, the Airman started to transform. His waist got smaller, the workouts became easier and the attitude changed. On test day, he scored an 'Excellent,' and continued to pursue a healthy lifestyle."
"He began to enjoy PT, and that is one of my main goals," Thomsen said. "This is the reason I love what I do: watching individuals get excited about exercising and getting healthy."