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Tinker squadron goes all out for PT

  • Published
  • By Brian Schroeder
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When it comes to mission readiness, the term "Chair Force" does not apply to the 3rd Combat Communications Group. For the 32nd Combat Communication Squadron, "hardcore" is the only way to define their physical training.

For the past six weeks, 1st Lt. Trevor Steen, 32nd CBCS squadron engineer and unit fitness program monitor, has conducted an unorthodox style of PT with his unit. His squadron works out five days per week with high intensity, cross-fitness workouts geared towards helping Airmen pass their physical training test. Lieutenant Steen said the PT takes Airmen through a broad range of movements and multiple variations of squats, sit-ups, push-ups.

Due to budgetary constraints and purchasing requirements, the squadron is not allowed to buy workout equipment. Instead, they have found innovative ways to make their own equipment from reclaimed items that have been found or given to the squadron. Tractor tires are flipped end-over-end, jumped on and used as a bench for dips. Old tire inner tubes have been converted into sandbags to use for weighted squats.

"I've had numerous people come up to me after PT and say 'I hate you,' but it's in a good way," Lieutenant Steen said. "They will tell me that was the hardest workout they have had in a long time. It may be tough but at least they are getting something useful out of it."

The workouts are structured to be a "catch-all," and do not allow for stragglers or half-hearted efforts, Lieutenant Steen said. During a 20 minute session, he said the Airmen are doing hard work for the entire 20 minutes.

"It's hard to get out of doing work because everybody notices when one person is falling behind, "he said. "You might be the slowest guy out there, but you moved and did work for the whole time. Ability wise, anybody can do it and get the same amount out of it. One person may only do 50 pushups to someone else's 100, but they both feel the same fatigue at the end."

In addition to the physical workout, the squadron also conducts a long-distance run once a week, ranging from two to four miles. Lieutenant Steen said sprints are good, but long-distance running balances the need for training and building endurance for the PT test.
"The hardest part is not convincing people the workout works, but changing their mindset," he said.

"People are so used to standard military PT, which is a long run and doing pushups and sit-ups when you are done. We are trying to move away from that and get something that's a little more team oriented, a little more fun and something that's different from day to day so we don't get bored of it."

After three weeks of the new PT regiment, Lieutenant Steen conducted a survey of Airmen who participated in the atypical workout and said the response was overwhelmingly positive. He said he relies on advice from Airmen as to which exercises work and which ones do not.

"The negative feedback was people wanting to do more running or do different exercises," he said. "If we are doing some of the crazier exercises and they do not feel comfortable doing them, we have some alternate exercises they can do when we go outside of that realm. That way they do not feel like they are being forced to do an exercise that can hurt them."

Lieutenant Steen said the unit will only conduct PT in Green flag conditions, and if heat causes yellow flag conditions, workouts are limited to 15 minutes. The workouts are monitored by trained PT Leaders to make sure that all members are conducting the movements with proper form.

"We practice functional fitness, there is not movement in our PT program that is not found in normal day to day work," he added. "Tire flips and sandbag carries utilize the same movements as moving boxes and transit cases, which our Airmen do every day."

On days when the squadron does multiple repetitions of one exercise, he and other squadron leaders will step out of formation and assist and encourage Airmen to use proper form and technique. He hopes the new PT will breed a fitness-oriented mindset in Airmen as they work towards the new Air Force PT standards established July 2010.

"Too many people will work out five times a week for an hour each day, still not pass their PT test and not understand why," Lieutenant Steen added. "It's the military mindset of 'all I need to do is pushups, sit-ups and run and I will be golden.' For some people that is not enough. For a lot of our guys who are not naturally fit, they need something that is not boring and the same thing day after day."

In the six weeks since the PT regiment has been altered, the squadron is already producing results.

"I have seen overwhelming improvement in people's form from day one," he said. "Some people have told us they have lost weight or their waist measurement has gone down."

September will be a big month for the squadron because of the large numbers of Airmen who will be taking their annual PT test. The squadron has previously conducted a mock PT test in accordance with the new PT testing regulations, and Lieutenant Steen said his squadron is ready. Although the 32nd CBCS is not the only unit on base participating in high intensity PT, Lieutenant Steen said he encourages all Airmen to find a workout that not only works for them but prepares them for the new Air Force PT standards.

"Airmen are finding that though they passed six months ago and didn't do anything to prepare are not able to do that anymore," he said. "We are trying to breed the culture that fitness is an all the time thing."