U.S. Forces Fitness

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class David Brandenburg   USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) 3, 2, 1… “Beep.” As the timer begins all you hear are his shallow breaths, sweat begins to form on his brow and his shoes grip the non-skid. It’s time to give it all he has, ignore the pain and push until his body demands rest. This is just another day in the life of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97’s Command Master Chief Jesse Cook.  At 41 years old, difficult workouts become a normal - even invited - way of life. After 20 plus years serving in the United States Navy, it’s more than just a hobby; it’s a passion. Master Chief Cook turned himself into an athlete. An athlete that proves no matter the age or setting, whether in the depths of the sea in a submarine or on board a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, nothing will deter his physical capability.  Not even the heart attack that nearly derailed his career at 19-years-old.  “In 1999, I suffered a tachycardia, which put my heart into cardiac ar

Photo by Seaman Jasmine Suarez Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L Greenberg USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) U.S. Sailors, no matter what rank, know how mentally demanding underways and deployments can be. Workdays that often span more than 12 hours, impossibly long chow lines, and constantly changing demands from one’s chain of command contribute to the arduous time a Sailor spends at sea and away from what most citizens consider a normal life. The answer to these stressors is not letting them get pent up inside, only to let them manifest into an explosion in port. The healthy way to deal with these negative, but completely normal and often-founded, emotions could be the simple act of exercise. There is a devoted team of fitness and medical professionals aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in place to ensure Sailors get the most out of their workouts by building biceps while strengthening their mental durability in the process. Exercise, whether

Story by G. Anthonie Riis Fort Knox At age 54, Col. Shawn Edwards recently earned gold at the Kentucky Senior Games in the 50-meter and 100-meter dash, and silver in the 200. She's just getting started, again. "I was totally surprised with the results. I've been recovering from health issues; we only had about five weeks to prepare for this track meet," Edwards said. "It wasn't a lot of train up time. This meet was just supposed to gauge where I was at." Where she was at proved enough to qualify her for the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has taken a bumpy and unusually round-about way to get there. "I ran track in high school. I have always had a love for track and field," she said. "I got a scholarship to college, but I started running at a young age and by college, I was burned out." Edwards began running again years later as a way to break through to her son, whose raw talent was bringing

Story by Sean Kimmons Defense Media Activity - Army FORT EUSTIS, Va. -- Army senior leaders have approved a new strenuous fitness test designed to better prepare Soldiers for combat tasks, reduce injuries and lead to ample cost savings across the service. The six-event readiness assessment, called the Army Combat Fitness Test, is intended to replace the current three-event Army Physical Fitness Test, which has been around since 1980. Beginning October 2020, all Soldiers will be required to take the new gender- and age-neutral test. Before that, field testing set to begin this October will allow the Army to refine the test, with initial plans for up to 40,000 Soldiers from all three components to see it. "The Army Combat Fitness Test will ignite a generational, cultural change in Army fitness and become a cornerstone of individual Soldier combat readiness," said Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, commander of the Army's Center of Initial Military Training. "It will

Story by Sgt. Elizabeth Jones 19th Public Affairs Detachment The class was led by Nicholas O'Brien, who is the Human Performance Program coordinator for the 75th Ranger Regt. "The goal of the course is to train Soldiers how to optimize their physical performance, reduce injuries, plan for and maintain proper nutrition, and to learn what effective return to duty after injury looks like," O'Brien said. The Human Performance Course is part of the Human Performance Program that provides a full staff of strength coaches, mental performance coaches, dietitians and athletic trainers within the 75th Ranger Regt. "Mission and combat readiness is improved through education," O'Brien said. "There is a lot of research to show that reduction of injury and improvement of performance is about the educational process, not just the nuts and bolts of the coaching. "It's about knowing and understanding what needs to be done and being instructed

Story by Staff Sgt. Terrance Payton 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command Soldiers assigned to 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command participated in the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) Pilot Program, Dec. 4-7, 2018 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The U.S. Army Physical Fitness School Mobile Training Team (MTT) from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, made their way to Fort Bragg to train Soldiers on how to properly conduct and evaluate the ACFT. “All of the training from the MTT was great,” said Sgt. Nestor, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 264th CSSB. “I would have to say the best part was learning how to grade the ACFT. With the current APFT, any NCO can be a grader. With the ACFT, every grader must be certified in order to grade the ACFT as this ensures a more accurate view into a service members physical capabilities. “It’s difficult to just release a manual that may have some degree of speculation and misunderstanding, so the M

Story by Jose Rodriguez U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School Three years ago, when CPT Johnny Dotson was a First Lieutenant, he was approached by someone at Fort Leonardwood’s main post gym and encouraged to look into becoming a competitive body builder. Though he hadn’t ever thought of doing competitions, Dotson took the stranger’s suggestion and began the research that propelled him into competition lifestyle. Since then, Dotson has won 23 trophies and medals. Last month, he successfully defended the World Title in the Men's Athletic (Physique) class at the 2018 Drug Free Athletic Coalition (DFAC) World Championships in Miami, Florida; the pinnacle of natural bodybuilding. Dotson was the defending 2017 title holder. Dotson is a student at the Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S) Health Readiness Center of Excellence (HRCoE) in the Master of Social Work (MSW) graduate program where he serves as the assistant class leader. He frequently score