U.S. Forces Fitness

Story by Airman 1st Class Mckenzie Airhart  194th Wing The 116th Air Support Operations Squadron have implemented the new Tier 2 Operator Fitness Test as a part of a force wide rollout.  The new test will be standard for determining the physical fitness of special warfare Airmen. The Tier 2 test has 10 different exercises that test muscle strength and power as well as the aerobic stamina of the Airmen.  To create a test that was more representative of the Tactical Air Control Party function in a combat environment, two years of research was done to determine what exercises mimicked combat tasks. Also testing to determine the appropriate way of measuring the performer’s ability was established, said Chief Master Sgt. Jason Quesenberry, 116th ASOS Superintendent.  The test offers a snapshot of a members capabilities and predicts if they’ll be able to perform their war time mission, said Quesenberry.  Quesenberry also noted that the OFT minimum standards are the same for every Airme

Story by Capt. Joe Legros  Michigan National Guard Why would anyone change the beloved Army Physical Fitness Test?  After all, sit-ups, push-ups and a two-mile run have successfully assessed Soldier physical readiness for the last forty years, right? Not exactly. The APFT has been utilized since the early 1980s. It has also served as a basis for job performance, promotion and retention of countless Soldiers. However, as a combat readiness predictor, the assessment meets strong resistance.  For this reason, a handful of Soldiers gathered on Fort Custer Training Center’s sweltering, quarter-mile track September 5, 2019, to conduct a different, new and improved, physical assessment. Enter the Army Combat Fitness Test, coming to an armory and track near you.  According to the Army’s ACFT website, “The APFT is assessed to have 40 percent predictive power for combat performance; the ACFT is assessed to have 80 percent predictive power.”  “The ACFT will better connect f

Story by Lance cpl. Melissa Ugalde Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton The feeling of accomplishment, victory, and overwhelming pride is what U.S. Marine Sgt. Kevin Fisch, a motor transportation mechanic with 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, felt after finishing the 2019 High Intensity Tactical Training Championship as the fittest male in the Marine Corps. Fisch, a native of Lockport, Illinois, enlisted in the Marine Corps in July 2017 at 24 years old after completing his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Illinois State University. Fisch says his lifelong dream is to help and serve, and being in the Marine Corps would help further his knowledge and skills in his future career in criminal justice. In 2018, when Fisch was assigned to 1st Maint. Bn. on Camp Pendleton, he was able to focus on his love for fitness. His passion and love of fitness helped his career as a Marine. One day, he volunteered to participate in a HI

Story by Kristen Murphy  Marine and Family Program s Thirty-five US Marines will compete at the fifth annual High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) Championship at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, from September 9-12, 2019. One male and one female Marine will be crowned the 2019 HITT Champion. US Marines from all over the world competed at their home installations for the chance to participate in the annual championship. The preliminary HITT competitions concluded in July, and the top male and female winners from each installation were invited to the championship event – wildcards were also invited. This year’s championship emphasizes the tactical focus of HITT and incorporates a live –fire fitness event, combat swim, and pugil stick bouts. The championship is comprised of seven challenges, across four days. It will test the strength, ability, power, speed, tactical skills, and cognitive abilities of the warrior athletes. HITT is focused on developing and maintaining a Mar

Army Public Health Center  Story by Douglas Holl  ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – One of the challenges facing Army leadership as they transition to the new Army Combat Fitness Test, which will be fully implemented by October 2020, is preventing musculoskeletal training injuries. Physical training is necessary to develop and maintain the fitness required to accomplish military missions, but is also known to cause injury. According to Army Public Health Center experts, MSK injuries and related conditions led to an average of 37 limited duty days per injury. This translates to 2 million medical encounters across the Army annually and an estimated 10 million lost training days due to limited duty. “Seventy percent of all limited duty profiles are for MSK injuries,” said Dr. Michelle Chervak, acting manager for the APHC Injury Prevention Program, which identifies causes and risk factors for Army training-related injuries. “We can show that greater amounts of training (for example