Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Adrian Borunda | A member of the Ultimate Fitness Challenge and program instructor, finish a company...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP NAVAJO, Ariz. - Soldiers doing pushups before every meal, multiple company runs and someone telling you what you can and can’t eat. This may sound like a day at Army basic training but it’s actually Arizona Army National Guard’s Ultimate Fitness Challenge.
UFC is a two-week program designed to support soldiers in getting back to meeting the Army physical fitness test and weight control standards. UFC camps have been held in southern, central and northern Arizona to accommodate the locations of units throughout the state.
“The goal of UFC is to train soldiers and get them physically fit, lead a good, healthy lifestyle, and show them how to implement workout routines in their daily lives,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lloyd Stenglein, 819th Engineer Company, noncommissioned officer in charge of UFC.
The soldiers participating have been directed by their commands to be here because they have not met the Army’s physical training test requirements, have weight control issues or are recovering from a profile and may be at risk of being discharged from the Army for not meeting physical standards.
“We’re showing them a lifestyle to help them come back into good standards and to maintain those standards for the rest of their career,” said Stenglein.
To obtain the standards the Guard requires of its soldiers, the UFC will conduct Army physical readiness training along with popular civilian workouts like Zumba, PX90 and Insanity.
“We teach the participants different civilian workout programs, as opposed to just PRT, so that participants can have workouts they are more interested in doing during their off-time,” said Stenglein.
Besides exercise, other components of the UFC include nutrition, mental and spiritual fitness. Soldiers will meet with a dietician, run coaches from Arizona State University, chaplains and a Master Resilience Trainer.
“The most beneficial thing for the soldiers to take away from here is the desire to keep themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually fit,” Stenglein said.
The average soldier attending the UFC loses an average of eight to nine pounds during the camp, said Stenglein.
“Every soldier here is skeptical at first, but after they see what UFC is, they all develop a high level of motivation,” said Stenglein. “I think they start to see the command really does care and a lot of effort has been put into developing this program so they can be successful.”
Sgt. Dustin Cox, attended the UFC camp in Camp Navajo because he did not achieve the standards of the physical training test after recovering from an injury.
“This gives me a kick start and gets me back on track, and into shape,” said Cox. “I’m grateful for the Army sending me here.”
The UFC provides exercises soldiers can easily take home and do on their own to help achieve results.
“It reminds us that we can do workouts any time of the day,” said Cox. “For instance; it only takes a minute to do 30 pushups, so that’s something you can do during commercials while watching TV.”
Stenglein said he thinks the nutrition training is the best part of the camp because soldiers learn how to manage their diets.
“Now they can go back to their houses, clear out their cupboards, and start eating healthy,” said Stenglein.
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2012 18:00 |
| Story ID: | 92689 |
| Location: | CAMP NAVAJO, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 482 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ultimate Fitness Challenge sustains the force, by SGT Crystal Reidy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT