Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry...... read more read more
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Through two weeks of heat and characteristic Midwestern humidity, Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 34th Infantry Division, completed a two-week fitness camp on Sunday, July 23, at the Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center in Johnston, Iowa.
Previous fitness camps hosted at Camp Dodge were shorter in duration and smaller in scope. Having the full two-week period for training posed exciting opportunities and challenges for both participants and cadre.
Sgt. 1st Class Justin Colbert, an assistant operations noncommissioned officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT, said nothing like this camp has ever been done in Iowa, and credited the brigade commander Col. Stephen Osborn with the idea.
“Personal readiness is a priority for Col. Osborn, just like with the adjutant general,” Colbert said. “Unit commanders selected Soldiers in the brigade who they thought needed some help in this arena.”
Fitness has long been a priority for Colbert. As a master fitness instructor, he has helped Soldiers through personal training for over ten years.
The camp, which drew about 120 participants and required an additional 30 Soldiers to work as cadre, maintained an aggressive schedule.
A typical day of training started at 7 a.m. with Army physical readiness training exercises, followed by personal hygiene time and breakfast.
In the afternoon, Soldiers received classes on topics like nutrition, workout supplements, land navigation and resilience. Around 7 p.m., when the temperature cooled down, Soldiers participated in recreational exercises designed to foster teambuilding, such as volleyball or kickball.
Additionally, the schedule included tours of local businesses which exposed participants to nutritional advice and commercial workouts.
The camp was built around answering a question Colbert and the other cadre asked themselves: What training can we provide to help Soldiers in their normal, everyday lives?
“We’re one weekend a month,” Colbert said. “So we’re trying to make a very bold attempt at something out of the box. Just training them on drill weekends isn’t going to work.”
Soldiers looked forward to the comprehensive experience.
“I’m really excited they have the meals planned out,” said 1st Lt. Ryan Bartholomaus, a platoon leader with Charlie Company, 334th Brigade Support Battalion. The catered meals provided were healthy, balanced and came with a calorie count.
Through the intense training, Bartholomaus added that a sense of camaraderie was being established between the camp participants.
“Friendships are slowly building, and will hopefully last after this two-week period,” he said.
Previous camps with a shorter schedule left Soldiers wanting more. This two-week camp left Soldiers carrying less.
“On average participants dropped 5 to 10 pounds,” said Colbert.
The final event was an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and weigh-in where, according to Colbert, 20 percent of the participants moved into compliance with the Army’s APFT and height and weight standards.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2017 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 242365 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 909 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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