Photo By Airman 1st Class Aidan Martinez | Members of the tri-base area community pose for a photo during the Tri-Base Ultimate...... read more read more
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The Tri-Base Ultimate Transformation Challenge 2025 came to an end with a closing ceremony at the Hardstand Fitness Center here, May 22, 2025.
The UTC ran from Jan. 6 to May 16, and did more than challenge members to lose weight as part of a New Year’s resolution. As an evolution of the former “Best Loser” program, the objective of the challenge was to equip members with the knowledge, resources, and intrinsic motivation necessary to achieve sustained personal health and fitness goals that extend beyond the duration of the challenge – championing the idea of being “Fit to Fight.”
“Our military members must always be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, wherever that fight may be,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Bidal, 100th FSS fitness center programs manager. “The Comprehensive Airman Fitness Module is something I’d like to reference when it comes to all around ‘fitness.’ It takes more than just being physically fit to do the things we do. You need to be equally strong both physically & mentally to achieve the best results, both on and off duty.”
The challenge was open to anyone 18 years and older and began with members doing an initial weigh-in and setting their own goals.
“It’s important for members to first establish their own goals so that we can provide the best support for them to achieve them,” Bidal said. “Often, members want to lose weight & gain muscle at a rapid pace, which ends up with burnout and frustration once they hit the first wall where progression slows down.”
To help combat that, this year’s UTC featured a comprehensive approach designed to promote lasting, holistic health and fitness improvements among participants as well as a refined scoring system that included not only body fat loss but also muscle mass gained, the introduction of the In-Body analysis – a non-invasive test that measures and separates a person’s body composition into components, and a dedicated team of health and fitness professionals providing personalized support and guidance.
“We’ve received lots of positive feedback about the UTC and all of the new additions and changes that we’ve made,” Bidal said. “It took a lot of time, planning, and coordination to make it all happen, and our team worked tirelessly all the way to the day of the ceremony. If we can support even a single member to achieve their health and fitness goals, then all that work is worth it. We thoroughly enjoy supporting our fellow wingmen and their families however we can.”
More than 100 members of the tri-base community participated in this year’s challenge.
“I joined mainly to get motivated,” said Karen Rodriguez, a military spouse in the tri-base area and the first-place winner in the female category. “Every January, I start a weight loss journey, but by the end of January or February, I give up.”
According to Bidal and his team, on average each participant lost 10-20 pounds, reduced one to four levels of visceral fat, and reduced their body fat by 10 percent. Four members lost over 20 pounds; three members completed the Mount Everest Stairmaster challenge – climbing over 44,000 steps; and four members completed over 200 miles.
“These statistics don’t necessarily mean that members surpassed their goals and definitely shouldn’t serve as a stopping point by any means if they did,” Bidal emphasized. “It’s the continuous journey for improvement and better health/fitness that we hope members ultimately strive to achieve.”
For Rodriguez at least, the end of the UTC is not the end of her fitness journey.
“They should keep doing this challenge,” she said. “This competition not only makes transformations in our physical appearance but also in our habits. I didn’t have a weight goal exactly because I was trying to gain muscle. I’ll say this is not over. I still have muscle to build and fat to lose, so I am not where I want to be yet, but I’m impressed with the progress I’ve made in these four to five months.”
| Date Taken: | 05.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.27.2025 09:16 |
| Story ID: | 498915 |
| Location: | RAF MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK, GB |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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