To meet the functional fitness requirements of battlefield Airmen, the Larger than Life weight room was renovated to allow Titans the ability to sharpen their individual readiness, meeting the Air Force’s new Tier 2 training requirements.
Tier 2 physical fitness standards require battlefield Airmen to meet specific demands of their career fields and missions.
“With the Air Force moving towards functional fitness, we wanted to give our fitness centers the ability to maintain our Airmen’s specialized physical fitness requirements,” said Col. Brian Filler, 39th Air Base Wing vice commander.
The installed functional fitness rig will allow Airmen to work on their grip strength and pull-up requirements. The dumbbells, barbells and bumper plates will permit a variety of exercises like deadlifting and weighted lunges. The availability of space also enables more movement for farmer’s carries and three cone drills.
“There is a lot of room,” said Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Corpus, 39th ABW command section noncommissioned officer in charge. “If people want to do traditional body-building workouts, there are different types of benches and weights for them. For classes, that equipment can be easily moved out of the way to make more space.”
During this change, concurrent renovations were discussed to enhance the infrastructure, increase safety and ensure all three fitness centers can be used to their fullest extent by rebalancing equipment.
One of the significant changes of the Larger than Life weight room’s renovations is the upgraded flooring, which is a necessary requirement for when the base is ready to turn the area back into a school.
“One of the biggest roadblocks we had was the flooring of the Larger than Life,” said Corpus. “The 39th Civil Engineer Squadron came up with a solution to remove the existing flooring and added new rubber padding.”
Lastly, an improved fitness environment can positively advance Airmen’s physical performance and wellness.
“Depending on how our Airmen see fitness, it can play different roles in our lives, and it might reinforce the emotional, social and spiritual pillars of wellness,” said Corpus. “Some people work out so that they keep meeting the same group of people. Some people enjoy going because it makes them a happier person. Overall, I think it’s going to make our Airmen better.”
Without the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, the wing would not have been able to restore readiness.
“In 47 days, the 39th FSS, CES and ABW command staff brought this project from idea to completion, and it stands as a true testament of our team,” said Filler. “I want to thank everyone for all their hard work in bringing this plan to fruition.”
Larger Than Life
Remaining Equipment: Free weights (cable machine, squat rack, incline bench, decline bench, flat bench, preacher curl), functional fitness equipment, cardio equipment
Removed: Weight training machines
Hours: 24/7, functional fitness equipment will only be closed during class hours
Titan Fitness Center
Added: Weight training machines
Removed: Functional fitness rigging
Hours: 24/7