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Photo Gallery Today, like always, the Marine Corps is all about fitness. From boot camp’s constant physical fitness challenges to annual physical fitness tests, if a Marine is out of shape, he is out of regulation.
More than any other service Marines are known for their intense physical training and high fitness standards.
Per Marine Corps Administrative Order 174/03:
Units will administer the PFT semi-annually (calendar year) to all marines serving on active duty, regardless of age, gender, grade, component, or duty assignment.
The Marine Corps has done its part to help its Marines get in and stay in good physical condition, by providing state of the art physical fitness center. Along with the equipment provided in those centers, personal trainers are offered free of charge to active-duty Marines and to the dependents for a very small fee.
“When a Marine or dependent comes in, we first give them a fitness assessment, then depending upon what they want out of a work out, we help them set up a fitness plan,” said Julie Clark, a personal trainer at the Area II Fitness Center here.
Along with the services that trainers like Clark offer, there are many other programs and facilities that Marine Corps Community Services offers here.
“The pool has aerobics classes; we have a running club that keeps track of mileage, prizes are given out when a certain distance is reached,” said Clark. “Throughout the year we have different programs for functional areas, such as pre-deployment training.”
Personal trainers working at the gym are developing a new weight loss program, which should be starting Jan. 1. Hopefully this will help Marines with their New Year’s resolutions, said Clark.
A good workout is nothing if proper nutrition is not maintained, said Whitney Mialkawski, who runs the juice bar at the Area Two Fitness Center.
“We can make juice drinks, smoothies and protein shakes, which can be based around the specific work out or diet you are working on,” she said. “We can make meal-replacement shakes, protein-packed ones for muscle mass or slimming fruit shakes.”
These Fitness Center are open all day and later in the evenings for Marines and dependents to use, but let’s say you can’t get to the gym because of unit meeting or lack of time. MCCS has an answer for that too.
If you have been on or around base for long you have probably seen them, and if you have, you know they are insane.
I am talking about the SemperFit ladies and the extreme and brutal work-out sessions they conduct.
SemperFit is one-of-a-kind and has a great reputation for a reason. Not only do these ladies teach classes at the base fitness centers, but the SemperFit mobile unit goes out to bring the ‘pain’ to anyone.
“We have traveled to other bases to put on mass work-out sessions; the mobile unit is very unique,” said Andrea Lucie, the group exercise and mobile unit coordinator. “It’s ready to go 24 hours a day, seven days a week, rain or shine.”
SemperFit is designing a schedule for the upcoming year that includes 36 different types of fitness training.
“We have classes like power yoga, warrior-mind training and spinning,” said Lucie.
The Semper Fit ladies will be conducting about 60 classes per week for Marines, dependants and civilian workers.
“We will do unit PT for groups from 30 people and up. We have done a group as big as 2,500 Marines before,” said Lucie.
Marines are known for high physical standards and stamina, so whenever possible take advantage of these programs provided by the Corps, it can only help.
