HAWC gives the fundamentals of fitness

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Ingersoll
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  With hundreds of different exercise programs available, from complete gyms all in one piece to devices that shock your muscles with electricity, it can be difficult to sort through what works and what doesn't.

That's why the folks at the health and wellness center layout the fundamentals of a good fitness program and offer programs ranging from a personally tailored plan to group classes proved to produce significant gains in overall fitness.

"Fitness boils down to three things: frequency, intensity and time/duration," Anthony Cook an exercise physiologist stated in an email. "Most of us sacrifice intensity to add more time which doesn't work toward increasing performance. We have to work out consistently and at high intensity to see real gains."

In addition to understanding the basics, Mr. Cook further added that there are several pitfalls someone looking to improve their fitness can fall into.

"Simply going to the gym three days a week, an hour per day will not make us more fit," he said. "Another misconception is that we can burn more fat with less work, but fitness comes through sacrificing comfort. Improvement only comes from hard work."

In addition to frequency, intensity and time, learning to use proper form on exercises is essential.

"When it comes to strength training, proper form is critical," said Mr. Cook. "It can mean the difference between a lifetime of working out and a lifetime of injuries."

For the beginner wanting to learn good form and to get in shape, the circuit class at the Hardstand Fitness Center is the remedy recommended by both fitness instructors and those who've taken the class.

"At the circuit class there are trainers including myself that help class participants with form for the exercises," said Mr. Cook. "The exercises are varied as much as possible and peer pressure from class mates encourages repeat attendance."
"In the first three months of taking the class my 1.5 mile run time dropped one minute and 30 seconds, my pushups more than doubled and I lost 20 pounds in four months," said Master Sgt. Barbara Stephens, 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "It's a great full-body workout and always a challenge."

"The class has improved my fitness over 500 percent and that's a fact," said Master Sgt. Howard Gibson, 351st Air Refueling Squadron. "I doesn't matter your fitness level or age because you are only competing against yourself and the class is something I can do with my wife."

If making gains in fitness is priority, then the HAWC can set you in the right direction no matter your age or current level of fitness.

For more information about personally tailored workouts or the circuit class times, contact the HAWC at DSN 238-7161.