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17 ideas from sailors to fix physical fitness assessments
From: Navy Times
When the Navy's command fitness leaders came up with a list of nine recommendations three months ago to improve physical fitness assessments, their proposals rocketed through the ranks.
They wanted mandatory tape tests, random body composition assessments and the deep-sixing of "bad day" retests, among other extreme ideas.
They got their say. Now it's your turn.
Do away with the body fat measurements, some sailors urged in response to a recent Navy Times call for ideas that garnered hundreds of emails, and Facebook and online comments. Other popular suggestions: Make the physical readiness test reflect the shipboard environment; open gyms around the clock; and eliminate conflicts of interest for CFLs so everyone gets a fair rope-and-choke.
Some even urged the Navy to adopt Marine Corps PT standards. That would double the run to three miles, plus add pullups or the flexed-arm hang, depending on gender.
The folks with the Navy's Physical Readiness Program are constantly reviewing regulations and brainstorming ways to improve the twice-a-year physical fitness assessments. Navy Times took the ideas to Bill Moore, PRP director, who commented on some of the ideas and said the Navy is moving forward on two of them.
Moore said his team is focused on improving sailor fitness through a new push to get sailors to eat healthier, with online meal and dietary guides, as well as a monthly newsletter.
"Fitness is more than just meeting BCA standards and passing the PRT," Moore said in an Oct. 15 phone interview. "The Navy uses a holistic approach to overall fitness and wellness via exercise, nutrition, weight control, stress management, mental health, tobacco cessation, prevention of alcohol abuse and health and wellness education to ensure readiness of the force."
What you said you wanted, and what the Navy says they can do about it-
Incentives for PT studs:
Sailors have little incentive to ace the PFA other than their own pride. Many think it's past time for a change.
That includes those CFLs who, a few months ago, suggested that top scorers get special PT shirts, an idea that Navy officials said was not going fleet-wide.
"We give our command triads the authority to reward their sailors as they see fit," Moore said.
Those rewards could include recognition in the command's plan of the day or week, a convenient parking spot for someone who maxes out the test or even special liberty.
Others suggested another reward with long-term repercussions: Advancement points. The Navy already gives sailors points for college degrees, awards, or individual augmentation duty. Why not for acing the fitness test?
"A 'sat' would afford no points, and good, excellent, outstanding and max would afford five, 10, 15 and 20 points, respectively," Mike Saunders wrote. "We could even deduct points for failures to keep the non-performers from advancing."
Better CFLs:
One of sailors' top complaints is that the PFA is a rigged system: If you're tight with the command fitness leader, they said, you're golden.
"Very rarely have I seen a command properly administer a PFA/PRT," wrote Master at Arms 1st Class (SW/EWX) Lauren Bryant, one of many who believe that favoritism and command conflicts of interest can mar the reporting process. "My recommendation would be to hire an outside fitness company to administer the PFA/PRT."
Another approach could be to have sailors from another command administer the PFA.
Officials say that the great majority of PFAs are fair, and they are taking measures to improve the standards and professionalism of the CFLs who run them.CFL is a voluntary collateral duty. Sailors chosen for the position must complete a five-day training course within three months of taking it on.
"They are well-trained to conduct the official Navy PFA and are required to maintain certification standards," Moore said.
However, in order to further legitimize the position, Moore said the PRP office was recommending the Navy approve CFL for its own enlisted classification, set to take effect in a forthcoming fitness naval message.
That extra designation means you can't become a CFL until after you've taken the course.
"They will be added to a tracking database, which will show who's been certified, when, and where they are," Moore said.
Still, several readers were concerned that in-house CFLs are counting fake pushups or holding the measuring tape tighter for their buddies.
"I learned that as long as you look like you're in shape, you out rank the CFLs, or you are drinking buddies with them that you were fine, but if you had a gut and struggled your every move was scrutinized." Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW) Derek Clarno wrote.
Job-relevant tests:
Many sailors asked why a mile-and-a-half run holds so much power over their jobs. Rather than the run, pushups and situps, they said, shouldn't a sailor's PT test reflect their jobs?
"When was the last time a ship was 1.5 miles long?" wrote K. Scott Landers on Facebook. "Make the test more realistic. Have an obstacle course and include body drag and other true-life obstacles a lot, like some police PRT courses, and set time limits for completion."
While there are several job-specific PT tests in the Navy, particularly in expeditionary units like special warfare and the riverines, the force-wide PRT is not designed to evaluate a sailor's job fitness — and that isn't going to change, Moore said.
"We have the current PRT in place because it is a test that can be administered across the entire Navy," he said. "It is designed to test for a baseline of sailors' fitness levels."
That's to say, the 1.5-mile run evaluates sailors' basic heart and lung function in general. The logistics of a ship-centric test aside, Moore said, a physical assessment like that would go beyond what the PRT is trying to measure.
"Given that we are a sea-going expeditionary service, we've determined this method to be the best for the Navy, given our operational requirements," he said.
Rethinking rope-and-choke:
More than the physical portion of the assessment, many sailors are tripped up when it comes to passing height and weight standards.
Many argue say the height-weight chart is outdated, while others say that the tape test for those over the height-weight limits is too subjective and doesn't take into account sailors' diverse builds. Officials acknowledge those concerns, but say that these are still the easiest and most accurate ways to measure body fat at bases around the globe.
"The current method used for the body composition assessment has been carefully evaluated against other methods and for applicability to service members, and given that we are a sea-going expeditionary service, it is logistically the most feasible way to accurately measure," Moore said.
However, many think that their thicker waists and smaller necks shouldn't determine whether they're too out of shape to serve.
Calipers, which pinch skin folds to calculate body fat, are a commonly suggested alternative to tape. So is water displacement measured in a dunk tank. It turns out, though, that they aren't necessarily the most accurate either.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's difficult to standardize machines or observers, so measurements can vary greatly.
An aviation electronics technician 1st class, who requested his name not be used, suggested only taping waists, the way it's done in the Air Force.
"Anything above 40 inches on males and 35 or 36 inches on females is failing," he said. "That's a solid idea."
The Air Force recently revamped its body composition assessment, taking only waist measurements and putting in place a 39-inch max for men and a 35.5-inch max for women, regardless of age.
Under current standards, a man with a 40-inch waist and a 19.5-inch neck would still fall within an acceptable body fat percentage, but Moore emphasized that a pass on the Navy BCA doesn't indicate ideal health.
"Any man with a waist circumference of 40 inches or greater and any woman with a waist circumference of 36 inches or greater is at high risk for heart disease, diabetes and sudden death," he said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, men with waists 35 to 39 inches or women with waists 32 to 35 inches are at moderate risk for heart disease and diabetes, regardless of whether they pass their PFA.
Canning the BCA:
So if the PRT measures fitness and a sailor passes it, many wondered, then why should he have to go through the body composition assessment at all?
Some go as far as to say the Navy should do away with BCA altogether, or let sailors who get an "excellent" score on their PRT skip weigh-ins.
"The BCA methods are outdated and it's very evident," Legalman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Renae Palache wrote. "I brought up the topic during the CFL certification course I attended and was quickly shut down by one of the instructors with, 'It is the most accurate, affordable way.' "
Rather than reform the standard, some sailors suggested letting top scorers skip the BCA or take body fat percentage out of the equation altogether.
"Members should be graded on their military bearing on the command level by their appearance in the uniform and their score on the PRT," suggested an aviation electronics technician 1st class assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, who requested his name not be published.
AT2 (AW) Jacob Carpenter agreed.
"If sailors score high on their PFA, they should be given a pass on the body composition portion of the PFA process, provided they are not grossly overweight and do not detract from appearance in uniform," Carpenter said.
Mandatory command PT:
Navy instruction allows commanding officers to integrate workout time into the work day, but not enough commands do it, sailors say. It falls victim to busy schedules or, for fleet sailors, deployments.
"The biggest problem I see is that once you leave boot camp, you are supposed to stay fit on your own, but I don't really think they prepare anyone for how to do that," Monica Moore wrote. "Maybe if the Navy wants everyone to stay physically fit then they need to continue to have mandatory PT every day like they do in boot camp.
Moore said the "vast majority" of Navy commands integrate time for PT into the work day, but some readers said it isn't wide-spread enough.
"Command PT is the only way you will ensure everyone who is not on a medical waiver is staying fit," wrote Dawn Gee-Wessel. "Giving two-hour lunches in hopes that someone will PT is just not enough."
Beyond that, group work-outs set a good example, she said.
"Command PTs also build team-building skills and camaraderie. It ensures people are fit, from the lowest ranks to the highest, and lower enlisted see leaders doing it, too," she said.
Another reader wrote that COs shouldn't take the instruction as an excuse to keep sailors at work longer.
"How about having commands actually follow current instruction, like having command PT during normal working hours, which are not to be extended to fit PT in?" Nick Thomsen wrote. "Almost every command thinks it's OK to make everyone show up super early in the morning before work to PT."
24-hour base gyms:
Sailors throughout the fleet work odd hours, and sometimes that means the inspiration to work out hits at 2 a.m., when the options for a good workout are few to none.
One sailor suggested keeping base gyms open 24-hours — an idea that Moore favors and has brought up with Navy Installations Command.
"Given the fiscal environment, expanding services or building new facilities can be challenging, but we continue to share sailor feedback with our colleagues at CNIC nevertheless," Moore said. "Where possible, CNIC and local base leadership have prioritized revamping, expanding or renovating gym, workout and training facilities across the fleet."
It's for this reason, he said, that his office developed the Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling System. You can learn the workouts from a trainer on base or carry them around in your pocket with three available Android and iPhone apps, with workouts preloaded.
There are also kits that sailors can check out from MWR to do the workouts at home. They include the sandbags and straps the program is built upon, minimizing the amount of space at home that sailors need to exercise.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/careers/navy/2014/11/30/physical-fitness-assessments-navy-fitness-ideas-from-sailors/19278063/
From: Navy Times
When the Navy's command fitness leaders came up with a list of nine recommendations three months ago to improve physical fitness assessments, their proposals rocketed through the ranks.
They wanted mandatory tape tests, random body composition assessments and the deep-sixing of "bad day" retests, among other extreme ideas.
They got their say. Now it's your turn.
Do away with the body fat measurements, some sailors urged in response to a recent Navy Times call for ideas that garnered hundreds of emails, and Facebook and online comments. Other popular suggestions: Make the physical readiness test reflect the shipboard environment; open gyms around the clock; and eliminate conflicts of interest for CFLs so everyone gets a fair rope-and-choke.
Some even urged the Navy to adopt Marine Corps PT standards. That would double the run to three miles, plus add pullups or the flexed-arm hang, depending on gender.
The folks with the Navy's Physical Readiness Program are constantly reviewing regulations and brainstorming ways to improve the twice-a-year physical fitness assessments. Navy Times took the ideas to Bill Moore, PRP director, who commented on some of the ideas and said the Navy is moving forward on two of them.
Moore said his team is focused on improving sailor fitness through a new push to get sailors to eat healthier, with online meal and dietary guides, as well as a monthly newsletter.
"Fitness is more than just meeting BCA standards and passing the PRT," Moore said in an Oct. 15 phone interview. "The Navy uses a holistic approach to overall fitness and wellness via exercise, nutrition, weight control, stress management, mental health, tobacco cessation, prevention of alcohol abuse and health and wellness education to ensure readiness of the force."
What you said you wanted, and what the Navy says they can do about it-
Incentives for PT studs:
Sailors have little incentive to ace the PFA other than their own pride. Many think it's past time for a change.
That includes those CFLs who, a few months ago, suggested that top scorers get special PT shirts, an idea that Navy officials said was not going fleet-wide.
"We give our command triads the authority to reward their sailors as they see fit," Moore said.
Those rewards could include recognition in the command's plan of the day or week, a convenient parking spot for someone who maxes out the test or even special liberty.
Others suggested another reward with long-term repercussions: Advancement points. The Navy already gives sailors points for college degrees, awards, or individual augmentation duty. Why not for acing the fitness test?
"A 'sat' would afford no points, and good, excellent, outstanding and max would afford five, 10, 15 and 20 points, respectively," Mike Saunders wrote. "We could even deduct points for failures to keep the non-performers from advancing."
Better CFLs:
One of sailors' top complaints is that the PFA is a rigged system: If you're tight with the command fitness leader, they said, you're golden.
"Very rarely have I seen a command properly administer a PFA/PRT," wrote Master at Arms 1st Class (SW/EWX) Lauren Bryant, one of many who believe that favoritism and command conflicts of interest can mar the reporting process. "My recommendation would be to hire an outside fitness company to administer the PFA/PRT."
Another approach could be to have sailors from another command administer the PFA.
Officials say that the great majority of PFAs are fair, and they are taking measures to improve the standards and professionalism of the CFLs who run them.CFL is a voluntary collateral duty. Sailors chosen for the position must complete a five-day training course within three months of taking it on.
"They are well-trained to conduct the official Navy PFA and are required to maintain certification standards," Moore said.
However, in order to further legitimize the position, Moore said the PRP office was recommending the Navy approve CFL for its own enlisted classification, set to take effect in a forthcoming fitness naval message.
That extra designation means you can't become a CFL until after you've taken the course.
"They will be added to a tracking database, which will show who's been certified, when, and where they are," Moore said.
Still, several readers were concerned that in-house CFLs are counting fake pushups or holding the measuring tape tighter for their buddies.
"I learned that as long as you look like you're in shape, you out rank the CFLs, or you are drinking buddies with them that you were fine, but if you had a gut and struggled your every move was scrutinized." Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW) Derek Clarno wrote.
Job-relevant tests:
Many sailors asked why a mile-and-a-half run holds so much power over their jobs. Rather than the run, pushups and situps, they said, shouldn't a sailor's PT test reflect their jobs?
"When was the last time a ship was 1.5 miles long?" wrote K. Scott Landers on Facebook. "Make the test more realistic. Have an obstacle course and include body drag and other true-life obstacles a lot, like some police PRT courses, and set time limits for completion."
While there are several job-specific PT tests in the Navy, particularly in expeditionary units like special warfare and the riverines, the force-wide PRT is not designed to evaluate a sailor's job fitness — and that isn't going to change, Moore said.
"We have the current PRT in place because it is a test that can be administered across the entire Navy," he said. "It is designed to test for a baseline of sailors' fitness levels."
That's to say, the 1.5-mile run evaluates sailors' basic heart and lung function in general. The logistics of a ship-centric test aside, Moore said, a physical assessment like that would go beyond what the PRT is trying to measure.
"Given that we are a sea-going expeditionary service, we've determined this method to be the best for the Navy, given our operational requirements," he said.
Rethinking rope-and-choke:
More than the physical portion of the assessment, many sailors are tripped up when it comes to passing height and weight standards.
Many argue say the height-weight chart is outdated, while others say that the tape test for those over the height-weight limits is too subjective and doesn't take into account sailors' diverse builds. Officials acknowledge those concerns, but say that these are still the easiest and most accurate ways to measure body fat at bases around the globe.
"The current method used for the body composition assessment has been carefully evaluated against other methods and for applicability to service members, and given that we are a sea-going expeditionary service, it is logistically the most feasible way to accurately measure," Moore said.
However, many think that their thicker waists and smaller necks shouldn't determine whether they're too out of shape to serve.
Calipers, which pinch skin folds to calculate body fat, are a commonly suggested alternative to tape. So is water displacement measured in a dunk tank. It turns out, though, that they aren't necessarily the most accurate either.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's difficult to standardize machines or observers, so measurements can vary greatly.
An aviation electronics technician 1st class, who requested his name not be used, suggested only taping waists, the way it's done in the Air Force.
"Anything above 40 inches on males and 35 or 36 inches on females is failing," he said. "That's a solid idea."
The Air Force recently revamped its body composition assessment, taking only waist measurements and putting in place a 39-inch max for men and a 35.5-inch max for women, regardless of age.
Under current standards, a man with a 40-inch waist and a 19.5-inch neck would still fall within an acceptable body fat percentage, but Moore emphasized that a pass on the Navy BCA doesn't indicate ideal health.
"Any man with a waist circumference of 40 inches or greater and any woman with a waist circumference of 36 inches or greater is at high risk for heart disease, diabetes and sudden death," he said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, men with waists 35 to 39 inches or women with waists 32 to 35 inches are at moderate risk for heart disease and diabetes, regardless of whether they pass their PFA.
Canning the BCA:
So if the PRT measures fitness and a sailor passes it, many wondered, then why should he have to go through the body composition assessment at all?
Some go as far as to say the Navy should do away with BCA altogether, or let sailors who get an "excellent" score on their PRT skip weigh-ins.
"The BCA methods are outdated and it's very evident," Legalman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Renae Palache wrote. "I brought up the topic during the CFL certification course I attended and was quickly shut down by one of the instructors with, 'It is the most accurate, affordable way.' "
Rather than reform the standard, some sailors suggested letting top scorers skip the BCA or take body fat percentage out of the equation altogether.
"Members should be graded on their military bearing on the command level by their appearance in the uniform and their score on the PRT," suggested an aviation electronics technician 1st class assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, who requested his name not be published.
AT2 (AW) Jacob Carpenter agreed.
"If sailors score high on their PFA, they should be given a pass on the body composition portion of the PFA process, provided they are not grossly overweight and do not detract from appearance in uniform," Carpenter said.
Mandatory command PT:
Navy instruction allows commanding officers to integrate workout time into the work day, but not enough commands do it, sailors say. It falls victim to busy schedules or, for fleet sailors, deployments.
"The biggest problem I see is that once you leave boot camp, you are supposed to stay fit on your own, but I don't really think they prepare anyone for how to do that," Monica Moore wrote. "Maybe if the Navy wants everyone to stay physically fit then they need to continue to have mandatory PT every day like they do in boot camp.
Moore said the "vast majority" of Navy commands integrate time for PT into the work day, but some readers said it isn't wide-spread enough.
"Command PT is the only way you will ensure everyone who is not on a medical waiver is staying fit," wrote Dawn Gee-Wessel. "Giving two-hour lunches in hopes that someone will PT is just not enough."
Beyond that, group work-outs set a good example, she said.
"Command PTs also build team-building skills and camaraderie. It ensures people are fit, from the lowest ranks to the highest, and lower enlisted see leaders doing it, too," she said.
Another reader wrote that COs shouldn't take the instruction as an excuse to keep sailors at work longer.
"How about having commands actually follow current instruction, like having command PT during normal working hours, which are not to be extended to fit PT in?" Nick Thomsen wrote. "Almost every command thinks it's OK to make everyone show up super early in the morning before work to PT."
24-hour base gyms:
Sailors throughout the fleet work odd hours, and sometimes that means the inspiration to work out hits at 2 a.m., when the options for a good workout are few to none.
One sailor suggested keeping base gyms open 24-hours — an idea that Moore favors and has brought up with Navy Installations Command.
"Given the fiscal environment, expanding services or building new facilities can be challenging, but we continue to share sailor feedback with our colleagues at CNIC nevertheless," Moore said. "Where possible, CNIC and local base leadership have prioritized revamping, expanding or renovating gym, workout and training facilities across the fleet."
It's for this reason, he said, that his office developed the Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling System. You can learn the workouts from a trainer on base or carry them around in your pocket with three available Android and iPhone apps, with workouts preloaded.
There are also kits that sailors can check out from MWR to do the workouts at home. They include the sandbags and straps the program is built upon, minimizing the amount of space at home that sailors need to exercise.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/careers/navy/2014/11/30/physical-fitness-assessments-navy-fitness-ideas-from-sailors/19278063/
Posted in these groups: 
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Fitness
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 10
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PO1 Walter Duncan
I love the comment from the gentleman talking about how it is at sea for sailors. Especially snipes. They many times are undermanned and can spend watches 6 and 6, with a full workday. Plus drills never stop onboard. Finding time to exercise at sea is like saying why can't you swim, you are on a ship. Well genius, our plan, is not to sink, if we do, learn to survive with what you have, swimming will only get you to a short distance, floating will help you live. When in-port, adapt a more strenuous exercise program to re-acquaint sailors physical weaknesses. Basically, you give them time to get back in land shape. It is funny watching squids after a long cruise walk down the street trip over bumps in the road because they are not used to uneven surfaces.
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SSG Everett Wilson
Gen H Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. stated when the Army Weight Standards came out that he had problems in meeting them and he added that 99% of all the NFL players couldn't meet the Army Weight Standards. I started out as ectomorph and ended up as endomorph, too many desk jobs I guess.
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I hear the SEALS recommended saving money by having their contenders pulling aircraft carriers by their teeth during hell week.
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I retired in 2006. I was on 9 submarines in my career. I was the CFL on 6 of them. The BCA was the worst way to measure someone. Example - There were many sailors that were skinny and smoked and drank and could barely make the mile and a half after the push-ups and sit-ups, which they would do the minimum of. Then there were people like me, I am definitely an endomorph. I had a lot of muscle and could never make the weight for the BCA. When I was the CFL on one boat we had a change of command. The new CO the day after he too over called me and several other people into his stateroom, one at a time. He told us all that he was putting us on his mandatory PR program because we all did not fit our uniform the way he thought we should. He asked me if I did anything to try to get in shape. I had just run my 4th Honolulu marathon. I told him this and he laughed and said he would see about that. He told me to run with him the next day. I meet him topside during lunch the next day. He told me to run my normal run. So after mile 4 of my 6 mile dailey run I left him. He came in about 15 minutes later and told me I was off the mandatory PT program. I was told by one CO that I had to change the number on 3 officers to make them in spec. When I refused I was fired. And it was never a voluntary collateral duty. I was told I would do it on all the boats I was CFL on. I had one Nuc MM that was a linebacker for Auburn University for two years until he blew his knee out. He joined the Navy and all he did was work out. He had a 64" chest and 38" waist. He had no neck, all muscle from the shoulders to his ears. He had a 6 pack and 21" biceps. He was always doing mandatory PT because he did not fit the Navy's BCA. He always had to go to the squadron Doc and he only looked at him and told him to get out of his office, that he shouldn't be on the mandatory PT program.
Several boats I was on we had no gear to work out with, due to the missions we were on, the CO's decided to take off anything that could possibly make noise. So how are you supposed to work out. Another CO had me have a MS hang from a bar and do the measurements around his waist. He was still 33% even after that, but he CO changed his numbers and he put on his Chief's uniform.
Going oversea's from Hawaii to Japan in the winter and then back for an unkeep in Guam. Holding the command PRT after going from Hot to cold to another hot climate was not the ideal situation, and then the CO was mad at all the failures.
I had several ideas about how to run the mandatory PT programs but it comes down to the people at the top, if your CO does not support a program, it basically goes away. I had one boat where 3 officers failed the PRT and he had me put them on Mandatory PT. They never showed up. Affter two weeks I asked them why they were not coming and they all said the CO needed them to do there jobs and if tehy wanted to do PT they had to do it on their own time. That was why mandatory PT was created in the first place. We came in early and were done prior to the start of the workday.
It also does not help to have old gyms and swimming pools. I live in Groton, CT and the gym was built in the 1940's. The pool is very old. I graduated from marathons to Ironman's. I try to work out on the base but during the last year they have cut the hours the gym, fitness center and pool are open. If I cannot work out, then how are the sailors and SUBSCOL Students supposed to work out on their own time. The gym was supposed to be replaced years ago. Same with the pool. The pool was just repaired after a leak. I go to the King's Bay, GA and Bangor, WA bases and the gym and pool complex on these two bases are excellant. The Navy needs to overhaul the whole PRT system and measures. Some of the ideas above are great, but you can see only a few are going to be implemented.
Several boats I was on we had no gear to work out with, due to the missions we were on, the CO's decided to take off anything that could possibly make noise. So how are you supposed to work out. Another CO had me have a MS hang from a bar and do the measurements around his waist. He was still 33% even after that, but he CO changed his numbers and he put on his Chief's uniform.
Going oversea's from Hawaii to Japan in the winter and then back for an unkeep in Guam. Holding the command PRT after going from Hot to cold to another hot climate was not the ideal situation, and then the CO was mad at all the failures.
I had several ideas about how to run the mandatory PT programs but it comes down to the people at the top, if your CO does not support a program, it basically goes away. I had one boat where 3 officers failed the PRT and he had me put them on Mandatory PT. They never showed up. Affter two weeks I asked them why they were not coming and they all said the CO needed them to do there jobs and if tehy wanted to do PT they had to do it on their own time. That was why mandatory PT was created in the first place. We came in early and were done prior to the start of the workday.
It also does not help to have old gyms and swimming pools. I live in Groton, CT and the gym was built in the 1940's. The pool is very old. I graduated from marathons to Ironman's. I try to work out on the base but during the last year they have cut the hours the gym, fitness center and pool are open. If I cannot work out, then how are the sailors and SUBSCOL Students supposed to work out on their own time. The gym was supposed to be replaced years ago. Same with the pool. The pool was just repaired after a leak. I go to the King's Bay, GA and Bangor, WA bases and the gym and pool complex on these two bases are excellant. The Navy needs to overhaul the whole PRT system and measures. Some of the ideas above are great, but you can see only a few are going to be implemented.
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PO1 Matthew Murdock
Great examples Mark. I was always sweating the tape more than the actual PT part of the test due to the way my body is shaped and the way i loose weight (neck first).
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