Photo By Chief Petty Officer Huey Younger | 160219-N-MD297-055 PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 17, 2016) - Culinary Specialist 3rd Class...... read more read more
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For many Sailors, this is an opportunity to get outside the skin of the ship to enjoy the ocean view and fresh air, but this quiet moment will not last long. Beachy is pulling out his white board and dry erase marker to write down the day’s Squid Fit routine.
When he finishes, he demonstrates each exercise in detail and explains the number of repetitions. Once acquainted with the routine, everyone claims their workout space and prepares for the challenging workout of the day.
Squid Fit is not a small class, usually consisting of 60-70 Sailors. Turnouts have been through the roof so space can become a little scare sometimes. Nonetheless, Lassen Sailors continue to participate, doing their best to maximize the limited space.
Once everyone has found their spot, Beachy turns on his large outdoor speaker. He plays a custom playlist of pumped up rock music. He then turns to the crowd and asks, “Who’s ready to rock?”
“We are Master Chief!” is the resounding response as everyone moves to the ready position.
Though many of the routines are designed to only last approximately 11-25 minutes, everyone is able to feel the burn as they push themselves through the exercises. Sweat usually starts to hit the non-skid of the flight deck mere minutes after starting.
Each routine is prepared by Beachy and includes his style of cross fit and functional body movements. Many of the movements are common Navy physical readiness exercises, with just a tad of Beachy flare.
“Quality is key with each movement,” said Beachy. “That is why I have modified some of the exercises. These are not your typical push-ups and sit-ups.”
Beachy uses Frog ups as his modified sit-up, with emphasis on making sure the shoulders come over the hips. The mountain climbers are also modified by bringing the foot all the way to one’s hands.
His favorite go-to for push-ups are hand release push-ups. They emphasize bringing one’s chest and hips to the deck, then lifting the hands off the deck in between each push-up. No routine is the same. Although many of the movements are similar, Beachy makes sure he switches it up.
“The goal is to keep the body guessing,” said Beachy. “That is how you’re going to get the maximum benefit from these routines.”
Once finished with the workout, everyone eagerly rushes to the white board to mark their completed time. Each class brings an opportunity for improvement of each individual and Beachy makes sure to incorporate benchmarks to track that progress.
Even though Beachy provides time to measure individual improvements, his main concern is that each repetition is executed correctly. The goal is to receive maximum benefit.
“It’s not about time with these routines,” said Beachy. “I don’t care if you finish last or if you finish first, as long as you complete the exercises.”
Beachy also uses the time as a way to monitor everyone’s improvements. This gives him a way to determine the most improved Sailor, appropriately naming them the Squid Fit Warrior of the Week.
Gunners Mate 2nd Class Lucas Weiss was selected as the ship’s first Squid Fit Warrior of the Week. He was recognized for shaving approximately four minutes off one of his benchmark workouts. He accomplished this in less than one month of Squid Fit attendance.
“This is a great program that our command has put together for us,” said Weiss. “I’m glad that we have this opportunity to work on our fitness with fellow shipmates as added support and motivation.”
Squid Fit is offered to the crew every Monday, Wednesday and Friday before dinner.
To bolster fitness awareness even further, Lassen has started its Biggest Loser Challenge, using the Squid Fit program as a baseline for growth. Nutritional classes have been also been incorporated to promote healthier lifestyle choices.
“We started a fitness program that has taken off with more than 20% of the crew participating. That is more than we ever expected.” said Cmdr. Robert Francis, Commanding Officer. “We are taking health and fitness to new heights on board and the results are visible.”
Francis is a regular participant of Squid fit and is not afraid to sweat along with the crew.
Lassen is currently underway in support of Operation Martillo, a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard and partner nations within the 4th Fleet area of responsibility. Operation Martillo is being led by Joint Interagency Task Force South, in support of U.S. Southern Command.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet support U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2016 10:30 |
| Story ID: | 193522 |
| Location: | PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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