Subscribe
The Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) are expected to sustain a mission capable status both physically and mentally at all times. Without staying in peak physical shape, they risk falling below that standard.
Legalman 1st Class David Schneider, an assistant command fitness leader (ACFL) aboard IKE, said that in the high-tempo environment of an aircraft carrier, it can be easy to fall out of a regimented fitness routine or even cease to make it a priority. The Fitness Enhancement Program (FEP) can help get Sailors back on track.
“The FEP program is in place to make sure that Sailors who are having a hard time fitting fitness into their schedule, or maintaining the Navy’s standard for body composition and the fitness requirements have a time and place to do that,” said Schneider.
Schneider said FEP helps Sailors achieve their fitness and health goals by providing the guidance and education on how to build a workout plan and how to choose healthier nutrition options at the galley.
"It is very important for FEP to establish a strong program in order for Sailors to have a safe and accountable time to work out,” said Schneider. “For a Sailor who may not be able to fit it into their day-to-day [schedule], having an established, required muster per instruction, gives them some authority in saying, ‘I have a point and place of duty, which is FEP.’”
Schneider said the program has a stigma because the Sailors required to participate are usually people who fall outside the Navy’s fitness standards, which is a misconception. FEP is for everybody; it is for getting Sailors mission-ready.
“The FEP program prepares Sailors to get in shape and motivates them to go work out to ensure you keep your job in the military,” said Air Traffic Controlman 3rd Class Steve Gunnhall, a Sailor who successfully completed FEP.
Schneider said the FEP is a group effort. A Sailor placed on FEP or who is interested in joining must take that initiative to show up and do the workouts. While the trained fitness leaders will tailor fitness programs to each individual Sailor, they focus primarily on the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) modalities.
“The fitness leaders receive training on how to build an effective program, because you don’t want a Sailor to come in, do too much and get injured,” said Schneider. “They do a great job of putting the plans together in a very basic format in the beginning. Then, once they establish what level the Sailor is at, they can modify those workouts to tailor the Sailor’s needs.”
Gunnhall said that while somes Sailors may be struggling to build the confidence to attend a session, FEP instructiors are not there to impart judgement judgement or to make participants feel bad about being in the program.
“Everybody going to FEP is there to better themselves because we are all in the same boat and trying to work hard to get into shape,” said Gunnhall.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2023 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 438797 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Assistant Command Fitness Leader, by PO2 Jacob Hilgendorf, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
