Reduce Miles, Perform Better? Published March 5, 2010 By 1st Lt. Phil "PJ" Menagh, Ramstein Health and Wellness Center RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Every month, the KMC members who score a perfect 100 on all categories of their official Air Force Fitness Assessment are recognized with a certificate (or a letter of recognition) and their picture displayed in the base newspaper. This month we captured some valuable insights from a former triathlete who has found greater rewards with shorter, more intense workouts. Captain Lauren Guibert Headquarters Air Command Ramstein PT Score: 100 percent, December 2009 Q: What is your fitness assessment history prior to this test? A: I earned 97 on my last test, and 100 the previous two years. Q: How have you trained over the last few years to continuously score excellent? A: I've played a lot of different sports in the past and had been training for triathlons since 2007. In April of 2009, I began to supplement my triathlon training with more functional training. Then in July, I dropped most of the endurance work and focused almost strictly on the functional work. Q: When you were training for triathlons, what did a typical week look like? A: I'd spend about 10 hours per week running, biking or swimming, with an additional 3, 1-hour weight room workouts. Q: How does your current program differ from your triathlon training? A: I do a lot of core-centric and total body work, barbell strength training and Olympic weightlifting, some work with kettle bells, gymnastics movements, and shorter sprints of running or rowing. Every workout is different--one day it might be just one exercise completed for maximum effort on weight, reps, or time; other times it may be two or three (or more) exercises put together in a high intensity circuit. Some workouts are as short as 6-7 minutes, and most are less than 25; every once in awhile we'll push it out past the 30 minute mark, but it's rare. I work out three days in a row, and then take a day off to rest. Q: What gymnastics movements do you do? A: Pull-ups, pushups, bodyweight squats, sit-ups, and some work on gymnastics rings ... I'm still working on getting a full range handstand pushup. Q: Why all the emphasis on total body/larger movements? A: I've never liked the idea of letting a machine do the work for you. I don't do any "isolation" movements either. Exercises should mimic everyday life. Q: How has your mileage changed since shifting your training? A: During my triathlon training, it depended how close I was to a race. Generally, I'd start with 10-12 miles per week of running, and gradually increase to 30-35 or more miles per week when I peaked--that's not including the biking or swimming. More recently, the 1.5 mile run that I ran for my PT test was actually the furthest I had ran at one time for months. I generally keep my distances short, maybe 400 or 800 meters, and might do them for a few intervals or as part of a circuit. My weekly mileage rarely goes above 2 or 3 miles these days. Q: Why such a drastic change to your training? A: I was finding that the more endurance work I did, the more overall strength I was losing, I was TDY often and kept missing out on race opportunities, and I found that when I started training this way, I really enjoyed it. Q: What have been the results? A: What I'm doing now is the most useful in terms of general physical preparedness. Also, the PT test this year was easier than previous years. I was able to do a few extra reps on everything without any problem whereas in the past I had to really push it. Q: Did you do anything different leading up to your test? A: No, the workouts I do are designed to prepare people for the unknown. I wake up feeling ready for anything. Q: Any tips for getting started with a program like this? A: Start doing more total body movements and shorter workouts that are more intense. Change things up often and get away from routines. Go learn a new sport, play a new game, or try something you haven't done before. Start light and learn how to move with good form from experienced trainers and athletes. Progress carefully because a great exercise done incorrectly can be dangerous. Q: How do you eat? A: I have always been a healthy eater. I didn't grow up eating frosted flakes or McDonalds. I try to eat mostly fresh foods. I eat lean meats, poultry and game, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and not much else. I avoid processed foods and most foods that come from a box. Very rarely, I'll splurge, but I feel a lot better when I'm eating cleaner. Q: Any final thoughts? A: People say "I could never get a 100, how do you find the time?" But, it's not about the total time you spend exercising, it's about the quality of the time you do spend. Make it a priority to spend 30 minutes at the gym and 30 fewer minutes watching T.V. Final words: Across the DoD, 50% of all service members will sustain a musculoskeletal injury in a year and 25% will sustain more than 1 injury (Army Medical Surveillance Activity, 2005). A 2010 U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (CHPPM) report discusses the abundance of military and civilian research which shows that high running volume significantly increases the risk for lower extremity injury. PT programs which reduce distance running miles not only prevent overtraining and overuse injuries, but they do this while maintaining or improving performance. This is just a portion of the data which supports higher quality, functional workouts for individual and unit PT programs. The Total Fit PTL training course is an excellent gateway for learning functional fitness movements and programming concepts in a controlled environment. Contact your UFPM to get more information on the course. Also, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center just opened a facility for functional fitness training and combatives. Available hours are 0515-0745 and 1630-1830 Monday through Friday. Please contact drake.sladky@us.army.mil or ginger.sladky@gmail.com for information on functional fitness or charles.louis.bailey@us.army.mil for information about combatives. Capt Guibert is leading by example with her well earned spot in Club 100. Are you ready to join? The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine Physical Training Injury Prevention Toolbox can be found at: http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ptipt/