Training facility not just for already fit

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Colbert
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The smell of sweat. The sound of weights hitting the floor. Rock music blaring.

This may be an intimidating scene to enter for some people. But it is a common greeting for those that frequent the Luke Air Force Base Warrior Training Facility.

The Bryant Fitness Center offers a facility in which one can go to receive comprehensive fitness training at no cost to the member. It's a one-stop location for people looking to improve their fitness through exercises similar to those of CrossFit. Sherri Biringer, 56th Force Support Squadron fitness specialist supervisor, is one of the certified personal trainers and Level I CrossFit instructors.

"I began doing this because I was directed by former 56th Fighter Wing commander, Maj. Gen. Kurt Neubauer," Biringer says. "I kept doing it because I love it. I am building strength. I'm 48 and feel like I'm in my 20s."

The facility is also a place to improve physical training test scores. It provides machines for strength training, classes and recommended workouts for the more regimen-minded, and trainers to guide, encourage and motivate. With the ability to connect with trainers one-on-one, individuals have someone to go to when they need help.

A workout doesn't have to cause fear, Biringer says. It isn't just for the already fit. For those who are apprehensive about going to the facility either because of inexperience or injury, the professionals scale workouts to fit each person's abilities.

"I used to be a body builder," said Capt. Jon Mathers, 607th Air Control Squadron chief of training. "I competed in men's physique events. I have always been into fitness and consider myself fit, but this workout kicks my butt every time."

The Warrior Training Facility doesn't focus on weight lifting in the traditional sense. It focuses on a type of workout called "functional fitness."

"Everything about the workout will transfer into everyday life and help with endurance," Mathers said. "You are doing strength training, stretching and cardiovascular workouts.

"I love lifting heavy objects and putting them down," he said. "Instead of just going into the weight room, this workout gets you doing all sorts of things."

The trainers have as their goal to instill fitness life changes.

"Fitness needs to be part of everyone's life, not just something you do to get ready for the PT test," Biringer said. "You need to incorporate something every day into your life. You'll feel so much better. Disease will go down and you'll just feel so much better having fitness in your life."

For more information on the Warrior Training Facility and the services provided there, call the Bryant Fitness Center at 623-856-6241 or stop by.