ALS PT program pushes students to maximize potential Published March 11, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Cynthia A. Haughton Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Over the past year, Air Force leaders have made numerous changes to the standards for physical fitness, making it vital for Airmen to make changes in their own regimens in order to meet the new requirements. Instructors at the Airman Leadership School here have made their own changes to their students' physical training program to set them on the right track. "The PT program was one of the first things I pushed to change when I came into this position a year ago, and we're trying to stay creative and continue to make improvements to the program every day," said Master Sgt. Tiffany Bettisworth, ALS commandant. The constantly-evolving program incorporates a wide variety of exercises designed to help students improve their physical fitness by focusing on endurance, muscle fatigue, and strength, circuit and interval training. "We designed the program so that the students are never going to have the same PT session twice while they are here," said Staff Sgt. Tyler Meyenburg, ALS instructor and overseer of the PT program. "We also have a 'try a new exercise day' where the students are given four different options--such as yoga, Pilates, weight lifting or CrossFit-style exercises--and are encouraged to choose one they have never done before." In addition to the variety of traditional exercises, the instructors--some of whom are certified personal trainers--are regularly coming up with inventive methods of exercising. "One of the most unique things we do for PT is something we call 'burpee training,' which incorporates many exercises that students can do in a three-foot square of space with no equipment," Sergeant Bettisworth said. "We're trying to show them they don't need to be in a gym to exercise; it's something they can do in their spare time at work or while they're out on the flightline waiting for a jet to land." The instructors aren't the only ones, however, that have an influence on the direction of the program. At the beginning of each class, instructors select two students from each of the six flights to be PT monitors, and they help lead some of the PT sessions as well as give input for new and different exercises to be integrated into the program. "We're always getting new ideas from the students," Sergeant Meyenburg said. "If they come up with something really good, I'll give them two or three days throughout the schedule where I'll change one of my PT sessions and put their ideas in there. It's a great way for us to find new things that other people are doing and always keep the program changing." A new tool the instructors use to motivate the students to try their hardest is a record board displaying the names and scores of top PT performers from previous ALS classes. "We put the board up in their game room so they can see it every day and gauge where they want to be at the end of the class," Sergeant Meyenburg explained. "Toward the end of the class, we have a record breaking day where they can choose three components to compete in," he said. "We do a mile-and-a-half run, a shuttle run, and two minutes of sit-ups, pushups, pull-ups, and burpees--beginning in a squat position with your hands on the ground, kicking your feet back and going into the pushup position, going back to the squat position and leaping as high as you can in the air, then repeating." Though the exercises are challenging and very difficult at times, students have proven that they appreciate them and have had success in improving their fitness. "A lot of students come back to PT with us after they've graduated, and some even introduce exercises they've learned in ALS to their peers," Sergeant Meyenburg said. "It's encouraging to see they've taken what we do here and brought it back to their own squadrons." In response to the Air Force-wide fitness changes, ALS and its cadre of instructors have met the challenge head on by using innovative techniques incorporated with students' ideas to create a fresh approach to physical fitness.
