NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Tribune News Service) — Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln call him coach. But Chris Jacquards job title is fit boss. He is a civilian but an integral part of the crew that is two years into its four-year stay at Newport News Shipbuilding, where the Lincoln is undergoing its midlife overhaul. Jacquard is doing a bit of an overhaul himself. He is breathing new life into the Navys tired physical training program. Instead of the typical pushups, situps and running, Jacquard pushes sailors bodies through a battery of dynamic workouts rarely doing the same movement twice. Most days, Jacquard prefers to run circuits — hitting arms, legs, back and the total body with exercises such as flipping a tractor tire, rope pulls, shuttle sprints and kettle-bell swings. Other days its weight training in the gym or calisthenics just using body-weight movements. I know that tank is empty, Jacquard said on a blustery day on the field behind Huntington Hall, where two dozen sailors were on the 45th minute of an hourlong workout. You have to make the conscious decision to do it and do it right. My tank is halfway, responded Jordan Alvarez, an aviation ordnanceman airman, as he picked up a medicine ball throwing it about 10 feet over his head after pushing out of a squat. You better pick up a heavier ball, Jacquard quipped. Out of earshot of the others, Jacquard told Alvarez to sink lower into his heels and explode out of the squat position. Im more of a runner than a lifter. I detest it, the lean sailor said of Jacquards workouts. But I love it at the same time. Jacquard leads a command-wide PT session every Friday and another weekly workout with command fitness leaders from each of the 18 departments on the ship. Those sailors then lead their respective commands in two workouts a week. Jacquard also offers two to three classes a day, ranging from yoga to weightlifting, and has daily office hours to meet with sailors about fitness goals and nutrition. The Lincoln leadership sought Jacquard, who has worked with professional and Olympic athletes in the past, for a pilot experiment of sorts. The ships new commander, Capt. Ronald Ravelo, has made fitness a priority during this shore period when it is often hard to keep sailors focused on the mission. We dont know what other ships are doing or what other commanders are doing, he said. This is something specific to the Abraham Lincoln. We want to transition the Lincoln from the type of ship it was to the future. Jacquard called it the Lincoln standard. When the ship rejoins the fleet in 2016, the goal is progress, Jacquard said. That means sailors achieving higher scores on the physical readiness test, or on their way to improvement. When the ship returns to sea, Jacquard and the gym equipment theyve been using since he joined the crew six months ago will go, too. Machinist mate Mark Mendoza said Jacquard has been a motivator among the sailors. As soon as Chris showed up, we saw cohesion, Mendoza said. Its been painful. Were out there getting our rears handed to us. But if youre not out there sweating, if youre not out there feeling something, youre not doing it right. The fitness regimen isnt simply intended to make the sailors more physically fit. Jacquard said it is a stress reliever and helps with life management. The functional training, as Jacquard called it, directly translates to jobs on the ship. It sets you up for if something happens on board, Josh Davis, an aviation boatswains mate handler, said. For my job, I dont need anything but a colored wand. But were all firefighters or emergency responders if the worst happens. And weve all got to be physically ready. stripes/news/navy/uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-get-in-shape-with-the-fit-boss-1.321974
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:58:07 +0000
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