Part of being in the Air Force includes maintaining a certain standard of physical fitness, which is why you’ll participate in regular physical training as part of your work. However, you can go the extra mile if you want to maintain and develop your physical fitness for optimal performance. Below, we’ll talk about the benefits of staying fit while you’re in the Air Force and how you can start implementing different workouts into your routine.

Why It’s Important to Stay Fit in the Air Force

Staying fit is critical for Airmen as it ensures they’re able to perform their duties, especially in more intense situations, such as training and combat scenarios. When you workout and stay physically fit, you’ll have the strength, stamina, mental resilience, and agility needed to handle your operations while reducing the risk of unnecessary injury and strain.

The Benefits of Staying Fit While You’re in the Air Force

Aside from the physical health benefits of staying fit as an Airman, you'll gain plenty of other benefits when you try to maintain your physical fitness. Some of these benefits include:

• Combat readiness: Staying in good physical shape will make it easier for Airmen to engage in combat, carry their gear, and travel long distances when they’re called into action.
• Mental resilience: Serving in the Air Force can be stressful, and there’s a lot of pressure put on our airmen to execute their operations successfully. Training regularly and building up your physical fitness can help you build your mental resilience, which is critical if you want to be successful in your line of work.
• Teamwork: Working out regularly teaches you valuable skills that will come in handy during your service, including teamwork. If you work out with other Airmen, you’ll learn how to effectively work together and communicate to reach the same goals.
• Adaptability: Working out will help improve your stamina and ability to withstand more rigorous conditions, which is crucial for various Air Force operations. You’ll be better suited to handle extreme terrains or weather conditions you’ll encounter on your missions or training exercises.
• Injury prevention: Working out regularly helps build strength, flexibility, and resilience, which will help prevent injury during your future workouts and operations.

Training Outside of Required PT

In the Air Force, you’ll have required physical training (PT), but you can take your physical health a step further by working out outside of your required PT. Your own workouts should help you maintain your physical readiness for your Air Force operations, so it’s important to pick workouts for your routine that will positively impact your ability to perform your essential duties.

Some exercises you can do include:

1. Cardio

Cardio exercises are excellent for helping you build and maintain stamina, ensuring you have the energy to engage in your Air Force operations. You can choose from a wide range of cardio exercises based on what you like, whether it’s running, swimming, rowing, cycling, or something else engaging.

2. Push-Ups

Upper body strength is important for carrying heavy gear and equipment, which is why push-ups make an excellent workout. You’ll start to build strength in your chest, core, and triceps, and you can increase the number of push-ups you do as they start to get easier. You can also perform modified push-ups if you want to target other muscle groups, such as single-handed push-ups.

3. Planks

Airmen need to prioritize their core strength to ensure they’re able to maneuver safely. When you build up enough core strength, you may even find relief from back pain and it will be easier to prevent injury.

Planks will be difficult at first, but you will slowly start to get used to them and can start increasing the amount of time you hold the plank. If you want to make it more difficult, you can modify the plank to increase the challenges and improve your fitness.

4. Jumping Jacks

While jumping jacks may remind you of exercises you did in school, there are actually many benefits of performing this exercise. Performing jumping jacks is a full-body exercise and helps you build stamina if you do enough of them. Stamina is critical for Airmen since they’ll need endurance to make it through their missions and operations. As you get used to this exercise, start increasing your reps to continue to make it challenging.

5. Weight Lifting

Weight training should be a critical part of your workout routine, with specific days dedicated to different parts of your body. Lifting weights will help you gain the strength that you need to carry out your various operations and carry the gear and equipment you need.

You can choose from plenty of different strength training exercises, such as shoulder presses, deadlifts, leg curls, bicep curls, and more. Consider where you need to build strength when creating your workout routine, but remember not to neglect any part of your body for another.

Remember to Focus on Nutrition

Working out is only half the battle. Eating poorly can limit the benefits you’ll get from working out. Focusing on your nutrition can better facilitate muscle development and help you reach your fitness goals.

You will want to eat healthy whenever possible, filling your diet with foods rich in nutrients and protein. As you start working out, you should use some of the following tips to maximize your health and gains:

• Start with breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and kickstarts your metabolism so your body can process what you eat throughout the day. Eating a healthy breakfast is also important if you’re working out in the morning so you don’t go in with an empty stomach. Start with something simple, such as fruit, yogurt, or a healthy cereal.
• Manage your portions: You want to make sure you’re eating the appropriate portion sizes. Eating too much can make you feel sluggish during your workouts, and you could end up eating more than you actually need. If you’re eating before you workout, try to eat one to three hours before and stick with smaller meals or light snacks.
• Eat after working out: It’s important to eat something after your workout, especially something with protein or carbohydrates. These foods will give you energy and help your muscles recover after rigorous training. Many people choose to drink protein shakes or smoothies after their workouts to get what they need, and it’s a quick and easy way to get something in your stomach after hitting the gym.
• Eat the right snacks: We all like to have our snacks from time to time, but it’s important to do it right. You generally want to avoid heavily processed and sugary snacks as these aren’t healthy for you and won’t provide you with the energy you need for your workouts. Granola bars, fruit, yogurt, and other healthy snacks are excellent options.
• Drink enough water: Part of eating a healthy diet includes drinking enough water, especially when you’re working out. You can easily become dehydrated if you’re not getting enough fluids throughout the day. Try to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout. The harder you push it during your exercises, the more water you should be drinking.

How to Handle Injuries From Your Workouts

While working out will help build muscle strength and reduce the risk of injury, it can still happen and it’s best to be prepared for the possibility. If you get injured while working out, it’s important to take the injury seriously so you’re not away from work longer than necessary. Some injuries may need physical therapy or other forms of treatment to fully heal.

Minor injuries, such as pulled muscles or sprains can be treated at home with medication and rest. Using ice, heating pads, and compression bandages can help, and you’ll want to keep the area elevated when possible to help with any swelling or inflammation.

Something to keep in mind is that you don’t want to confine yourself to your bed when you’re trying to recover from an injury or fatigue. You should still try to remain physically active, just don’t push yourself beyond your limits. Some physical activity is good for healing by encouraging blood flow but stick with non-strenuous movements.

Stay Committed to Your Career Like You Do Your Workouts With American Uniform Sales

Working out is only part of the battle. Showing up for work and performing your duties as an Airman is what matters most. Make sure you show up each day looking your best with our AFI-compliant uniforms, footwear, and accessories. You’ll stay within strict Air Force regulations, allowing you to focus on the tasks and challenges of your day-to-day operations. Get started by browsing our selection, or contact us with your questions.