MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, San Diego -- On the hot Friday afternoon of April 1, students in Career Planners Course on Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, ran to the physical training field outside of the Semper Fit fitness center in a small formation.
Bonnie Axman, a personal trainer at the fitness center awaited the formations arrival with a high-intensity circuit-training workout planned. The Marines arranged this training to extract from their norm of just running around the base for PT.
Orange cones, ammo cans, small hurdles, and white signs labeled with exercise names taunted the Marines as they came to a halt on the field entrance.
Axman started the group off by having them run the field, and then circled the recruiters up to do push-ups, jumping jacks, and a variation of other warm-up exercises. Sweat was already dripping for some, but this was just the beginning of a very beneficial workout.
“High-intensity circuit training keeps the heart rate elevated which speeds up your metabolism, making you burn fat even while not working out,” said Axman.
The group was then split in to five small groups and directed to the left side of the field where they encountered a set of white signs, each labeled with a different exercise. Each group rotated through the exercises while being timed by Axman.
Two-man team sprints came next, while one teammate sprinted to the opposite side of the field, the other stayed in a plank position, and once their partner was also down in a plank, they sprinted after them to swap positions. Then came ammo can lifts, along with small hurdles and leg lifts. Eventually the group made their way to the second set of white signs labeled with exercises, consisting of bear crawls, running backwards, and skipping forward and backwards. Axman timed each of the exercises for one to two minutes.
Over the course of an hour, much sweat was shed from running and executing different intense exercises.
“We usually just run but this was a new, refreshing exercise that challenges you in a dynamic way,” said Sgt. Cameron L. Miles, a student from Career Planners Course, “I highly recommend this class.”
Axman explains she sometimes works with Recruiters School students and that the purpose of her workouts isn’t to run Marines into the ground, but to equip the Recruiter School students with knowledge they can bring back to their poolees to better help prepare them physically for what lies ahead of them at recruit training.
Anyone can schedule PT through the fitness center, not just formal schools. Axman occasionally teaches a class for the drill instructor students that consist of two intense hours of spin and circuit training and an abs class. The Coast Guard and Navy clinic also take advantage of the unique early-morning PT. Axman also offers one-on-one training and small and larger than 100 people group training.
“As long as you schedule far enough in advance and have access to the fitness center I can train you,” Axman said.
Axman is available for early morning PT between the hours of 0500-1700 and sometimes on weekends.
“This type of workout is very different from the traditional Marine Corps way, expands your horizon and takes physical being to an extreme,” said Sgt. Omar B. Askew, a student from Career Planners Course.