MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- Although most gyms are designed to meet the needs of various levels of fitness training, some have declared war on more dedicated athletes and cater to those less committed.
On the other hand, the Marine Corps is known for being a hard-core, competitive group of individuals, which is one of the reasons the Barber Physical Fitness Center honors those who excel in rowing, power lifting and Olympic-style lifting by displaying their names on leader boards.
“We get many who are excited to be on the board and they’re immortalized here at Barber Gym,” said Brian Hancock, lead trainer, fitness events coordinator, and creator of the 500-pound power lifting club for females and 1,000-pound for males.
This population, more than any other, should have something like this, said Hancock.
Although the powerhouse challenge, which typically includes the push press, and clean and jerk, has been on the board for years, the 500/1,000 pound and rowing challenges have only been available for just more than a year.
“We were trying to find more in-house events that we could provide as incentives for people to participate in and get excited about working out,” said Hancock. “It’s just a way for people to measure their goals and see progress.”
The power-lifting leader boards are part of a club to which those who meet the 500- and 1,000- pound challenges are inducted, where leader positions in the powerhouse and rowing challenges are renewed semi-annually.
The trainers at the Barber Physical Activities Center explain the process of competing to be placed on a leader board is not difficult, but it is simply a matter of having a staff member adjust the equipment and supervise the workout.
“Except for the 500/1,000-pound club, the normal protocol is just getting a trainer at the desk,” said Brooke Hymas, fitness trainer. “[The 500/1,000 pound club] takes about 45 minutes, so we have to have you on the schedule.”
For information about the leader boards, contact the trainers at the Barber Physical Activities Center at 703-432-0590.
Correspondent: samuel.l.ellis@usmc.mil