Airmen reap benefits of hard work, science

  • Published
  • By Dean Siemon
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD,Wash. --  When Dan Clemons became the strength and conditioning coach for the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron in October 2012, his space for training service members was limited to a corner of the unit's hangar on McChord Field.

Two years later, Clemons supervises daily workouts in a state-of the-art facility that looks more like a professional sports team's training center. In addition to weight racks and free weights, there is a continuous-flow pool, an anti-gravity treadmill and other weight machines to offer the complete workout experience.

There's even a section of field turf where conditioning drills are held. With the help of Maj. Jon Neumann, the unit's physical therapist, Clemons designed the center that opened in November.

"It definitely feels like home," Clemons said. "I want these guys to be powerful and explosive, as well as resilient from injury."

Clemons' background in sports began at the University of Mary, in Bismark, N.D., where he played four seasons with the NCAA Division II Marauders football team until 2009. With a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and exercise science, he later earned a Master of Science degree in sports performance from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Mesa, Ariz.

He served as a performance intern with EXOS, a company that designs workout programs for elite high school, collegiate and professional athletes. At the company's Mesa headquarters, Clemons designed workouts for current players needing summer conditioning and National Football League hopefuls preparing for the draft.

Clemons said the goal of the new training facility is to make the 22nd STS Airmen "powerful, explosive and resilient from injury." Working with active-duty service members has been different, but enjoyable because a lot of the athletic qualities are the same -- with a few differences.

"There are no divas here who are fed with a silver spoon," Clemons said. "These guys have earned everything."

A daily workout can last from 60 to 90 minutes, starting with a dynamic warm-up mix conditioning drills, then focusing on a core muscle group. The March 2 "power" set list included four sets of five reps of hang snatches, multiple sets of yoke squats -- holding the position -- at various weights and times, kneeling quad stretches, three sets of dumbbell rack walks for 60 yards each and three sets of walking lunges (eight on each side).

The workout concluded with three sets of 10 reps for reverse hyperextension machine and a rear deltoid flies with a cable crossover machine, followed by a cool-down period. Workouts like this fit the motto Clemons has established with the STS -- "We do simple things savagely well."

"Although our program is rooted in scientific principles, there is still no replacement for focus, intensity and hard work," Clemons said.

Neumann, who came to the 22nd STS 10 months ago, said Clemons' program fits perfectly with what U.S. Special Operations Command aims to achieve with their Preservation of Force and Family Task Force. Before, he had seen service members do whatever they could to work themselves out until they were worn out -- Neumann described it as a "Wheel of Exercise."

The SOCOM units have supported workout programs like Clemons' that help not only to maintain and improve mission readiness, but also the long-term well-being of the service members for when they are retired 20 years later.

"It's like a balanced diet of movement and strength training," Neumann said. "Think of an exercise program like you would medicine -- providing the right stimulus for the right response."