Camaraderie, PT at Warrior Fit Competition

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katrina Heikkinen
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The U.S. Air Force is continuously reminding Airmen to integrate a physical training regimen in their daily life. For two Airman Leadership School instructors at Malmstrom Air Force Base, they are doing their part.

Centered on their love for CrossFit, Tech. Sgt. Andrew Buchi and Staff Sgt. Christian Nichols, 341st Force Support Squadron ALS instructors, planned four workouts-of-the-day for 14 participants to endure in a Warrior-Fit Competition at the fitness center on Feb. 11.

"Competition is the very essence of being an American Airman," said Col. Robert Stanley, 341st Missile Wing commander. "It is through competitions that we build self-confidence, learn who we are and become well-rounded. It is also through friendly competition that we become more cohesive as military organizations. We learn all about each other through physical stress and laughter. This is critical for those times when we are under real stress or danger. You find out, through competition, the true nature of your fellow Airmen."

The dynamic WODs consisted of burpees, a softball toss, butterfly sit-ups and kettlebell sumo-deadlift high-pulls.

"This competition is called Warrior-Fit Competition and the whole idea came from my uncle, Chief Master Sgt. Duane Buchi, and from sergeant Nichols, who held these at Luke Air Force Base for three years," Buchi said. "Not only is this [competition] great for physical fitness, it's a blast. Even though all the individuals here don't know each other, they're cheering each other on and that's great motivation."

For Nichols, a certified CrossFit trainer, he wanted to show Airmen the many benefits of working out.

"Being ALS instructors, we teach about the four dimensions of wellness," Nichols said. "And fitness being one of them, for me, I can definitely serve three of the four dimensions of wellness just by doing CrossFit for one hour, five to six days a week."

The exercises Buchi and Nichols constructed not only help the Airman who wants to get in better shape, but also apply to the physical fitness assessment.

"I honestly do not like to run," Buchi said. "But because of the endurance and high level of the intensity of these workouts, I really believe it's the best way to train for a PT test. I've been in the Air Force for 12 years, and I've only been able to get a perfect score on my PT
test since I started doing CrossFit."

Buchi and Nichols hope to plan upcoming Warrior-Fit Competitions for Team Malmstrom.

The following are the top three finishers:

1st Place
1st Lt. James Hardin, 341st Operations Support Squadron

2nd Place
Staff Sgt. R.J. Biermann, 341st Missile Wing

3rd Place
Capt. Erik Ringstad, 341st OSS