LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, AZ -- An 8,000-square-foot functional fitness facility recently opened at Luke Air Force Base, AZ, next to the base’s fitness center.
The semi-permanent facility is the fourth such Combat Physical Training (PT) Center the base has built or renovated within the past year.
The center’s floor is covered with rubber mats, while the walls are lined with a ring of fitness equipment, including medicine balls, kettlebells, squat racks, dumbbells and rowing machines. The open space inside the equipment ring will be used for individual and unit workouts, officials said.
Fitness center staff members will offer functional fitness and martial arts training at the facility, in addition to regularly scheduled CrossFit and Military Athlete training classes. Also planned are wrestling, boxing and self-defense clinics, as well as preparation sessions for the Air Force PT test. Guest speakers also may be brought in to discuss proper nutrition.
The new facility was built in three months and resembles PT centers in the field, officials said.
“This is a typical facility you'll see in the area of responsibility when we deploy,” Lt. Col. John Thomas, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, said at the facility’s grand opening. “In the AOR [area of responsibility], this could be used not just for PT but to house aircraft or perform maintenance.”