Vance's Fitness on Demand kiosk tops 400 classes

  • Published
  • By David Poe
  • 71st FTW Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  It's dawn at Vance's Bradley Fitness and Sports Center and an animated fitness instructor cheers her students through the final hills of an indoor cycling course.

"There are many hurdles in life," she yells over the whir of two dozen pedaling Airmen, "hurdles we all have to overcome. I know you can do it. Keep pushing."

The Airmen keep pushing and eventually finish the day's cycling course together. During their cool down, the instructor doesn't congratulate them, or thank them for coming - she instead just returns into a 10-foot gap in the cardio room ceiling and awaits the next class.

A Vance fixture for more than a year, she is a 135-inch projection screen and is the focal point of Bradley's Fitness on Request system. The stand-alone, computerized kiosk has augmented exercise programs for more than a year and recently topped 400 classes. As part of a $2 million Air Force fitness initiative in 2013, Vance was one of 66 Air Force installations to receive a system.

According to Brian Mittlestet, Vance's fitness center supervisor, Fitness on Request offers eight general workouts, along with a series of "express workouts." Combined with Bradley's 23 human-led cardio classes per month, Fitness on Request technology has helped the Bradley average of almost two classes per calendar day at the facility.

"It offers an alternative workout for people that might be bored of their same exercise routine by providing a wide variety of workout categories and over 40 individual classes," he said. "It is very simple to operate, has a huge video screen and a great picture and sound system."

Airman 1st Class Eduardo Garcia-Santiago, a 71st Comptroller Squadron physical training leader, said while instructor-led classes may be ideal, he appreciates that Fitness on Request is available on demand to suit his unit's mission scheduling needs, while still giving his fellow Airmen innovative workout options. The system can be reserved and utilized seven days a week, except during scheduled group exercise classes.

"We swore an oath to the United States and hold up our end of the bargain by being physically and mentally fit," he said. "Fitness is critical to not only the mission but our health. Being engaged in PT on a day-to-day basis can help make the difference."