Alpha Warrior brings unique fitness challenge to Arnold Air Force Base

  • Published
  • By Bradley Hicks
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  The Alpha Warrior Battle Rig can be an imposing sight to even the most ardent fitness fanatics.

Contained within the compact obstacle course are several stations, each representing a grueling athletic challenge resembling those seen on the “American Ninja Warrior” television series. Among these trials are the callous-inducing hanging rings and bars those bold enough to brave the rig must attempt to traverse. There’s the upper body-exhausting salmon ladder, which requires users to climb its rungs using a metal bar. It also includes an apparatus known as the “Devil Steps” where participants must essentially ascend and descend a large ladder without using their legs to be successful.

Tony Pennington couldn’t wait to give it a go.

“I guess there’s always a voice inside my head asking me if I have what it takes to meet whatever challenge, so the Alpha Warrior event was a perfect opportunity to answer that voice,” he said.

Pennington, program manager in the Test Support Division Engineering Section, was among the Airmen and DOD personnel at Arnold Air Force Base to try his or her hand at the Alpha Warrior Battle Rig during its Aug. 28 visit to Arnold.

The Alpha Warrior Battle Rig and members of the Alpha Warrior team came to Arnold as part of an ongoing worldwide tour of Air Force bases. According to its website, Alpha Warrior provides training and obstacle fitness for civilians and military around the world.

The Air Force previously partnered with Alpha Warrior to establish the Alpha Warrior program through which the rigs are brought to the numerous bases.

Alpha Warrior professionals Kevin Klein, McKinley Pierce and Tawnee Leonardo, all of whom have competed on “American Ninja Warrior,” were on hand to provide a demonstration of the rig before base personnel got to try it out.

“Our main mission is to get people excited about exercising and training in a different environment; get people off the couch and into fitness,” Klein said.

Airmen at Arnold were invited to use the rig as part of their physical training.

“It was a great upper body workout and absolutely a great alternative to traditional training,” said 1st Lt. Benjamin Sinemus, executive officer for the AEDC commander. “I was really sore the next day from using muscles that aren’t normally targeted in the gym.”

After familiarizing themselves with the rig, Airmen and DOD personnel were invited to register for a competition to see who could make it the farthest into the course in the shortest amount of time. Pennington placed first, reaching the “Broken Bars” portion of the course, the next to last obstacle, in just under 2 minutes 30 seconds.

“I wanted to go out there and see what I could do without embarrassing myself, so I was very surprised to place first,” he said. “I guess this was proof that on any given day, you just don’t know what might happen if you place yourself in the ‘arena’ to compete.”

Klein said an important goal of the Alpha Warrior program is to instill confidence in Airmen by showing them they can overcome obstacles, including those they may face at home or while deployed.

“People walk away and say, ‘You know what? I can do this,’” Klein said. “Maybe that bleeds over into their job. Maybe they’ll say, ‘This project in front of me isn’t so big after all. I can do this.’ It kind of all works toward instilling confidence and really just getting people in a positive state.”

Sinemus, who placed third in the competition, said the event succeeded in that regard.

“For the active duty members, it was a morale building event,” he said. “With one member competing at a time, we all rallied to motivate each other.”

The Alpha Warrior Battle Rig is viewed as a device that allows Airmen to address the four pillars of Comprehensive Airmen Fitness – physical, mental, social and spiritual.

“That’s what’s really cool about the rig is you can kind of attack all things,” Klein said. “Obviously, the physical is apparent. You’ve got to be at some sort of physical standard before you can make your way through this thing. But the cool thing about it is the mental approach and the game plan you have to take and the focus that’s required when you’re on the rig and how much you have to use that in conjunction with your physical metrics.

“On top of that, the social aspect is really cool because you’re not doing this alone. It’s rare that you’re coming here and swinging around the rig by yourself, especially at events. You’ve got a big crowd looking at you, and when you get off the course everybody’s high-fiving. And we always laugh that the spiritual side is you get done with the course and it’s a spiritual experience because you finished.”

By the end of this year, the Alpha Warrior team will have visited all but five Air Force bases.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to step into the lives of these Airmen and see what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis to ensure that we as civilians are safe and protected,” Leonardo said. “One thing that we’ve really noticed going around to all these bases that is very prominent when we’re there is that every single person’s job matters.

“We’re always humbled every time we go to a base on how important their jobs are and how cool their jobs are, too, and to meet them and for them to be so thankful that we come out. But, really, we’re the ones who are thankful for them to open their doors and let us in.”

Klein indicated the Alpha Warrior Battle Rig could return to Arnold AFB in the future. Some who took part in the recent event hope that comes to fruition.

“I sure hope they bring the Battle Rig back next year because I feel like we have some unsettled business,” Pennington said. “And I bet I’m not the only one that feels this way.”

Until then, Arnold personnel can practice. As part of the Alpha Warrior program, Arnold AFB has acquired a smaller version of the rig – an Alpha Warrior Battle Station – which was installed in one of the racquetball courts at the base Fitness Center the same day the demonstration and competition was taking place.

“It was being built over there while we were over here doing this,” said Barbara Stewart, director of the Arnold AFB Services Office.

It is likely it will be put to good use.

“I will definitely begin training on the rig in the Fitness Center,” Sinemus said. “I have to start my professional Alpha Warrior career somewhere.”