Fit to Rock it! Published June 26, 2013 By Master Sgt. Ryan Carson Washington D.C. -- Most people would never associate physical fitness and living the rock and roll lifestyle as similar ways of living. Max Impact, the premiere rock band of the United States Air Force, knows they must coexist in order to maintain mission readiness and safety on the job. How did we accomplish this? Adopt a new fitness regime to help us take our individual fitness goals and performances to new heights. With our Summer Concert series in full swing, Max Impact has begun a high intensity workout that is beneficial not only to our duty as Airmen but to our role as entertainers on the stage. Our new workout is based on the Spartacus Workout, and consists of High Intensity Interval training with resistance, that focuses on key muscle groups like the back, legs and core muscles. Due to a high Operations tempo and our mission set, we need a workout that is efficient, can be accomplished anywhere and directly relates to our Air Force Physical Training (AF PT) requirements. Why do we love this workout? It is effective and extremely addicting. Not to brag, but we pride ourselves not only on musical excellence, but also a high level physical fitness, scoring a flight average of 97.5% on the AF PT assessment. Chief of Max Impact, Chief Master Sgt. Robert McConnell says, "Max Impact's fitness regime of working out three days per week is exactly what the Air Force expects of all Airmen serving today. While some are perfectly content working out on their own, which I do frequently myself, I find working out with the members of the flight very motivating and I tend to push myself harder than when I work out by myself. In addition, I'm also learning new exercises that help me vary my routine, so that I'm really training for anything thrown my way--not just my AF PT test." Whether in the D.C. summer heat, downrange in Iraq or Afghanistan, or in base billets at Cannon Air Force Base, we are required to maintain a high level of fitness at all times. The constant lifting of heavy speakers, road cases, loading of the truck, and performing our high-energy concerts requires that we be in tip-top shape to complete our mission. We often find ourselves in locations where there may not be a gym or free weights to accomplish any kind of work out. Flexibility is the key to the success in maintaining this program and our fitness goals. This workout can be performed in a parking lot, hotel or conference room, or even backstage prior to one of our performances. Due to the minimal need for equipment, all the exercises can be accomplished with or without a set of dumbbells or a pair of ABU boots with water bottles shoved in them for additional weight. The workout consists of 10 different exercises performed during 1-minute rounds with fifteen seconds of rest between exercises. This is followed by a 2-minute rest period at the conclusion of all ten rounds for a total of 3, 10-round workouts. We have discovered that in less than 45 minutes, you can achieve a maximum caloric burn as well as intense strength and cardio gains. McConnell states, " I feel like I am getting stronger and when I do practice the components of the AF PT test, I feel as though they are getting easier." Easy...10-pound dumbbells, you say? I can lift that in my sleep. Well, we welcome you to join our workout anytime!