MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The title of the most combat-oriented branch of the United States military is one of the many classifiers the Marine Corps and its select few Marines are proud to hold. The only way Marines can hold such a label is to maintain a training regimen which sets the bar higher than any other service and not just for physical fitness, but combat readiness as well.
It is this need for the utmost physical fitness, the strength of a warrior, which is the founding reason for the High Intensity Tactical Training Program, which is spreading throughout SemperFit divisions across the Marine Corps.
Station residents who use IronWorks Gym may have noticed a pavilion with a padded area and gear lockers built next to the sports courts.
“The goal of the HITT program is to enhance operational fitness levels and optimize combat readiness and resiliency for the active duty Marine,” said Alma Dickinson, Marine Corps Community Services SemperFit health promotions director.
While normal workout programs can focus on what a civilian may desire, pure aesthetics and a lean figure with an obscure real-world benefit, the HITT program focuses on preparing Marines for the tasks they may encounter while in a deployed environment.
While the HITT program is prioritized around superior speed, strength, endurance and combat efficiency, a main factor in the effectiveness of the training is reducing the possibility of Marines becoming injured during workouts while following the program.
“The main goal of the HITT program is to bring the active duty (Marines) to a level of fitness of what it would take to do their jobs and to train their bodies to that high level of performance,” said Dickinson.
Within the HITT program are four components which compound for the full exercise routine: an active dynamic warm-up, strength and power exercises, speed and agility drills and flexibility and core stability.
“The daily program for the HITT program is being written up by our SemperFit headquarters staff, people with a professional understanding of fitness and the body, and is going to be dispersed Marine Corps wide through all the SemperFit centers,” said Dickinson. “Marines can look forward to seeing it no matter which station they go to next and they can expect the same program since it’s standardized.”
More information on the station’s new high intensity workout program will be available in the upcoming months.