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Suspension training at the McChord Fitness Annex

TRX offers participants total-body workout using two nylon straps, athlete’s own body weight

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Guy Dashnea has been a gym rat his entire life.

The technical sergeant was a member of an Air Force power lifting team that won several competitions in Portugal, Germany and on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"I used to be 100 percent gym," Dashnea, profile/fitness outreach program manager for the McChord Field Health and Wellness Center, said.

But then Dashnea was introduced to suspension training and it messed up his entire gym routine - for the better.

The system provides a total body workout in which the user works against his or her own body weight. It consists of two straps made of industrial strength soft nylon webbing attached to any free standing sturdy object, enabling users to perform their workouts anywhere they can throw the nylon around a stationary object.

When Dashnea walked into the McChord Fitness Annex on JBLM last fall, he noticed the fitness center had several straps but no one was using them.

"No one was trained on it. No one knew how to use it," Dashnea said.

Dashnea became certified to teach and now instructs a free biweekly introduction to suspension training class Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Once users are familiar with the training they can use the straps safely and unsupervised. There are posters on a wall near the designated area showing visuals of workouts at different difficulty levels.

"The concept is all people, all places, all levels," Dashnea said.

Ruby Henry, a spouse, and Staff Sgt. Jimmy Sweat and his wife Myra attended the most recent introduction to suspension training course.

Like Dashnea, Sweat is sold on weight training. He had noticed some individuals using the straps for stretching routines and was under the impression that was what it was for. When he took the introduction class, it wasn't close to what he was expecting at all.

"I love to lift weights but I can't deny the benefits of cross fit and this sort of workout," Sweat said. "It was just an instruction course and I'm tired and sweating."

Dashnea walked the class through a variety of workouts that used every part of the body and demonstrated the different levels of each workout. The three levels of training are described as Homer Simpson, Lois Lane and Superman.

Toward the end of the course he demonstrated an advanced move in which he attached one foot to a strap and stood on his hands. He proceeded to do pushups while in the handstand. The class tried variations of the complex workout but couldn't quite execute the Superman move.

Henry was introduced to the training while participating in the boot camp class at the McChord Fitness Annex. The class involved both free weights and straps. She wanted to take the introduction class so she could be more effective in her suspension training during the boot camp class. Henry's husband is a Marine currently deployed. When she told her husband about the TRX bands used at the McChord Fitness Annex that were developed by former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick, he agreed to purchase their own set for their return to Camp Pendleton in the spring.

"There can be a guy who's really fit doing the exact same workout as me," she said. "Mine is just not as intense as his. If you feel really tired go to the easier level, but just keep on pushing through it."

The suspension training class is open to everyone. Dashnea said users range from pregnant women to squadrons to body builders.

"For people who use weights and want something different, go to my class and get a full understanding (of TRX suspension training)," Dashnea said.

The McChord Fitness Annex offers a variety of other fitness classes including cycling, pilates, zumba and kick boxing. For more information about the suspension training and other classes contact the Annex at 982-6700.

PHOTO: Guy Dashnea, profile/fitness outreach program manager for the McChord Field Health and Wellness Center, works with Myra Sweat, middle, and Ruby Henry during a recent suspension training class at the McChord Fitness Annex. “The concept is all people, all places, all levels,” Dashnea said. Photos by Scott Hansen/JBLM PAO

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