The Gym

The gym is probably the biggest down-time destination for service members in theatre. On this base there are four gyms to choose from: the American gym, the NATO gym, and the British gym. Each has its own plusses and minuses. The American gym for example is a giant tent while the NATO gym is a fixed building. The former is generally dirty and has run down equipment while the NATO gym has a stict “two pairs of shoes” policy meaning that you have to change into a clean pair of sneakers once you get to the gym. The latter seems to serve as a sort of filter as the number of people using the various gyms is comparable. The NATO gym of course has its downsides as well, the units are metric (km/h and kg) and the TVs are set on mainly British programming. Watching cricket and British infomercials is only so entertaining. All in all the NATO gym is quite impressive and when you are in it you can forget what condition the rest of the base is in (see picture).
The gyms are in operation 24 hours per day. Trying to figure out slow times to have a better chance at getting on a treadmill is a guessing game as it is not uncommon to have a full gym at any hour due to insomnia or mission status status since this base runs 24 hours per day. American Service members are easy to identify as they have prescribed exercise clothing. Service members from other countries wear whatever they want apparently. The use of Spandex by Europeans is quite shocking. Naturally the gym is filled by all of the styerotypes found in the States as well. The “machine hoggers” who seem to use weight machines exclusively to rest and watch others, the “trendy exerciser” who uses each machine for such short duration and at such a low intensity that they are doing it for show, the “grimacer” who makes exagerated grunts and facial expressions etc etc. Unfortunately the percentage of phenomenally fit individuals you would expect from a military is quite small.
There is a certain desperation to using the gym here. It is as though using the cardio equipment is symbolic of this conflict. Lots of moving parts but no real forward movement. Running in place, biking in place, and rowing in place reinforces the “groundhog day” nature of this place. Contrary to what you might think each Military branch does not have a preferred cardio activity: Navy on rowing machines, Marines on treadmills, Marines on weight equipment, and Air Force on stationary bikes or eliptical machines.
There is no excuse not to get in shape while on deployment. Sadly however obesity remains a problem in the military and many folks on deployment chose the dining hall (described in a previous posting) over the gym.