Energy, nerves, and excitement filled the green and white walls of CrossFit Invictus in San Diego, CA, several weeks ago during the Department of Veterans Affairs pinnacle event for military veterans with disabilities.
- A number of veterans with disabilities attended to learn from Adaptive Training Academy (ATA) training staff about adaptive fitness and harnessing the power of movement and skills to continue on their fitness journies.
The ATA is the health and fitness training provider for the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic (NVSSC), which hosts roughly 200 veterans across the country for a week-long sport and fitness clinic.
ATA staff members were in charge of hands-on training and coaching throughout the event, running training, workshops, and technique practicums.
- “This experience has been so incredible and so fun,” said David Pettigrew, one veteran who attended the event. “I would highly recommend anybody, no matter what your fitness level, no matter what your physical complications, no matter what you’re working with. Come in and get a consult and learn how to get yourself better.”
This year, the ATA fitness event was held at CrossFit Invictus, where ATA seminar staff members ran veterans through a number of different training sessions broken down by movement.
- The primary goal is to empower veterans with disabilities by “fostering resilience and showing that strength and capability are not defined by limitations but by the drive to overcome them,” said Christina Lafex, the NVSSC Adaptive Fitness Venue Coordinator.
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Breaking It Down
In one session, Tom Miazga, the eight-time Fittest Seated Man and ATA coach, led athletes through a dip progression and helped them understand the importance of such a simple movement pattern.
- “Any able-bodied athlete may go through a squat pattern, but for a seated athlete like myself, we’re always talking about the dips,” Miazga told the Morning Chalk Up.
Individuals with disabilities might not realize how important the dip position is for simple things, like getting off the couch or going to the bathroom.
- “But the dip positioning and the actual bracing of the core and the shoulders to move effectively from one spot to another, it’s really important, not only for our safety, but for our wellness, to be able to get around as effectively as we can,” he added.
Fitness and Veteran Wellness
Maggie Kremer, the director of NVSSC, stressed that veterans with disabilities can and should continue to prioritize fitness and wellness.
- “The Adaptive Training Academy is a great organization and uniquely positioned to show veterans how possible fitness is, but also to provide examples of things each veteran can continue at home,” Kremer said.
“[Fitness] is a part of their identity,” she said. “And we want to make sure they know that nothing should stop them from the exercise and wellness practices they’ve become accustomed to.”
Kremer pointed out that September was Suicide Prevention Month and noted that there is a strong correlation between exercise and improved mental health, especially in lowering stress and aiding those suffering from PTSD.
- The primary goal of the clinic each year is to encourage Veterans to look at their life differently than they have in the past and help them find ways to regain control of their life.
The ATA, along with other organizations, is working to show these veterans that they can still focus on fitness and rebuild their strength bigger and better than ever before.
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Featured image: Adaptive Training Academy
