Fitness buffs whose regimen includes weight training will have an opportunity to do some heavy lifting and join an exclusive club Feb. 15 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph’s Rambler Fitness Center.
For the fifth straight year, the fitness center is offering membership to the 100-Ton Club to Department of Defense cardholders. There’s only one requirement, but it is to lift 100 tons of weight that day using free weights or any plate-loaded machine.
“The 100-Ton Club is a chance for weight lifters to lift heavier than they normally would and also be part of a heavy lifters club,” said Marlin Richardson, Rambler Fitness Center fitness and sports manager. “It’s not for everyone to try this; it’s usually exclusive to those who lift pretty heavy on a regular basis. An average person doing resistant training more than likely won’t have a workout plan where they’re lifting 220,462 pounds in a one-day period.”
Weight lifters who seek membership in the club should stop by the front desk of the fitness center Feb. 15 and pick up their log book to track how much weight they lift during the day. Their total weight is calculated by multiplying the amount of weight used for a particular exercise times the number of repetitions for that exercise and adding the totals of each exercise performed during the day.
Once weight lifters reach the 100-ton threshold, they can return their log book to the front desk to become a member of the 100-Ton Club.
The club started with a 150-ton requirement, but it was reduced to 100 tons a few years ago, Tommy Brown, Rambler Fitness Center recreation aide, said.
“When we bumped the requirement down, we got more participation,” he said.
However, the club still isn’t easy to join, Brown said.
“Last year, 25 people signed up, but only eight completed it,” he said.
The challenge attracts all ages, male and female, Brown said.
“Last year, a man who was about 62 years old was one of the first finishers,” he said. “I saw him around 5 or 5:30 a.m. and he was finished by 4:30 or 5 p.m.”
Christian Wasylchak, Rambler Fitness Center facility technician, said he would not encourage a novice weight lifter to attempt to join the club.
“If you’re an avid weight lifter, it would be fine to take on this challenge, but if you’re brand new to weight training, I’d suggest you learn proper lifting techniques or work with a personal trainer before you try this.”
Weight lifters who wish to join the club will have a 17-hour window to reach 100 tons, Brown said. The fitness center’s hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays.
For more information, call 652-7263.