YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) —
A newly developed fitness app is giving service members across the Department of War a single tool to build training programs tailored to their fitness test requirements at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 11.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Zachary Hicks, a family medicine physician and emergency medical services medical director at Yokota Air Base, developed the app to turn fitness requirements into actionable training guidance that service members can use to improve or maintain their readiness. The app goes beyond information and offers actionable guidance that members can use to improve or maintain their fitness. It also assesses a member’s current level, builds a starting program and adjusts over time, with an emphasis on improving weaker areas.
“There are apps for individual branches but none that unify them into one app, and this was something I wanted to solve,” Hicks said.
The idea traces back four years, when Hicks set out to create a more organized, actionable approach to fitness preparation. When updated fitness standards were released this year, he said it was time to build a solution.
“If you are doing well and you want to do great, then this app will help you,” Hicks said. “If you are doing great and wish to maintain that greatness, then this app will help you retain your fitness.”
The app has continued to expand since its development. Its most recent update added guidance for pregnancy and postpartum exercise, and Hicks is now developing nutrition guidance as the next addition.
To ensure the app aligned with official standards, Hicks transcribed each scoring calculator directly from service-specific scoring charts. He also built the training guidance using publicly available military resources, including the Air Force’s Warfighter Fitness Playbook.
“I did not feel the need to reinvent the wheel, but simply made it more accessible,” he said. For Hicks, the app’s purpose is simple: give every member, regardless of branch or starting point, a clear path to becoming stronger, more prepared and ready to reach their next fitness milestone.
By Senior Airman Tallon Bratton
374th Airlift Wing
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