OCFC and the 82nd Airborne Division
Training at OC Fitness Coach has direct ties with one of the most demanding units in the U.S. military, the 82nd Airborne Division. My time spent in this highly decorated unit shaped how I built a system from the ground up, taking the foundational concepts we lived by at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and applying them to everyday fitness and nutrition here in Orange County, California.
My intent with this blog isn’t to suggest that my coaches and I are running around yelling at you like a drill sergeant would. Often, this is a fear with new clients at our initial consultation. Every client has a unique coaching need, and we adjust our approach based on each person’s background. Our goal at OC Fitness Coach is not to put you through random, grinding workouts just so you can say you survived. That’s not what we do. Each client plan has a clear mission based on individual goals, with specific action steps strategically built in to move you forward. There’s intent behind every piece of your training, so you’re not just working hard, you’re following a structured method that keeps you moving in the right direction.
In the 82nd Airborne Division, physical fitness wasn’t a hobby or something soldiers did on their off time. A high level of fitness was part of the job description, with stricter standards to meet in our unit. In the 82nd, we trained knowing our team, squad, platoon, and company were counting on us to be ready.
Most adults 40+ don’t need to be combat‑ready, but you do have your own goals, objectives, and missions. These missions could present themselves in the form of keeping up with kids or grandkids, staying strong enough to take care of a spouse going through treatment or a chronic disease, keeping up with activities of daily living, or living independently as long as possible. And although these objectives are very different from those of an infantry unit in the military, the way we approached our missions in the 82nd still applies. Below are five core principles I brought from that environment into OC Fitness Coach to help you stay on track and actually complete your health, fitness, and nutrition goals.
Discipline over motivation: every day
At Fort Bragg, the whole system is set up with discipline as its backbone: pay attention to detail, show up when you’re supposed to, stick to the plan, learn to adapt to adversity, pivot and change the plan when things are required. At OC Fitness Coach, this shows up the same way. Follow our coaching suggestions, don’t cancel your workouts, don’t let a bad weekend or an unplanned night at a restaurant stop all forward progress. The same concepts that held the 82nd to a high standard will hold you to a high standard at OC Fitness Coach.
Consistency beats intensity
Military soldiers show up every day, in uniform, ready to do work, knowing that it supports the long-term objective. You can’t go hard with military training for a couple of days and then tell yourself, “I’m going to sleep in tomorrow and miss morning formation.” I see this pattern with some fitness clients on occasion: work hard Monday through Friday night, then slack off and not stay consistent on the weekend. Clients who are consistent most days of the week, even if they aren’t going as intense with their workouts compared to clients who act like knuckleheads on the weekend, always come out on top. Stay consistent and the goals come quicker.
Think ahead, play the long game
In the Middle East, a lot of the day-to-day work was done with the future in mind: sustained presence, repeated patrols, building relationships, and steadily shaping conditions over weeks, months, and years. Take the OC Fitness Coach client equivalent and you realize that what you do today, this month, this year will impact your energy, mood, strength, bloodwork, and health 10, 20, even 30 years from now. Think ahead, always, and keep this at the forefront of your mindset.
Focus on the mission, not your mood
I thought the military was tough, and my mood was not always great. In fact, when I was in, a lot of the time, it sucked. Our commanders didn’t care if we had family problems, anger issues, or a packed schedule outside of training, and in a lot of ways, life isn’t any different for those not in the military. It’s always going to be busy, chaotic, and less than ideal, and there will always be a dozen reasons to skip a workout, “start back up next month,” or wait until January. That’s why I don’t want you to show up only when you feel like it. There will be days you’re tired, pissed off at work, dealing with family stuff, and that “cancel carrot” is dangling right in front of your face, but your body can still do what we’re asking. I tell clients to ignore the mood and follow the mission, because I’m confident a workout with us will leave you feeling better than when you walked in. If you want to maximize your chances of success here at OC Fitness Coach, you have to stop waiting for the perfect mood and conditions and show up anyway.
Complacency Kills
In 2003 Afghanistan and 2004 Iraq, “Don’t get complacent” was something you heard every day. Same annoying tasks, same environment, same people. Doing the same pattern of daily activities made it easy to let your guard down. You stop taking threats as seriously and start thinking, “Hey, nothing bad happened yesterday, so nothing bad will happen today.” That mindset is dangerous for a soldier, and it’s just as dangerous for your progress in the gym. With a repeatable schedule at OC Fitness Coach (for example, Monday walk 2 miles, Tuesday personal training, Wednesday walk 2 miles, Thursday personal training), it’s easy to slip into autopilot. Or you lose a few pounds and convince yourself you can ease up. In the military, you keep your foot on the gas until the mission is complete, and that’s exactly what I tell our clients. Whether you’re already seeing results or still waiting for them, every day is day one. When you get complacent in the military, you put your life in danger; when you get complacent here, you put your progress in danger.
Keeping these principles in mind during your program is essential for success. The training at OC Fitness Coach is specific and deliberate, designed around your age, goals, and current fitness level. Many clients who struggle to hit their goals aren’t missing special exercises or eating plan. They’re missing the key foundational elements we just covered. If you’re ready for a program that’s strategically planned and closely monitored, similar to how the 82nd Airborne Division operates, reach out now (CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US) and we’ll lay out a clear, customized health plan designed for long-term success.
Dan Tatro, M.S., CSCS