Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe is challenging Airmen with new weekly workouts that are likely to hurt way more than the service’s new fitness test.
Wolfe’s new Heritage Workout, or HWO series—launched July 20—ties short but intense circuits of exercises to a key event in Air Force history. The plan is to release a new workout every Monday on Wolfe’s Facebook page, until the series is complete.
These new workouts are not required but intended to give Airmen “another simple option to stay active, challenge themselves, and connect fitness with our Air Force heritage,” Wolfe told Air & Space Forces Magazine in an email statement.
“Physical fitness has always been part of our Air Force culture because readiness starts with healthy, capable Airmen,” Wolfe said. “The goal isn’t to create another requirement—it’s to create another opportunity for Airmen to invest in their readiness.”
The latest HWO, released July 27, honors the date that Air Force legend retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager broke the sound barrier—Oct. 14, 1947. To complete the challenge, Airmen must do 10 circuits of four resistance exercises, 14 reps each and finish with a 1.2-mile run—the equivalent of 1,947 meters.
That works out to 140 reps each of air squats, v-ups, alternating forward lunges, and hand release push-ups, before running 1.2 miles flat out.
There is also a timed scoring system to reach a gold, silver or bronze standing, which allows no time for breaks. With the Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, Airmen can catch a break between events while other members of their unit complete each round if exercises.
The first HWO was also a smoker. Designed to honor the birth of the Air Force—Sept. 18, 1947—it requires Airmen to perform nine rounds of 18 air squats, 19 push-ups, and 47 jumping jacks. That’s 162 air squats, 171 push-ups, and 423 jumping jacks.
For gold, complete in under 13 minutes. For silver, complete it between 13:01 and 15:45. For bronze, finish it in under 15:46.
“My goal was gold; my time was 14:40—I’m working on it,” Wolfe wrote on Facebook, adding “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
The first HWO has resulted in more than 200 comments, many from posters who were surprised at the intensity of the workouts.
“Man…the “9 rounds” is easy to miss…I thought this was another jab at USAF,” one commenter, Kwame Curtis wrote.
Quaysi Raymond, who described himself as a 42-year-old Airmen, said his final time was 18:48.
“I just completed this workout!” he wrote. “It was painful! Gut wrenching! Demolished me! I loved every moment of it.”
Raymond did say he was “curious to see the form and technique executed to accomplish in 13 minutes cuz WOW!”
Then he seemed to come to the realization that there are no breaks during this workout. “I stand corrected. It’s just a matter of how few rest periods one takes. Look forward to HWO#2,” he wrote.
Nathan Pena wrote that he scored 14:10 on the first HWO. “I surprised myself! My legs hate me now though,” Pena wrote.
Some commentors wrote that they were curious about the correct range of motion and wanted to see a video demonstration of the workouts at the speed needed to score gold.
“Interested to know what the required range of motion of those exercises are for this test,” Rob Southards wrote. “Getting the gold on the standard will be very hard unless you have half reps going on.”
For now, there are no plans to put how-to videos out since these HWOs are not intended to be graded for form, Wolfe said.
“The focus isn’t on executing every movement exactly the same—it’s on getting people moving, building healthy habits, and creating another opportunity for units to come together around fitness while celebrating our heritage,” Wolfe wrote.
“We were excited to see such a positive response, with many Airmen saying they had already tried the workout the next morning,” Wolfe added. “We’ll continue listening to feedback as the series continues.”
Wolfe said the Air Force’s Physical Fitness Training team helped develop the HWOs to be suited for “a range of fitness levels while still providing a meaningful challenge.”
“Right now, we’re focused on releasing one Heritage Workout each Monday and seeing Airmen put them to use,” Wolfe wrote. “If the series continues motivating Airmen and units to get after fitness together, we’ll look to build on it. We also hope it inspires Airmen to create workouts of their own, adapt them for their teams, and continue building a strong culture of fitness across the force.”