Fitness at Sea: "Steel Beach"

Exercise room with weights secured for travel

At home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I stay pretty active by getting up early everyday and driving across town to meet up with about 30 other guys, fighting gravity and age by doing some phenomenal workouts. It's called the RRL or Fitness Truth, and there's a daily blog and Facebook page that describes it better than I can. What I do know is that it's a brotherhood of guys from every walk of life, and one that I miss here at sea.                                     

Wood chucks have been crafted to keep the bar from rolling as the ship continually rocks.

Crew member, Paul Martin, OS (left);
Hannah Glover, UW, NOAA-PMEL

I have tried to work around the busy schedule of sampling and analyzing, but it has been difficult between inconsistent hours, the continuously moving ship, and the results of motion on the body--it's physically exhausting just to stand and do lab work because of the constant grappling with gravity to regain balance. There are plenty of workouts that are options while traveling, so I was prepared to do a lot of these. Surprisingly, I didn't have to break open a "deck of cards" workout or resort to repetitive bodyweight movements. There's a gym on board! Well, it's more of a closet with weights, bars, and fitness paraphernalia, but it's perfect for life on the ship. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find a pull-up bar, several stationary bikes tucked throughout the lower and upper decks, and even a rower (Concept 2), which is my favorite cardio on board.

"Steel Beach"
deck 50ft above sea level, pull-up bar
in the background

Paul Martin in action during a fire drill

Our science crew schedule is variable with one day being completely slammed for 14+ hours and the next relatively chill after lunch, so our girls and guys workout when they can. Hannah and others hit the cardio machines before everyone wakes up, while Dr. Wells has been spotted on the rower before dinner.

Crew: Paul, Keith and Heather

"A-Rod" Alex Rodriguez, 54,
Chief Engineer and lifetime salty sailor 

Tom Brown, Oiler

In my short time onboard, I have not only made quick friends for life with the fellow scientists, but I have also made friends with the ship's amazing crew. There's a "vibe" as Tom Brown, 25, from San Diego put it that makes this ship special. He has two other brothers on Scripps' sister ships (and at one time there were four brothers all working for Scripps). Tom comes from several generations of sailors and knew that he wanted to work at sea early on. At 25, he's now a permanent employee and engineer, working his way up by hard work and experience at sea. Tom's a former football player at Santana High; 6' 1", 230 pounds, he was an ideal tight end. Now, he continues to train. Every morning at 0600 (6am), he views his workouts as "his coffee for the day" with the lifetime sailor, Chief Engineer, Alex Rodriguez.

"A-Rod" or "Chief" as he's known on board is 54 and still trains daily. After graduating from high school in Missouri, Chief made his way back to sea. From his early teens, he has spent time on ships as either a fisherman or engineer. He has a college degree in Fisheries Biology from the University of Alaska where he spent most of his saltwater career. Now, he's the head engineer on this vessel and others in the fleet.

Keith Shadle talking with Rachel Vander Giessen, NOAA-PMEL

Our "Res Tech," residence technician, Keith Shadle, 33, and new shipmate, Paul Martin, 25, choose the afternoons instead. Everyday at 1600 (4pm), they hit "Steel Beach" as they call it. They spend the better part of an hour before dinner is served lifting weights and mixing in different movements, all on the rocking deck. Heather Galiher, a young 2nd mate (like an assistant captain, piloting the ship, charting the course, etc.), also finds time to workout during this hour, doing her own version of pilates, yoga, and core exercises. 

Everyday, the science team depends on Keith. As the Res Tech, he is the liaison between the ship's crew and the science team. He's available 24 hours a day for emergencies and keeps us up and running in the lab. His first priority is our safety. Everyday as we deploy the CTD, the Go Flo (blog upcoming), and any of the other actions that require us to sample the water, he is there to instruct us on the proper protocol and keep us from doing anything that would risk anyone going overboard or being hit with anything overhead. We don lifevests and construction helmets and use lines to guide the devices into the water safely. Keith has a commanding presence yet is patient as he has to teach every new group how to run the machines, tie the knots, hook the CTD, bolt everything to the deck, and much more. 

Retrieving the CTD with Res Tech, Keith Shadle in control

Despite his seriousness of purpose while doing his job, he also shows an interest and aptitude for the science that we are doing--and no wonder, he has a degree in marine biology! After graduating from the University of Maine (the same school as our own co-PI, Dr. Mark Wells, coincidently), he worked as a biologist in Alaska on fishing boats. After four years of that tough work, he applied to Scripps and has been working here ever since. Now 6 plus years later, this kid from Indiana has seen some exotic places--working out on the deck with the Philippines' crystal clear water and white sandy beaches in sight. The greatest challenges that he faces, however, are the language barriers that occur when working with foreign scientists and the time at sea. This is his third 30 day research cruise since October, and it can take its toll. If there is any weariness, we wouldn't know it. He has been on point everyday, professional with an engaging personality. 

Fitness at sea comes in a variety of different methods all throughout the day. I'm just glad to be around so many that make time for it as often as possible. The attitude of the ship is positive and fun; and I guarantee that regular exercise plays a huge role in that "vibe." I know that it does for me.

In case anyone is wondering here is my workout from today:

5 rounds with 3 minute rest between each round,

20 pull-ups

30 pushups

40 situps 

50 air squats

*The workout is called, "Barbara." Comment if you want the times. :-)  

Watch my hand shake when the fog horn blows!