British troops in Afghanistan have undergone what is believed to be the first group cycling instructor training course to take place in the country, as they bid to keep their comrades fighting fit in every sense.

Working out in a warzone is no safeguard for avoiding stale fitness regimens, according to military forces deployed at Kandahar Airfield, who were eager to get fully trained up and give their various sections diverse exercise sessions.

Under the guidance of RAF Warrant Officer Calum MacIntyre, who is both a serving member of the Armed Forces and a YMCAfit tutor, 16 servicemen from a variety of army units and the RAF have now become fully-certified group cycling instructors.
MacIntyre said the troops’ unique work patterns - which include flying daily sorties in support of Afghan-led ground forces - meant they were unable to attend the fitness and group cycling classes led by RAF PTI Sergeant Mark Rooney, so he struck on the idea of spreading the knowledge.

“Working out here can be physically and mentally challenging due to austere weather and living conditions,” said MacIntyre.

“We’re very lucky to have a fully equipped gymnasium plus a group cycling studio at our base and we wanted to help other personnel learn how to train their own units, so I suggested arranging a fully-certified course where they will receive a recognised qualification that they can carry forward afterwards.”

The initiative was supported by YMCAfit, which provided eLearning and emailed over PDFs of course manuals, as well as charging a half price rate of £75 for the course fees.