What is Professional Fitness?

by Michael Sahno, MS APK, TSAC-F

I am taking the opportunity to tell all of you about a new direction that Sea & Land Fitness is taking and how we are expanding the reach of fitness education to include populations that have been overlooked by our industry. I have always been a advocate for Tactical Fitness, the fitness required to do the jobs that are done by our military, our law enforcement, and our fire services. But, in recent months I have been given an insight into the sacrifices and hard work that an often forgotten group engages in daily, a group that includes millions of Americans, and I had to ask myself, “what is our industry doing to serve them?”.

Every day Able Seamen, in the worst weather, man tug boats that help to bring us the goods that travel on our oceans. Roughnecks work the oil fields on land and the oil rigs at sea to bring home a paycheck at very real risk to their lives, just to keep our lights on and our cars moving. Steelworkers deftly maneuver heights to build the bridges that allow us to come home every night to be with our families. And, Cattlemen and Cowhands work the herds that roam our Great Nation, regardless of the snow, the wind, and the rain to make sure that we can put food on all of our tables.

What do all of these professions have in common? They all require strength, a sturdy back, and the best of health. If any of these three things are missing then the risk of injury, which already exists due to the hazardous nature of their work, is increased exponentially. These potential injuries have impacts that not only lead to an individual losing income, but they also lead to a break in the supply chain. You don’t get that Amazon delivery because it never arrived, or you can’t drive to work because the roads were never finished, or your family wasn’t be able to find what they need in the supermarket because it never arrived.

Because of the importance of these professions, to include the countless others not named here that directly impact all of our lives on a daily basis, we have decided to create a new category and discipline within the fitness world. We call it Professional Fitness. It is defined as, “the level of Strength and Health that is required for an individual who works in a Highly Physical Occupation”.

Please join us in celebrating a future where Professional Fitness becomes a sought after and needed aspect of the occupational world. Where a new generation of people seek a better, stronger, and healthier way of living and working.