{"id":360265,"date":"2026-04-02T12:27:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/360265\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:27:21","slug":"former-nfl-players-help-marines-break-in-new-fitness-center-near-mount-fuji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/360265\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NFL players help Marines break in new fitness center near Mount Fuji"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mb2-plus4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/010426FUJI-WARRphoto01.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a dress shirt, khakis and a tie performs a deadlift while Marines gather around and applaud during a strength training event at a base gym.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"default-font lh-default ma0 mh3 mt0 pb3\">\n\t\t\t\tJerry Bosken, deputy director of Marine and Family Programming, deadlifts 405 pounds at the opening of the Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience Center at Camp Fuji, Japan, March 31, 2026. (Jonathan Baez\/Stars and Stripes)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">CAMP FUJI, Japan \u2014 Two former NFL players and about six Marines ran through a series of exercises here Tuesday, an inaugural workout for a new facility at the Marine Corps\u2019 primary training facility in Japan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">About 45 people, including about two dozen Marines, crowded into a recently renovated recreational bay at CATC Camp Fuji for the grand opening of the Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience Center.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">Alongside traditional equipment such as free weights and stationary bikes, the facility features an open layout with artificial turf for ground-based exercises like sprints, agility training and sled work.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">The facility \u2014 part of the Corps\u2019 WARR program \u2014 is designed around \u201cmodern strength and conditioning modalities and practices\u201d and modeled after professional and collegiate athletic facilities for \u201ccombat ready training,\u201d Bud Wood, athletic director for the Marine Corps\u2019 Semper Fit athletic program, said at the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">For the base, which typically serves as a temporary training facility for Marines and other service members, the new facility offers additional space for fitness in a semi-outdoor environment, said executive officer Maj. Kevin Sullivan.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">\u201cI think this is a great opportunity for the Marines get some outdoor, open-air exercises,\u201d he said after the ceremony. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of functional fitness room here, more so here than in the existing gym, and I think this will be a big hit for some of the athletes.\u201d&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mb2-plus4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/010426FUJI-WARRphoto02.jpg\" alt=\"A man pushes a weighted sled as U.S. Marines watch during a fitness training session inside a gym.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"default-font lh-default ma0 mh3 mt0 pb3\">\n\t\t\t\tFormer NFL player Emmanuel \u201cManny\u201d Arceneaux demonstrates proper techniques at the opening of the Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience Center at Camp Fuji, Japan, March 31, 2026. (Jonathan Baez\/Stars and Stripes)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mb2-plus4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/010426FUJI-WARRphoto03.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Marines follow a guest instructor through warm\u2011up movements during a group workout on artificial turf inside a fitness facility.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"default-font lh-default ma0 mh3 mt0 pb3\">\n\t\t\t\tFormer NFL player Emmanuel \u201cManny\u201d Arceneaux warms up with Marines at the opening of the Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience Center at Camp Fuji, Japan, March 31, 2026. (Jonathan Baez\/Stars and Stripes)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mb2-plus4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/010426FUJI-WARRphoto04.jpg\" alt=\"A man lifts a loaded barbell as Marines cheer during a strength training demonstration inside the gym.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"default-font lh-default ma0 mh3 mt0 pb3\">\n\t\t\t\tFormer NFL player Emmanuel \u201cManny\u201d Arceneaux deadlifts at the new Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience Center at Camp Fuji, Japan, March 31, 2026. (Jonathan Baez\/Stars and Stripes)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">The former NFL players \u2014 Emmanuel \u201cManny\u201d Arceneaux and Derrick Martin \u2014 attended as part of Arceneaux\u2019s Manny Athletic Development program. The pair led a handful of Marines through NFL-style workouts after the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">Arceneaux, who played for the NFL and Canadian Football League, said he wanted to encourage service members to remain active even after they return to civilian life.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of hand in hand. Lace up the cleats, lace up the boots. Put on the uniform, put on the uniform,\u201d he said after the ceremony. \u201cBut at some point, that uniform comes off, those boots come off, and you hit that next level of life.\u201d&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">Sgt. Andres Almonte, the base\u2019s postal chief, said he was particularly excited for the turf\u2019s potential for novel workouts \u2014 and by the chance to go toe-to-toe with former professional athletes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"storyline-p f4 \">\u201cI tried to get over there and pull some weight [with the players],\u201d he said. \u201cI definitely appreciate them coming out from the States; it\u2019s a far flight.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jerry Bosken, deputy director of Marine and Family Programming, deadlifts 405 pounds at the opening of the Warrior&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[189917,189915,565,134,189918,189916,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-360265","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-camp-fuji-japan","9":"tag-camp-fuji-warr-fitness-center","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-marines-camp-fuji","13":"tag-new-marine-fitness-facility-japan","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}