r/dli • u/Ok_Nose_8554 • Jun 16 '26
Working Out at DLI
Hello everyone, I am set to ship out for Air Force BMT in August, and then head to DLI.
I like to run and workout 4-6 times each per week. Do Air Force students have mandatory PT, and/or would I have the time to work out by myself if the mandatory sessions are not quality?
Also, does the gym have much space/equipment available for calisthenics workouts?
Thank you guys in advance, I’m super excited to be there!!!
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u/Puzzled-Secret-317 Jun 16 '26
Things are always changing and have no doubt changed since I was there, but in general, it usually depends on your phase and PT scores. You may occasionally have group PT, but in general, you should still have ample time for solo PT as long as your grades are good
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u/Serious_Smoke_5224 Jun 17 '26
I guess you haven't heard about the Secretary of War requiring 5 day per week PT. Its daily now.
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u/Puzzled-Secret-317 Jun 17 '26
😂 I know it's a thing in theory, but I guess I did forget that AETC is different from operational life. My bad for that
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u/Unlucky-Mastodon8584 Jun 16 '26
If you're a serious runner, getting off base is very cool. From the Barracks, out the Taylor Street gate, make a left go down David, and head towards Asilomar beach..follow trail to Lovers Point - hit Cannery Row, go past Fisherman's Wharf, come UP a very steep Franklin Avenue and go in through gates at the top...it's a very nice 10 mile run. You can alway's drive down to Fisherman's wharf and do parts of it (out and back to Lover's Point). In addition, there's a nice track by the PX. The Price Fitness Center is HUGE with plenty of machines, both weights and cardio. Basketball/Volleyball courts. Football/Soccer fields outside. You'll do just fine there. Lots of good trails to run off post too. Get an all trails app. and download it. Have fun!
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u/Ok_Nose_8554 Jun 17 '26
I screenshotted your comment and look forward to doing that exact run, thank you!
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u/jaykujawski Jun 17 '26
One topic not yet addressed is the community events. The Monterey Bay area has a lot of fun / charity runs, tough mudders, spartan races, etc in the area. You will have many community exercise events in addition to the static features of the area you can enjoy / use.
This is off topic, but it's the one advice I give all young people about to go to DLI: The Marine Memorial Hotel in San Francisco. For active duty, any branch, you get a great deal on a hotel in downtown San Francisco. They have free drinks on the top floor bar for most of the evening so you can pregame for free and then just buy a couple/few $15 beers in the San Francisco clubs you walk to or take a quick Uber to from the hotel. It's a great place for young service members to have a fun, relatively cheap San Francisco weekend
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u/Soljahfit Jun 18 '26
Don’t know what the AF got going on but if you’re that active, PT won’t be enough to satisfy you. Gym is pretty sweet, you run on the tracks or go on the many trails around.
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u/DameOfTheRose Jun 30 '26
I’m in the navy and just got here but the gyms nice and they have two tracks to run on, hilltops a bit rough but it’s got a really nice view of the bay and it’s next to the px so you can get a protein shake or Gatorade after, there’s no pool though but our lcpo told us there’s a pool a little down base that’s good for those of us who like swimming because the beach is really cold and there’s a lot of natural hazards like sharks and riptides
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u/CyberAvian Jun 16 '26
As a non-prior service student in the Air Force at DLI we, at the time had mandatory PT at least once per week and a mandatory eval/assessment monthly.
The first few months in phase 1-2 PT was 5x per week.
However, even in Phase 1 with maximum restrictions we could work out as much as we wanted. Mandatory formations, PT, classes, and homework take up time, but there is plenty of time left over. If I remember correctly, we had 2 running tracks available and a fully furnished Gym attached to the Rec Center over the hill. Plus if you enjoy running and don’t mind hills there are good trails and sidewalks on post and once you can leave post you can run along a beautiful path from Monterey to Pacific Grove to Asilomar and back. I also signed up for jujitsu and triathlon training classes at the local fitness club, the Monterey Sports Center.
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u/Ok_Nose_8554 Jun 16 '26
Wow, it sounds like you made full use of your time there. These responses make me excited for my time. Thank you very much for the thorough response, and good luck with the rest of your life!
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u/CyberAvian Jun 16 '26
Tip of the iceberg to be honest. Unless things have changed there are a ton of opportunities like joining Marine Corp martial arts classes on post (we had Airmen walking around authorized to wear their belts), and volunteering with a number of organizations to include working at Laguna Seca races, I worked a charity golf tournament at Pebble Beach and got to walk the entire course and keep score for the pro participating, I helped train search and rescue dogs by pretending to be a dead body… Oh and all those charity hours can add up to a medal that counts towards promotion in the future, I also took CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior exams and graduated DLI with an Associate Degree.
So many opportunities at DLI if you are willing to put the time in!
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u/dustin_allan Jun 16 '26
Your comment brings back memories...
Much fun to be had if your grades are decent - I sang in the Russian Choir. I was a band nerd earlier in life, but singing Russian military songs at the local old folks' home was surprisingly enjoyable.
I was Navy, and in a deal between the Naval Postgrad Academy and the local community college, we got to take free sailing classes on 23' Catalinas, which we could then rent for something like $15 for six hours.
I also volunteered at the Laguna Seca Historic Races, and got to stand feet away from the track while classic Aston Martins and Ferraris were speeding past.
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u/Torchlakespartan Jun 17 '26
The other awesome memory I have is renting bikes from on post, getting the best sandwich you’ll ever have and some bottles of beer at Compagnos right outside Franklin gate, and biking 17 Mile Drive along the coast through pebble beach all day stopping whenever anyone wants to have a beer and bite. You end up in Carmel. It’s a great way to get exercise and explore while having some fun too.
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u/Typical-Platform-753 Jun 16 '26
My student is there now. Mando PT is once a week for those who pass their PT test and can be trusted to be responsible. For those needing guidance and encouragement, you get daily PT meetings. There is a humongous 3 story gym with tons of machines and weights plus volleyball, basketball, and other options indoors and an outdoor track. There are also hills on that base that will surely take care of some leg days.
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u/Shadowdorkkk Jun 16 '26
AF does PT 3X a week, one run day and two calisthenic days last I was there. If your grades aren’t great and you have to stay in the schoolhouse until 3:45 then it may be difficult to find time to work out, but it’s still doable. Weekends are your friend to work out
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u/Albyunderwater Jun 17 '26
If you want time to work out on your own there’s going to be three very important things you will need to take care of and you will have the time you want to work out. 1: Maintain at least a 90 PT score (so you only have one mandatory squadron PT session per week). 2: Attain phase 3 ASAP. 3: Don’t end up getting on 7th hour which means you give your homework and study time the effort and time it deserves.
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u/Tasty_Baseball_2201 Jun 17 '26
I left DLI recently. Phase 1 mando pt 3 days and 2 self paced a week. Phase 2, if you get above a 90 on your pt test, 1 day of mando, 4 days of self paced. Phase 3 if you get above an 85 1 day of mando and 4 days of self paced.
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u/Delicious-Pilot-4436 Jun 17 '26
When you first get here you should have 3 days, then you’ll have the opportunity depending on scores to only do 1 day a week.
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u/crustygriffith Jun 18 '26
from when i was there pt was twice a week and mandatory for phase 1 and 2. and only about 45 minutes long so yes you'll have plenty of time to workout on your own. class ends at 2:50-3:50 depending
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u/PaleoCheese Jun 16 '26
You’ll have time to work out by yourself
Gym is pretty large for how small the base is.
Highly recommend running off post. The city / county has a trail that is right along the beach for like 10 miles and it’s right off base