![inside submarine inside submarine](https://i.redd.it/0bnx8paskf211.jpg)
There is virtually no personal space, and any large space has more than one purpose. But the men and women aboard the North Dakota, or any of the other 84 subs in the U. Aircraft carriers have gyms, and even basketball hoops that can be rolled out. Most Navy ships have large spaces-not to mention open decks-where sailors can break a sweat. Working out is complicated when you’re on deployment. Thirty people share two showers, two toilets, and two sinks. And then he’s got to maintain the gym equipment, “which can be a hassle when you’ve got all those guys using one treadmill,” he says. He’s also there to ensure that crew members don’t lose their minds, a very real concern when you’re deployed on a pressurized tube of steel that may not surface for three months. He’s a gym rat who volunteered for the job, which required a recommendation from his commanding officer and a five-day training program.Īs command fitness leader, Shores is responsible for making sure everyone on the boat passes the semiannual Physical Readiness Test-a sequence of events that measures aerobic capacity, strength, and muscular endurance. He’s primarily a “nuke” who operates the reactor in the North Dakota’s engine room, but Shores also oversees the fitness of the 138-person crew, a “collateral duty” that he takes almost as seriously as his primary mission. “We have four torpedoes on board,” says Shores, a 29-year-old from North Carolina who has a square jaw to match his broad shoulders.