Photo By Staff Sgt. Brian Ragin | Staff Sgt. Bradley M. Arbic, an intelligence sergeant assigned to 7th Special Forces...... read more read more
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Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. - - Walk into the Combat Readiness Training Facility (CRTF) on the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) compound during lunch and you will see a handful of Soldiers training on treadmills, row machines, and free weights. A fixture within the CRTF is Staff Sgt. Bradley M. Arbic, a 35- year-old Michigan native and intelligence sergeant, lifting a dazzling assortment of impressive sized weights and barbells.
Arbic’s tremendous accomplishment is due in part to the utilization of the Tactical Human Optimization Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning. (THOR3) section training to hold his USA Powerlifting Florida state records.
Before the spring of 2015, Arbic had never competed in a powerlifting event while enlisted in the Army. Today, Arbic holds several Florida state records for the Super Heavy Weight Division. He set the Florida record for squats with 749.5 pounds, deadlift with 771 pounds; and the overall record for Men's 308 raw open with 2000.6 pounds.
Arbic’s powerlifting background dates back to childhood memories with his father. His father competed in powerlifting competitions winning many trophies and titles.
"Powerlifting is a part of my lifestyle," said Arbic." Much of my life has been spent weight training through elementary and middle school. High school is where I started taking powerlifting seriously."
Since his arrival to 7th SFG(A), Arbic's desire to compete professionally increased after his first competition where he ranked nationally, and placed 25th in the country.
Arbic credits the THOR3 staff and facility with the success of his first competition. "The facility, staff, and equipment is world class," said Arbic." There aren't a lot of commercial gyms or military facilities with the equipment and space that we have here. The ability for me to have access to the equipment is a huge opportunity."
THOR3's goals are to increase the physical and mental capabilities of Army Special Forces by helping the Soldiers recover rapidly from injuries sustained in combat or training. The ultimate goal is to help forces contribute longer and remain healthy while doing it. Their program differs from traditional Army fitness programs in several ways, including its holistic approach to improving physical and mental performance. THOR3’s focus is on individual and unit needs.
The THOR3 specialized staff includes: program coordinators, strength and conditioning coaches, physical therapist, dietitians, and a cognitive enhancement specialist who deliver training and rehabilitation services that are on par with professional sports teams.
Michael Sanders, a human performance coordinator for THOR3 explained how the program works, “We sit down with Soldiers and find out what are their goals are and design a program to achieve their goals.”
Arbic took advantage of what THOR3 had to offer by linking up with John Mackerise, a strength conditioning coach for THOR3. Though Arbic already had a program that was working for him, the two linked up to assist in improving the number of his squat repetitions.
"He is a very knowledgeable guy," said Mackerise about Arbic. “We exchanged ideas back and forth about how to improve his program. My main contribution to his ultimate success was his squat. A year ago he was trying to hit a certain weight at one repetition, but now with the tweaks we made to his training program, he's increased his squat repetition four or five times."
Over the last few years, Arbic has participated in several power lifting competitions to include the Iron Coach Classic, two iterations of Bending the Bar and two National Championships. He is currently training for his ultimate goal, which is to compete in the International Powerlifting League (IPL) World Powerlifting Championships in Las Vegas on November 2017.
After the competition in Las Vegas, Arbic plans to take a break from the vigorous training to focus on new goals.
He is enjoying his Army career, and appreciative of a supportive Chain of Command who allowed him time to compete and achieve his goals. "My life philosophy is if you're going to be alive you're going to experience pain," Arbic stated. "I rather be strong and in pain, than be weak and in pain. My overall goal is to be strong as I can be. I achieved this goal with the Army’s help."
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.16.2017 14:43 |
| Story ID: | 251855 |
| Location: | EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 982 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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