Photo By Senior Airman Baylee Yassu | Staff Sgt. Haleigh Reaves, 8th Medical Group pharmacy technician, concentrates on her...... read more read more
For some, the growing number of women in the military is an empowering achievement.
For Staff Sgt Haleigh Reaves, 8th Medical Group pharmacy technician, enlisting in the Air Force was only the first step in finding her true source of confidence.
January of 2017, Reaves began her journey into the world of powerlifting.
“I was in Kuwait and I found the gym just like most people do during deployment, but I saw people there just lifting all this heavy weight and it really interested me,” Reaves said. “It took me a long time to find workouts that I liked and I just fell in love with powerlifting as soon as I started.”
Throughout this process, Reaves has learned to balance her expectations, while still giving it her all.
“Since the beginning I’ve had to work on my patience. This sport isn’t for the weak minded, it’s tough on your body being under that much weight, and can toll on the body if you’re constantly pushing past your limits,” explains Reaves. “It’s not always about setting personal records every time you’re in the gym, and I had to learn that right from the start. Respecting the weights and those plates on the bar was one of the hardest things for me to learn.”
Once Reaves began investing in the process she noticed a significant change in herself.
“In the 4 years I have been doing this, I have changed completely. I used to walk around with zero confidence, now I am a lot surer about myself,” Reaves explained. “I’d say my confidence has grown 10,000 percent.”
Within the past 4 years, Reaves’ progression has taken her from zero experience to placing 17th out of 108 women in her 2019 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) competition.
“I have gone from not being able to do a single proper squat with the bar to squatting over 300 pounds for a 1 rep max,” said Reaves. “The last time I competed was at the end of 2019 before COVID hit. I had a total 913 pounds for all three lifts which I was extremely excited about. A 181 pound bench, 374 pound deadlift and a 358 pound squat, which I was the most proud of.”
Powerlifting has allowed Reaves’ to grow as an individual, and lead her to a new community of powerful military women.
“Some of the most supportive women in my life I have met through the powerlifting community. It’s a small upcoming community growing every day, which I love,” said Reaves. “The 4 competitions I have done out in Arizona, the warm up section was just all these women empowering each other and cheering each other on. These are people we met just hours ago, it’s an amazing thing to watch.”
For some women confidence comes naturally, but others struggle to find a way to truly uplift themselves. Reaves has a piece of advice for any woman who’s considered powerlifting.
“If you have ever thought about trying it even once, go for it. It’s so incredibly fun, even if your goal is not to compete it’s such a rush to just see what your body is capable of,” said Reaves. “Just completing a workout and seeing your hard work pay off just gives you a certain boost, especially emotionally. The sense of accomplishment just feels amazing, and makes me hold my head a little higher.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2021 21:44 |
| Story ID: | 392659 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 'Zero to hero': Female Airman gains confidence through powerlifting, by SrA Baylee Yassu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
AFN
Korea
Kunsan
Physical Fitness
Growth
Fitness
Gym
Powerlifting
