Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Romero | Sgt. Justin McCurdy, pictured third from the right in the back row, started the...... read more read more
Working on a small post with limited resources, Soldiers of Joint Task Force Med 374 have had to come up with ways to stay occupied. Some Soldiers have started clubs in order to fill the void and help mitigate mind traps and the monotony of day-to-day life. One such Soldier who is trying his best to make is better and stay engaged is Sgt. Justin McCurdy.
Sgt. McCurdy, by trade is a Biomedical Equipment Specialist, but one of his passions is powerlifting. His dedication to working out and staying fit is unsurpassed by anyone in his unit. For Sgt. McCurdy, power lifting is a lifestyle and is not suited for just anyone. It takes a lot of work, time, dedication and sacrifice to get to his physical state. Sgt. McCurdy has been powerlifting for over nine years, but like everything else, you have to start somewhere. That’s why he started the Barbell Club.
When asked why he wanted to start the Barbell Club and his response was, “To teach soldiers safe and effective was to improve their physical fitness and to introduce individuals to new styles of exercises.” Sgt. McCurdy understands that not everyone wants to be powerlifters, and most are beginning their journey into weight lifting, so during his sessions, he covers the basics of using the gym’s equipment, proper form and technique for specific exercises to minimize the chance of injury and does demonstrations on bodyweight and functional fitness exercises for those that are not interested in powerlifting.
For those that are starting a gym routine, Sgt. McCurdy said, “Try not to be discouraged by not seeing immediate results.” When asked what a reasonable timeframe for seeing results is, his response was “Given that the Soldier is eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated, most people should be able to see results within the first couple of months, but no amount of training will ever beat a poor diet.” This was based on a three day a week training schedule. Sgt. McCurdy tries to consume upwards of 4500 calories on the days that he trains. He achieves this by supplementing the dining facility food with protein shakes throughout the day. While 4500 calories may seem like a lot (because it is) he offsets that by two-hour strenuous gym sessions up to 5 days a week.
That’s dedication… (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Romero/released)
| Date Taken: | 12.03.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2022 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 434434 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Hometown: | FORT SHERIDAN, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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