Photo By Master Sgt. Ben Navratil | U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Lopez, a Los Angeles native and signal support specialist with...... read more read more
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KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan— As violent as boxing can be, many participants have also spoken of its therapeutic or physical benefits upon the mind and body. For U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Lopez, a native of Los Angeles and a signal support specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, both attributes certainly hold true.
Lopez, a six-year Army veteran presently serving in eastern Afghanistan, dabbled in other sports growing up, especially running. It wasn’t until his senior year in high school, however, that he discovered what would prove to be a passion for a life between the ropes.
“I found a level of comfort in boxing that wasn’t there in track and cross country,” said Lopez.
An amateur fighting record of 12-0 fueled his boxing interests further, and after joining the Army in 2005, those desires continued to grow. With an eye to his future, a duty assignment at the often-frigid Fort Wainwright, Alaska, allowed him to take care of a couple goals simultaneously.
“Going to school and boxing was pretty much all I did in Alaska,” he said.
Deciding to test himself further, he entered the All-Army Boxing Competition in December 2005 and proceeded to make the team. Before being able to compete as a member of the team, however, professional duties intervened with an unexpected and most unfortunate twist.
While deployed to Iraq in 2006, Lopez suffered a leg injury caused by an improvised explosive device that struck the vehicle he was travelling in just outside Taji. The injuries were severe enough for him to take a forced layoff from boxing-related activities for more than a year.
Now that he’s fully recovered, Lopez has tailored his diet and fitness regimens toward his boxing goals. For someone who may be trying to lose weight, the 5,000 daily calories that Lopez eats might sound unbelievable, but it’s a diet Lopez has found beneficial.
“I eat about five or six small meals spread throughout the day,” he said, with red meat eaten sparingly every couple weeks.
His main dietary staples are almonds, mixed nuts, whey protein, chicken and fish. Sodas and fried foods are avoided completely, all part of a diet that properly fuels an extensive training regimen.
“I have a routine that I go through with about 3-4 others,” said Lopez.
One of those exercise partners is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Larissa Kirkland, the property book non-commissioned officer in charge for the 3rd BCT, 1st Inf. Div., and a native of Fort Worth, Texas. She asked Lopez to help devise a fitness routine that she could follow based on his boxing workouts.
“The conditioning standard for boxing is what appealed to me,” said Kirkland, who had never done any type of boxing fitness regimen previously.
“I needed something new. I had hit a plateau and I needed to change,” she said.
Now that she has been doing it for more than three weeks and loves it, she plans on incorporating it into her permanent workout routine. She especially likes the emphasis Lopez places on abdominal work and plyometrics.
“I have incorporated it into my whole routine,” said Kirkland.
For Lopez, taking the time from his 14-hour work days to help train others still leaves him with ample motivation to push through his own workouts.
His boxing-specific exercises consist of pushing and flipping heavy tires, beating on tires with a sledgehammer, and working on the speed bag and heavy bag at Forward Operating Base Salerno’s specialized gym, aptly referred to as “The Dojo” by its numerous patrons. Actual sparring will only come after Lopez feels his body is fully prepared for the rigors of the ring.
“I’m still in my conditioning phase,” said Lopez of his present two-week cycle largely consisting of cardio, plyometrics and abdominal work.
On top of his busy work and exercise schedules, he still finds the necessary time to carry four online college courses through the University of Louisville, with the goal of earning a degree in anthropology. His Army enlistment will expire in April 2012, when he’ll look forward to becoming a full-time student at the University of Louisville campus.
A future in boxing also looms, but whether or not he succeeds in fighting professionally one day as he hopes to, his efforts have still borne much fruit.
“What he taught me has made it easier for me to achieve,” said Kirkland.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2011 00:29 |
| Story ID: | 73826 |
| Location: | KHOWST PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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