Several Hurlburt Field personnel win big for being big

Published June 23, 2009
By 2nd Lt. Mark Lazane
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Airman 1st Class Ryan Baker is an example of what hard work, dedication and a sincere commitment to fitness can do for Air Force personnel.

And he is not alone on Hurlburt Field.

Airman Baker, 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron, recently swept the categories in which he was entered at the Emerald Coast Supernatural Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition held at Niceville High School on June 13.

Airman Baker took first place in the men's open short division, first place in the military division and first place in men's overall. In addition, Airman Baker was named "Best Poser" and received his pro card, which allows him to compete against other SNBF individuals for money and prizes in national competitions.

Joining Airman Baker on the winner's podium was Lt. Col. Bob Eubanks, who took first place in the men's masters category and second place in the military division, finishing just behind Airman Baker.

Rounding out the podium in the military division was Tech. Sgt. Larient Jones, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron. He took third place in the military division in just his second competition.

Fitness competitions are generally separated into three different categories. They are, in escalating order: fitness, figure and body building.

In perhaps a nod to the Commando culture atmosphere at Hurlburt Field, the podium had not seen the last of the Hurlburt Field participants at the competition.

Brenda Shropshire, the 29-year-old spouse of a 1 SOCES Sergeant, took first place overall in the women's bodybuilding competition and also received her pro card. She will continue on to the next SNBF national competition in Montgomery, Ala.

"It's like the Mr. (or Mrs.) Olympia events, but only for all-natural diet and exercise practices," Mrs. Shropshire said. "I'm gonna be a beast."

Lisa Pizzo, the spouse of a Civil Service Air Reserve Technician, is not a stranger to hard work and physical fitness.

She has been working out for 17 years; the last six of which she worked as a fitness instructor.

The transition to figure competitor was an easy one for her.

"It's a way of life," said Lisa, who has two small children at home. She took second place in the tall figure division at the ECSNBF competition, her first formal event. "I make my whole family diet with me. When momma diets, everyone diets."

Lisa will compete in Georgia next month for first place and to receive her very own pro card.

Receiving a pro card is a significant milestone for aspiring body builders and fitness and figure models because it allows competitors to compete in national tournaments against people with bigger physiques, but it disqualifies them from participating in local events such as the ECSNBF.

The reason for limiting individuals with pro cards from participating in the local events is simple, said Airman Baker.

"It'd be like an NFL dude playing high school football," he said. "People with pro cards are usually just a lot bigger and have a lot more muscle than those who compete locally."

In bodybuilding, figure and fitness competitions, individuals compete with each other based on their height. There are three categories: short, which is for individuals that are 5 feet 6 inches and below; medium, for individuals 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches and tall, for individuals taller than 5 feet 9 inches.

For Airman Baker, there will be a significant rest period before training for his next competition begins. During his rest period, he will try to bulk up to approximately 185-190 pounds before beginning training to compete in pro shows in Marietta, Ga., and then the SNBF competition in Montgomery.

"I want to be 10 pounds heavier than [190] by then," he said.

For all the competitiors, the hardest part of maintaining their fitness levels is the dieting aspect of training.

"The hardest part of training is the diet--staying away from carbs, especially bagels and bread," Airman Baker said. "Basically everything I can't have is what I want."

Mrs. Shropshire agreed. "Dedication to dieting is key," she said. "I've had ice cream and peanut butter cups from time to time, but you can't live that way."

The difficulty of dieting was not lost on Sergeant Jones either. "For me, diet is by far the hardest part," he said. "Junk food is my vice. I love junk food."
Mrs. Shropshire's nutritional influences have even spread to her children.

"As a mom, my kids will ask me about their own food," she said. "They're always like, mom, do you know what's in this, it is so bad for us! It's kinda funny actually."

The competitors all feel that dieting is more than just a one-time ordeal.

"It's a lifestyle," said Mrs. Shropshire."When your dieting, you can never be perfect. It becomes a mind game, what you see in the mirror is not what you see in yourself. You will always find something else to work on."

Another difficult part of training is ignoring the numbers that stare back at the competitors on the scale.

"We don't go off of what the scale says," Mrs. Shropshire said. "You always go off of what the mirror is telling you."

"It's even worse in the off-season because you'll shrink down in size a little bit and then you mind starts playing tricks on you, telling you that you need to start bulking up again," Airman Baker said. "When you do start bulking up again, it plays another mind game with you, and you always want to get better and bigger."

For Sergeant Jones, bodybuilding didn't start out as the original goal to motivate him to exercise. He started working out about four years ago as just something to do, he said.

"I caught the bug. I also have a pretty bad temper, so working out helps keep me sane. I take it out on the weights sometimes," Sergeant Jones said.

Preparing to be in the show is an exacting science, and the process is enough to drive some individuals to the brink of craziness, according to Mrs. Shropshire.

"The week before the show is hell week," she said. "You put your body through certain things to force it to look its best. Some days it's a choice between carbohydrates or water, but not always both."

The difficulties of the competition do not cease with the exit from the podium either, said Airman Baker.

"After the competition, the body changes fast," he said. "One day you are in great shape, and then the next day you're 10 pounds heavier."

"It takes like eight weeks to get into great shape and then in one 24-hour period it's all gone," Mrs. Pizzo said.

A normal pre-competition diet may consist of two gallons of water a day in addition to lots of proteins and very few, choice carbohydrates. One week before the competition, the participants cut down to one gallon of water, and then in the days leading up the competition, almost no water consumption.

The strict intake of water is necessary to squeeze as much water weight out of the muscles as necessary.

"The day following the competition you look like the Pillsbury dough boy," Airman Baker said. "I went from 164 pounds to 176 pounds immediately following the competition just restoring the fluids that I had restricted over the past week.

"It doesn't matter how much you weigh when you step on stage," Airman Baker said. "There may be some 250-pound dude, but he is less cut than a 185 pound guy. It's the same with fitness models."

If the idea of weight restriction, strict dieting and looking like a dough boy post competition doesn't sound appealing, but hitting the weights hard and having something to show for it does, powerlifting may be the right fit.

"I can eat what I want because it's all about how much you can lift," said Staff Sgt. Bobby Harrison, 505th Training Squadron. "I don't have to worry about all the stress that dieting causes."

In March, Sergeant Harrison, along with Airman 1st Class Kelsey Carson, 623rd Air Operations Center, competed in the national military power lifting competition sanctioned by the United States Powerlifting Federation in Killeen, Texas.

Sergeant Harrison took first place in the 132-148 pound weight class, as well as top honors as the "Outstanding Lifter" in the lightweight division.

Sergeant Harrison successfully bench pressed 308 pounds, squatted 380 pounds and deadlifted 451 pounds, for a total of 1,140 pounds lifted in the competition.

Airman Carson bench pressed 88 pounds, squatted 143 pounds and deadlifted 165 pounds for a 1st place total of 396 pounds.

Each lifter gets three lifts at each weight to try and qualify, according to Sergeant Harrison, who began working out in 2001 after meeting a friend who was a competitor and doing a workout with him.

There are similarities between powerlifting and fitness competitions, Airman Baker said.

"Most body builders start out as power lifters," he said. "Often, the power lifters change their training style to become bodybuilders."

Regardless of what type of competition the individuals were involved in, dedication and consistency are keys to success.

All of the competitors work out five days a week. In addition, the competitors perform cardiovascular endurance training on a daily basis while in competitive mode.

A typical workout consists of between one and two hours of lifting weights, with minimal rest in between.

Airman Baker likes to rest no longer than 60-90 seconds. Keeping rests to a minimum helps keep the heart rate up and the calories burning, he said.

"If you go any longer, you're probably not keeping your intensity up," Airman Baker explained. "You're probably spending too much time socializing rather than concentrating on the workout."

At the beginning of the training cycle, the focus is on the amount of weight, but it then shifts to repetitions, Sergeant Jones said.

"Fitness is not just passing the physical training test for these individuals, it's a way of life," said Master Sgt. Anthony Gulla, 1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron fitness section chief.

"What they've accomplished is far and above what the military expects of its people, but it's not impossible to achieve. These people walk down our halls and work out in our gyms. Then they go out and win competitions. It's happening, and we are doing well.

"As a fitness instructor here, I try to take Airmen from having the basics of fitness training to having the fitness level a war fighter needs. These people are examples of the elite athletes we send for competitions that are also being sent to the fight," Sergeant Gulla said.

Regardless of your fitness level, exercising is important, said John Proctor, Aderholt Fitness Center fitness director.

"It's great to see people representing Hurlburt Field in these types of events," he said "It tells us where the Air Force is going. It's all natural. It doesn't have to be all those other things like when you see Hulk Hogan and those guys. These competitors work hard and they get great results."

Fitness first