Power up! Soldier still one of top lifters in class

Photo By Sgt. Scott Tynes | Second Lt. Nate Davis competes in the obstacle course as part of Team USA Military in Madrid, Spain, on Aug. 1-3. (Courtesy Photo)  

JACKSON, MS, UNITED STATES

08.18.2016

Story by Scott Tynes 

Joint Force Headquarters - Mississippi National Guard

What started as a way to improve his college linebacker skills turned into a passion that led 2nd Lt. Johnathan “Nate” Davis to a world record and two top-10 all-time placements on world powerlifting lists.
Davis, at age 23, made a raw squat of 820 lbs. in the 220-lb. weight class during May 2013 to set a world record. “Raw” means no equipment was used. The former record of 815 lbs. set by Russian Konstantine Pozdeev had stood for five years.
At the same event, Davis made a raw bench press of 420 lbs. and a raw deadlift of 715 lbs. for a 1,955-point total score. That score made him 6th in the world all-time.
“At the time, I was the second best lifter in the world at that weight class,” he said.
Davis competed once more before leaving for Army basic training in May 2014. His preparations for basic reshaped his body and he dropped to the 198-lb. weight class for the Florida event in early 2014. However, it didn’t hamper his performance. He made a raw squat of 720 lbs., which was second all-time in the world for that weight class. He is still ranked 8th in the world at that weight class for the event.
“Powerlifting is kind of a behind-the-scenes sport,” he said. “The people who really care for it are fanatical (about it).”
There has always been more to Davis than pure physical strength, though. At age 26, he is currently a second-year medical Doctoral student at University of Mississippi Medical Center and an officer in the Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG).
“I’m one of those guys who always has a plan and is always going for it,” he said.
Time has not changed that. A native of Mobile, Ala., Davis was raised in Pascagoula, Miss., from the age of 4. He graduated from Pascagoula High School (PHS) in 2008, where he earned All-Region honors in 2007 as a linebacker. It was his desire to improve in football that led him to pick up the iron.
While a student at PHS, Davis met Joe Ladnier, a “powerlifting legend” who lives and owns a gym in Hurley, Miss.
“I learned a lot of technique and how to work out from him,” Davis said.
Ladnier said Davis was a natural and had the drive to succeed early.
“I met Nate at the end of his senior year in high school,” Ladnier said. “I noticed his drive, dedication, and strength while working out in the gym where I was training clients at the time. After meeting him and getting to know his background, I knew he couldn’t afford to pay for personal training, so I offered to train him for free. He responded very well to my training methods, so I decided to sponsor him and take him to compete in powerlifting meets. He was a gifted squatter and excelled rapidly - winning every contest he entered.”
Ladnier became his friend and coach and spotted for him at all his major competitions, including the record-breakers.
“Over the years, Nate has become an adopted son for me and my wife,” Ladnier said. “We couldn’t be more proud of him even if he was our own!”
Davis competed and broke the powerlifting records while playing football and pursuing his biology degree at Millsaps College.
“By this time he was 20 years old and his strength was really booming,” Ladnier said. “I continued sponsoring him, taking him to bigger and better contests all over the Southeast. He was winning and really impressing people with his strength, especially his squatting ability.
“We put everything we had into training and he flourished,” Ladnier said. “I knew he had a chance at breaking the world record and he did, 820lbs raw squat. He was now the best of the best, squatting more than anyone in the world for his age and weight. After this accomplishment, he told me about his plans to join the National Guard to help pay for medical school.”
He has since earned a Masters of Science degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Mississippi and is a second year student at UMMC seeking his medical doctorate with a projected graduation date in 2019.
“I’m most interested at the moment in general surgery,” he said. “My grandfather and three uncles are general surgeons.”
His career goal led him to the Army National Guard. He enlisted in 2013, and was commissioned in 2014 once he was accepted for medical school. He now serves in the MSARNG Medical Detachment.
“The military is a life goal,” Davis said. “The Army Guard, specifically, has really good incentives for medical school. It’s a really good way to support myself and my wife through college.”
He married the former Jessi Broadus of Lucedale in July 2013. She recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. The two are currently anticipating the arrival of their first child.
Joining the Army, however, caused Davis to reevaluate his physical training goals.
“It was a switch of goals,” he said. “I felt I had accomplished what I set out to do. I got into Crossfit after returning from basic training at Fort Jackson. I still wanted to be strong and lift heavy weights, but I felt (Crossfit) was more balanced and a better fit for the Army.”
Today, Davis still squats more than 600 lbs., but he said he is much faster and recently scored a 350 on the Army Physical Fitness Test.
“You have to try to achieve a balance between strength and endurance,” he said. “You need strength in the Army in order to be able to ruck with 80 lbs. on your back, but you also need endurance or you may not be able to run or march long distances.”
Crossfit, Davis said, is good “Army-style training” because it blends elements from a lot of sports to enhance strength, endurance, and agility to make a more complete Soldier.
Davis was selected in June to compete in a military pentathalon in Madrid, Spain, as part of Team USA Military, the joint forces military skills competition team. The team competes once per year in a joint, coalition, military skills event hosted by rotating NATO countries. This year, the Confederation Interallied du Officer Reserve Military Competition was hosted by Spain Aug. 1-3. The pentathalon consists of land navigation, rifle and pistol marksmanship, a 500-meter land obstacle course, and a 50-meter water obstacle course. Davis’ team held the lead until the last day, when the Germans took the win.

• Date Taken: 08.18.2016
• Date Posted: 08.18.2016 14:34
• Story ID: 207575
• Location: JACKSON, MS, US
• Hometown: JACKSON, MS, US
• Hometown: PASCAGOULA, MS, US