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    Mind, bodybuilding and soul

    Mind, bodybuilding and soul

    Photo By Staff Sgt. William Banton | Air Force Staff Sgt. Brandon Fleming, an Alaska Mission Operation Center and 301st...... read more read more

    ANCHORAGE, AK, UNITED STATES

    12.09.2016

    Story by Staff Sgt. William Banton 

    Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs   

    On Nov. 5, Fleming competed in the Alaska Bodybuilding Fitness Federation’s 28th Annual Anchorage Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Bikini and Physique championships taking first place in two categories: men’s classic physique and men’s bodybuilding.

    To the public, bodybuilding may be a sport marred by imagery of steroid use, fake tans, huge muscles, baby-oil-glistening bodies – and for the nostalgic – Lou Ferrigno hulking-out as CBS’s “The Incredible Hulk.” But for those who choose to compete, the media-driven stereotype of a ‘roid fueled jughead’ depicts a lack of understanding of the discipline, perseverance and intelligence required to achieve a goal of chiseled physical perfection.

    “There’s kind of a negativity on the sport,” Fleming said. “That being a bodybuilder means you’re on steroids and that you have to be taking [illegal enhancement] supplements to actually succeed in this sport.”

    The ABFF is a natural bodybuilding organization and enforces strict no substance policies for its competitors, including bans on anabolic steroids.

    “I find [the policy] definitely helps some of the younger guys getting into this sport because they see so many magazines pushing different items,” Fleming said. “It really helps for them to see someone achieving their goals in this sport without using that stuff.”

    To achieve his goal Fleming spent more than a year and-a-half training hard to add the mass he needed to reach a competitive level.

    “I guess I always had good genes because people would always ask me if I competed,” Fleming said. “But I never thought about it really. I was always interested in the sport and the art of it but I never actually plunged myself into it until I got up to Alaska.”

    In competitive bodybuilding, contestants' physiques are judged on size, shape, symmetry and definition.

    The complexity of the strict workout and diet required to be competitive was compounded by the fact that Fleming lived in a hotel room while attending training for six months out of state. When he got back to Alaska last spring, he found Coach Marvin Wilson.

    “His dad was in the Air Force and trained a lot of people up here, like [professional bodybuilder] Sean Wolfe when he first got into bodybuilding,” he said. “Marvin was pretty much born into bodybuilding because of his dad, so he has a lot of knowledge on the sport.”

    Fleming started a strict preparation regimen this past June cutting his weight from 205 to 160 pounds by the time of his first competition.

    “I was sitting around 18 percent body fat, which was more fluff than I wanted but I needed it for the mass,” Fleming said. “Being natural it’s kind of hard to add that kind of mass.”

    An athlete’s body composition is the physical measurement used to determine the amount of fat compared to the amount of fat-free mass in the body; bones, muscle, and tissue. A healthy body fat percent in an average male is 18 to 24 percent and 6 to 18 percent for the average college athlete. At the ABFF competition in November, Fleming’s was 3.2 percent.

    The transition to a herculean stature affects the body’s energy level creating a perpetual state of physical and emotional exhaustion, Fleming said.

    “By the time you compete your body wants to shut down almost,” he said. “Everything is sore, you’re hungry and you’re craving sugar like crazy. By that time, everyone has a sweet tooth and you just want to eat anything that is not what you typically eat.”

    During the final weeks of preparation, Fleming was maintaining a 2,500 calorie-a-day diet, which was mostly protein. He offset his calorie intake with a high cardiovascular workout and time in a sauna.

    “When you get done you really don’t have any energy to do anything else but you also have to do posing practice,” he said. “You almost want to go home and be like ‘why am I doing this?’”

    For those people who are interested in getting into bodybuilding, Fleming has the same advice as for those just looking to get in shape.

    “Set a goal and stick with it but once you hit that goal set yourself another goal,” he said. “I find that most people will hit that benchmark point that they set for themselves and then they let all their old habits come back.”

    He also recommends anyone interested in joining the sport seek out someone already competing who has knowledge.

    “There’s a lot of bad information out there on the Internet, which might have worked for [one person] but may not work for you.”

    Fleming said he feels his accomplishments in bodybuilding help show the public a broader scope about what life in the military can be.

    “It’s a positive note for anyone who might be looking at coming into the military,” he said. “It says [you] can achieve something [greater than] just your military-based function.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 12.09.2016
    Date Posted: 12.09.2016 19:48
    Story ID: 217145
    Location: ANCHORAGE, AK, US

    Web Views: 146
    Downloads: 0

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