Photo By Katherine Spessa | 1st Lt. Michelle Petry, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Flight...... read more read more
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When 1st Lt. Michelle Petry first began weightlifting her senior year of college, she never thought she would be able to do a pull up, or get maximum points on her physical fitness test.
Four years into her fitness journey, “I never thought my body would be capable of doing the things my body is able to do now,” said Petry, the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Flight commander.
“I found that when I started working out and enjoying what I was doing, I looked forward to it which gave me more discipline. I have a stronger mentality, I have more determination to do things I never thought I could do.”
She is now an avid weightlifter and helps others on their journey as well, teaching fitness classes at the gym here five nights per week.
“If you’re having a stressful day, pushing around a lot of weight can help you relieve your stress, and if you’re having a good day, it’s a great way to cap off the day with a great workout,” Petry said about working out and teaching others.
She says that over the last five months she has loved seeing the growth and increased self-confidence of those in her class, reminiscent of her own evolution.
One particular class member has inspired her and others: a veteran who lost a hand after a helicopter crash.
“When he first came to my class, he would kind of be in the background, maybe do some situps, just hanging out,” Petry said. “As time progressed, he’s gotten a little more comfortable and he’s started doing workouts.
“I was so proud of him – a few weeks ago, he did a workout with the class, exactly as everyone else did. He did it! I called time because the workout was done and he kept swinging his kettlebell because he was so excited that he was doing the workout with everyone else.”
Prior to her deployment, Petry was one of three females selected to participate in the Battlefield Airmen Physical Training Study.
The validation portion of the test required Petry and the other participants to perform deadlifts, sandbag carries, weighted pull ups and more. The later portion of the test included combat scenarios to see if the techniques used correlated to success on the battlefield.
“I just decided I was going to do it because I knew I was capable of training myself and reaching my goals and I did,” Petry said. “It’s such a sense of accomplishment which gives me a lot of confidence. With that confidence, I’m willing to step out of my comfort zone even more.
“I may not get it right away but I train and then I reach that goal and then I push myself a little bit farther.”
When Petry returns to her home station, Petry will train to become one of those Battlefield Airmen, by attending explosive ordnance disposal school.
In order to prepare for the challenge, Petry practices ruck marching and continues weightlifting daily.
“A ten minute mile-and-a-half takes a lot more work and practice for me than a guy straight out of high school, but because we’re kept to the same standard, regardless of whether it’s me or him that’s there, the mission still gets done,” said Petry said.
“My journey has probably taken a lot longer than the majority of the people there, but now that I’ve trained myself to be where I am, I think we’re all going to struggle the same amount.”
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2017 12:17 |
| Story ID: | 228868 |
| Location: | PARWAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 895 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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