Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Leticia Samuels | CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – U.S. Army Master Sgt. Chastity King, non-tactical vehicle...... read more read more
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – Bits of chalk-dust fill the air after U.S. Army Master Sgt. Chastity King claps her hands together. She sets herself in place underneath the 135-pound weight bar. The numbers “three, two, one” echo through the gym, signifying the first wave of the cross-fit weight lifting competition at Camp Buehring Dec. 31, 2017.
“I’m shocked and very humbled that I won,” said King, the non-tactical vehicle fleet manager assigned to the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade. “It’s surprising to see how strong I have gotten through working very hard and doing my best to stay focused.”
Winning this competition is especially rewarding to the 26-year veteran from Morganton, North Carolina , because of her tough journey battling weight loss in the past.
“I was a stay-at-home mom after having my last child,” said King. “I found comfort in food and also had low self-esteem and wasn’t very confident in myself. I saw a picture of myself at Thanksgiving and was shocked that I let myself go like that.”
King explained that she weighed 280 pounds. The very next day she decided to change the way she ate and started working out more. “I wanted to be healthy for my kids,” said King. “I didn’t want to be that parent that couldn’t get outside to play with their kids and be out of breath.”
King starts her morning off early to incorporate her rigorous physical training regiment into her day.
“I hit the gym at 4 a.m. until 6:30 a.m. seven days a week,” said King. “I work a different muscle group a day. I hit legs twice a week, and I do 30 minutes of cardio too. I also go back at lunch time and hit more on that muscle group I worked. But remember, it’s 80 percent diet and 20 percent gym.”
King’s determination and hard work had her weighing-in at 133 pounds for the cross-fit competition. Despite her incredible new weight transformation, King still felt a sliver of anxiety before the competition.
“I'm very shy about lifting in front of people,” said King. “I'm good with being in the gym and working out, but when I’m in front of a crowd I get very nervous.”
Competitors had two minutes to complete as many repetitions as possible in each of the three events to include the dead-lift, bench press and the back squat. Competitors had to lift weights equivalent to their body weight or more in their perspective weight class.
“I just stuck to my training plan and focused more on my form for the competition,” said King. “I read the rules prior to the competition and made sure I was low enough and did my pauses on bench.”
King explained that reading and research played a big part of her success, but family helped her the most when she started out.
“My kids are my motivation; they are my heart,” said King. “I also didn’t want to be that girl any more. I wanted to take control of my life and be a stronger woman; not just for me but for my kids.”
King emphasized how important it is to believe in yourself and surround yourself with people that will hold you accountable.
“I would say to never give up!” King exclaimed. “Set a goal and go for it. Never let anybody say you can't; you can. Be kind, be humble and just be you,” said King. “It doesn’t matter what age you are; you can change. It’s up to you. You have one body, and you need to take care of it. Why not see what your body can do?”
| Date Taken: | 01.06.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2018 07:42 |
| Story ID: | 262533 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldier channels inner strength to match outer strength, by SFC Leticia Samuels, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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