Goals are something every Soldier has. Whether deployed, in their personal lives, or in the gym, everyone has something they’re working towards. For Sgt. Geoffrey Hanscom and Spc. Sam Larson of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, they found a unique way to challenge themselves while staying productive in their free time.
The 1000-Pound Club.
An informal club that many use as a standard to know how strong they are, joining the 1000-Pound Club is a challenging feat. Requiring a challenger to lift a total of 1000 pounds between their bench, squat and dead-lift, it’s something that takes time and hard work to achieve.
With a history of taking on physical challenges, Larson shared that part of the reason he wanted to hit 1000 pounds was to beat his personal record from high school.
Describing self-improvement as a life-long passion, he has played sports since he was a child.
Hanscom also took on the challenge to better himself, but his initial goals were different.
“Before the Army, I was a little overweight, but with the help of basic training I lost a significant amount of weight. After follow-on training, I started to get into weightlifting and just slowly started to fall in love with it. After seeing such improvement, it eventually evolved into a lifestyle.”
The 1000 pound challenge isn’t easy. A wall in the gym shows the names of the most recent to earn a spot, and there is room for new challengers.
Sharing some of the benefits they’ve noticed since taking their fitness seriously, Larson described it as helping him professionally as an artilleryman. It “helps when carrying 100 pound artillery rounds,” he said. There’s also the benefit of being a better teammate.
Hanscom agreed.
Being a gunner for a M777A2 Howitzer, his entire job requires significant muscular strength, endurance and power.
“Having a lifestyle revolving around weightlifting has helped me inspire my Soldiers to improve their overall health.”
With the goal of hitting 1000 pounds complete, their journey isn’t over.
Their next challenge is to pass 1,500 pounds, and to keep encouraging others to challenge themselves physically too.
Date Taken: | 03.18.2020 |
Date Posted: | 03.18.2020 15:49 |
Story ID: | 365410 |
Location: | AF |
Web Views: | 414 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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