Beale NCO powers up

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chuck Broadway
  • 9th RW Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Tech. Sgt. Ronald A. Strahan may be just another guy in the Air Force when you happen to e-mail or call his desk; but in person, a different image appears than the one heard over a telephone. He's a bulky guy with an upper body that's filled with so much muscle his uniform top is stretched tight and he's unable to roll up his sleeves. He's got the build of a weightlifter, a power lifter ... A strongman.

Sergeant Strahan is a 222nd Operations Support Squadron Air National Guard Airmen assigned to the 13th Intelligence Squadron as an intelligence analyst. Recently, over the Independence Day weekend, he competed in his first sanctioned strongman competition at the Heritage Day Celebration in Red Bluff, Calif.

Months of training and preparation paid off as he propelled himself to victory and qualified for the national competition in Reno, Nev. in November. Though it took a tremendous amount of personal dedication to succeed, Sergeant Strahan credits a lot of his success to the facilities at Beale and the people who operate them.

With the blessings of his superiors, Sergeant Strahan began a difficult routine of weightlifting, cardio workouts and dieting to prepare for the event. With a target weight of 231 pounds and the new fitness standards constantly in the back of his mind, Sergeant Strahan dropped nearly 70 pounds, cut his body fat percentage in half and slimmed to a 37-inch waist in time for the competition.

According to Sergeant Strahan, his workouts consisted moderate weight training and cardio at the Harris Fitness Center four times a week immediately following 12-hour shifts at the 13th IS. On his days off, he would travel to Reno or Red Bluff and train specifically on the events that would face him during the competition. These events included a 700-pound tire flip, a more-than-200-pound axle bar press, a 500-pound deadlift, a monster truck pull and a "farmer's walk," which consisted of carrying two, 240-pound weights for a set distance.

"I thought about form and technique and focusing on the task at hand," he said. "It's like we train in the Air Force to do a specific task such as putting on MOPP gear, being familiar with the equipment helped a lot."

During his training, the strongman mapped out each and every meal for nine weeks straight. Concentrating on eating high amounts of protein and fats, he sat down with Sue Brewster, 9th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Health and Wellness Center exercise physiologist, to guide him through his meals. While at the HAWC, Sergeant Strahan utilized the "BodPod," which measures body fat percentages.

"I was shooting for the 231-pound weight class, and I was able to make it because of what was available to me at the HAWC and fitness center," Sergeant Strahan said. "I would measure my body fat and adjust my calorie intake often to ensure I was able to be under the weight when I arrived at the competition."

Once at the competition, Sergeant Strahan found himself in a close battle with six other competitors all the way through the last event, the monster truck pull. Even though he had to beat the other competitors to win, this wasn't his mindset going into each event.

"It wasn't me versus the other guys," he said. "It was me versus the weight or event. You're judged against other people, but it's all about how much effort you can put forward. In my training, I always assumed someone was out there training harder than I was so I'd train hard and leave it all in the gym."

Throughout the competition, Sergeant Strahan kept his eyes on winning, but also on representing the Air Force. He sported an Air Force T-shirt during his events and when speaking to the crowd after being crowned champion, reflected on what he learned in the military. From start to finish, Sergeant Strahan and his closest supporters knew he could do it.

"He knew what he had to do to win," said Staff Sgt. Cathryn A. Salesberry, a 9th Comptroller Squadron financial analyst who followed Sergeant Strahan along his journey and attended the event in Red Bluff. "When he was crowned champion, it was great to see the sense of pride that Tech. Sgt. Strahan had for his accomplishment and all the while, he was just happy to be able to compete and serve his country."

Sergeant Strahan will soon begin preparations for the national competition in November. This competition features first and second place winners from each competition held throughout the country during the year.

Excited and motivated by his recent accomplishments, his workouts are sure to be strenuous and long-lasting as he focuses on winning a national championship.