The definitive in-depth guide for how veterans can become strength sports athletes.
Written by Phil Blechman Last updated on August 19th, 2024Members of the military go through rigorous physical training and are required to make tremendous personal sacrifices. The difference in one’s day-to-day life between working in the military versus post service can be stark, particularly when it comes to physical fitness and finding a renewed sense of community.
That is why we are going to delve into strength sports as the viable option for veterans. Not only can strength sports help veterans maintain or regain their physical fitness, but they can also help fill the need for a friendly support structure made from a community of likeminded individuals.
In addition to better educating about how strength sports can build body strength and community, this article aims to provide resources within the strength sports world and info on its various competitive events.
Strength sports — powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman, and CrossFit — can be just as much about improving yourself as it can be about fueling a sense of competition against other athletes. The goals strength sports athletes set for themselves can be flexible.
So strength sports can be beneficial for anyone by providing structure and routine as well as improving physical and mental health. Let’s talk about what they can offer specifically for veterans.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted in a 2017 study that the majority of the veterans living in the U.S. have significant weight issues: (1)
Among the nearly 21 million military veterans living in the United States, 64.0% of women and 76.1% of men are overweight or obese, higher rates than in the civilian population (56.9% of women and 69.9% of men).
— Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
For Army retirees, the average amount of weight put on in their first year out of the military is four pounds. More significantly, it leads to a trend of continuous weight gain.
A study by the U.S. Army Public Health Command found that “obesity rates for [veterans] are significantly higher than the general population of the same age. In addition, the rate of obesity among these Army retirees is twice as high when compared to active-duty soldiers.”
Lt. Col. Sandra Keelin, a registered dietitian at the U.S. Army Public Health Command, believes that the likely cause of the weight gain for retirees is caused by a combination of decreased physical activity without an adjustment to lower overall caloric intake.
Strength sports can help establish a routine for physical activity, which can enable the consistency needed to build strength. A study in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation found that training each muscle group twice per week provided the most benefit. (2)
For veterans looking to improve their overall health, the Army suggests using the U.S. Army’s Performance Triad, which focuses on sleep, activity, and nutrition. In terms of activity, strength sports can be the avenue to increase physical activity while offering additional motivating factors beyond just wanting to “be more active”.
Let’s discuss some of those factors.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted on June 3rd, 2019, 47% of veterans say adjusting to civilian life after leaving military service was difficult. (3)
This held true regardless of the kind of environment veterans came home to — be it rural, suburban, or urban. A 2017 study conducted by the Center for Innovation and Research at USC School of Social Work determined that “overall trends show that moving into civilian life continues to be difficult regardless of location.“(4)
Involved in that study was Michael Henderson, a former Marine who served for four years in Iraq, who found that college provided a structure that helped him create a life separate from the military.
“You get used to everything being in lockstep and then all of a sudden you have to create that routine for yourself. I think that’s where a lot of friends that I’ve had from the Corps have fallen. They didn’t have something to rally behind.”
Strength sports training and its community may also be able to serve that function: providing structure for veterans who need it.
Although CrossFit is a step more in the functional fitness space — training that prepares the body for everyday movements and activities — it does incorporate Olympic weightlifting. Here is what CrossFit Westchester President Chris Guerrero said when it comes to building a fitness community:
“The community is a place where the vulnerable feel comfortable to fail as often as they succeed. It’s through failure that true growth occurs…where pushing yourself is encouraged, as that is where progress is made. At the end of the day the community is a place where friends of all ages and walks of life come together. We are literally trying to melt their stress away.”
Serviceman and servicewomen of the U.S. Military often endure extended periods of unrecognized stress while on active-duty that have lasting effects even after retiring. According to the American Addiction Centers (AAC):
“Although stressors individually may not cause the toxic effects, together they can create a cascading additive effect.” (5)
Here the AAC’s list of symptoms caused by states of prolonged stress:
Stress can also be a deterrent to physical activity. According to a review in the Journal of Sports Medicine, the experience of stress impairs efforts to be physically active. (6)
So how can strength sports and their communities help relieve these symptoms?
Physical fitness by itself has been proven time and time again to help relieve stress. As little as eight weeks of resistance training can reduce cortisol — a hormone that affects the autonomic nervous system — and stress among people with PTSD, according to study from the Neuro Endocrinology Letters. (7)
Furthermore, training has a significant positive effect on sleep. A study in 2018 published in Sleep Medicine Reviews concluded that “chronic resistance exercise improves all aspects of sleep, with the greatest benefit for sleep quality.” (8)
Incorporating a lifestyle of consistent training in order to reduce stress is undoubtedly supported by the science as well as many veterans personal points of view. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) conducted a survey that revealed that nearly 30% of respondents said physical activity proved helpful for their mental health.
A study published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association revealed that physical activity is even more effective when training with others. Researchers found that physical training in groups lowered stress levels of participants by 26 percent more than individuals who trained alone.
Endeavoring to become a part of the strength sports community, whether in person or online, can also provide the necessary accountability to not only show up and train, but also to train harder than individuals otherwise would by themselves.
[Read More: The Best Back Exercises and 5 Back Workouts for More Muscle ]
Competition is a useful motivational tool to get to the gym and a means to hold oneself accountable. In addition, competing against athletes who are perceived to be stronger by a given metric can also help you perform better.
A study from the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology determined individuals who exercise with a more capable partner improved their athletic performance by 24 percent (9).
Training for competition can also reduce stress. A study the found that frequency, duration, and intensity of organizational stressors — a series of twenty-three items related to stress — lowered for six weeks following a competition that an athlete prepped at least six weeks for. (10, 11)
Prepping for competition has also shown to reliably rebuild confidence of wounded service personnel. So much so that a review in Prosthetics and Orthotics International concluded:
“sport…should be more widely recognized as a component of rehabilitation. This is not just for the role that sport can play as a tool for rehabilitation but also for the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that participation in elite sport can offer.” (12)
For veterans who have suffered a physical injury that would prevent them from competing in non-adaptive competition, there are measures put in place so that they are still able to compete.
Athletes with disabilities compete in the bench press on an adapted competition bench against other competitors in their weight class. Competitors lower the bar to the chest and then press it upwards to arms’ length until elbows are locked out. As with most powerlifting meets, athletes are allowed three attempts.
Powerlifting — more specifically the bench press discipline — has been performed at the Paralympic Games since its inception in 1964.
Both the Olympic lifts — snatch and clean & jerk — are involved in adaptive Olympic weightlifting. Adjustments can be made to suit specific needs a particular athlete might have but the basic movements and goals of each lift remain the same — locking the barbell out overhead.
Both Olympic lifts can be single arm lifts performed by athletes who only have access to one arm. Modifications to the snatch can be done for athletes who require a wheelchair. An example of how a snatch from the seated position looks can be seen below via Sarah Rudder’s YouTube Channel:
The WWP is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 that provides a variety of veteran programs and services that promote mental and physical wellness as well as career counseling and other more specific needs. WWP has previously worked with powerlifting federations such as the Xtreme Powerlifting Coalition (XPC) to hold powerlifting clinics for veterans.
Connect with WWP via their website.
Gerofit is a personalized strength training program through the VA to help improve mental and physical health for older veterans. It is currently available at VA healthcare systems nationwide.
You can find the closest Gerofit location near you via their website.
The United States Olympic Committee partners with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the VA Paralympic Program. They provide a monthly allowance to support Paralympic-eligible veterans in their efforts to represent Team USA at the Paralympic Games and other international competitions — allowances range from $566.97 up to $1,070.40 depending on the number of dependents.
Learn more about the U.S. Paralympics via their website.
The Invictus Games is multi-national sporting event for wounded servicemen and servicewomen that began in 2014 and has been held in London, Orlando, Toronto, and Sydney. The 2020 and 2022 Games will take place in The Hague, Netherlands and Dusseldorf, Germany, respectively.
Learn more about the Invictus Games via their website.
