FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2015) -- One of Fort Jackson's Soldiers has his mind set on breaking a world record in powerlifting.
Capt. Donald Bigham, a master fitness team leader with the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School, will compete in the annual Arnold Sports Festival, in Columbus, Ohio, March 5.
"This world meet is a tournament organized by the International Powerlifting Federation, (or IPF). They take the top 75 athletes out of 10,000 athletes in the U.S. Powerlifting Organization and they put them on the same stage," Bigham said.
Of the 75 athletes, Bigham, 42, is the only one in the military. He will compete in the 93 kg Masters Division weight class.
Powerlifting consists of three events: the dead lift, bench press and squat. Each competitor's weight class corresponds to the total amount of weight lifted.
"I anticipate that I am going to lift between 1,500 and 1,550 pounds for my total lift at this competition," Bigham said.
He said he hopes to break the IPF world record in the squat, which currently stands at 617 pounds.
"My training regimen has me within three pounds of that right now," Bigham said.
In 2013, Bigham set four American powerlifting records. He is also the 2014 Raw National Champion, setting a military American record at 540 pounds in the squat event.
Bigham said he will remain humble as he prepares to step up to the world stage.
"This is going to be an aha moment to be able to go up there take a pause and thank God for giving me the gifts and talents he gave me," Bigham said. "(I will) also thank some other people for mentoring me and my family for supporting me."
In addition to the world meet next week, Bigham also plans to participate in the world championships in June in Finland.
"The future looks pretty good. I am looking toward Finland and representing Team USA in the IPF Raw Classic World Championships," he said. "I would really like to win a world tournament championship. That's my overall goal for this calendar year."
Athletes from more than 40 countries will compete at the world championships.
"Last year, I finished fourth in South Africa, so I think I have a great opportunity to compete and get to the top three," Bigham said. "It's just a blessing to see how my education and desire has allowed me to catapult to the next level.
When Bigham is not setting records, he is helping other Soldiers achieve their powerlifting goals. He coaches the Military Nationals Team, which includes Soldiers from Fort Jackson; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; and Fort Stewart, Georgia. The team consists of 18 to 22 members.
"It's going to be a very diverse team with females on the team, small to large frame athletes," he said. "The largest athlete we have right now is 6 foot 6 (inches), 360 pounds."
The Military Nationals Team is scheduled to compete in the USA Powerlifting Military Nationals, March 13 in Atlanta.
"We have some beginners, intermediate and advanced athletes," Bigham said. "Based on our workouts and the diversity of our team, I am pretty confident that we will do pretty well in this year's competition."
TRACK STAR VISITS FITNESS SCHOOL
Bigham was able to gain some insight into successful training methods when 10-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis visited the school Feb. 5.
Lewis visited the fitness school and multiple training sites on Fort Jackson after his son, Pvt. Bakim Lewis, graduated Basic Combat Training.
"This is a significant blessing to have an athlete of this caliber to come to our organization and have another fellow Soldier join our Army," Bigham said.
Bigham said he gained multiple tips from Carl Lewis during his visit.
"For him to talk about his workout plans, the athletes he trains and how the desire to train and get better is required -- that's one of the big things I took (away from the visit)," he said. "Another thing I took away from him was how he still maintains his weight for so long. He said he is a vegetarian, and so he has to manage his protein, which goes back to what we teach here at the course that this is lifelong fitness, not until your contract ends."
Lewis said he was impressed with the school and its program.
"I've been to hundreds of gyms, but what stuck out to me the most here was the education," Lewis said. "You can go into hundreds of gyms all over the country, and many people have certifications but don't have a clue about the proper techniques for becoming a better athlete. … I think the quest to have the proper teaching, and apply that to the individual is critical."
The Master Fitness Trainer Course is a two-week physical training course designed to increase Soldier physical readiness and reduce injuries.
"We all know about pushups, situps and all that kind of stuff, but the reality is there is a difference between a Soldier who is in shape and a Soldier who is an athlete," Lewis said.
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