TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., July 25, 2016 — Heaving 590 pounds onto his shoulders, Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan King repeated a motion he had practiced thousands of times.

Weighing in at 205 pounds, the section chief for Kilo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment here broke two California records during his first weightlifting competition in May.

The 25-year-old native of Livermore, California, set the squat record by squatting 590 pounds before setting the record for the combined squat, bench and deadlift weight totaling 1,615 pounds at the Boss of Northern California United States of America Power Lifting competition in Mountain View, California.

“It was my first competition, so I just wanted to get a feel for it,” King said. “At first, I didn’t really see a reason to compete. I really enjoyed it and will probably still go back, because everyone was so helpful and encouraging.”

Loaded Guns for Loading Guns

King first discovered weightlifting while attending field artillery occupational specialty training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. “I didn’t really know anything about artillery; I just knew I had to be strong to carry the heavy rounds,” he said. “I fell in love with [weightlifting] there. I wanted to see how strong I could become by pushing my body.”

He made great strides since graduation -- in lifting and as a field artillery Marine. He currently performs duties as a section chief and oversees other field artillery Marines as they operate an M77A2 Light-weight Towed Howitzer. Even after setting the state records, though, he still regards becoming a section chief as his greatest accomplishment.

“As a section chief, I’m there to verify that everything is safe,” King said. “I check the round and fuse combination, powder charges and pretty much everything that goes on with the gun.”

King said he believes that it’s important for all Marines to maintain a high standard of physical fitness; beyond that of just training for the physical and combat fitness tests Marines conduct annually. “You’re not necessarily in shape if you can just run 3 miles in under 20 minutes or do 20 pullups,” he said. “Physical fitness is a complete aspect including running, jumping, swimming and lifting. The stronger you are and the more muscle mass you carry, the less likely you are to get hurt.”

Training Regimen

On weekdays, King conducts physical training with his gun section. Because of this, he spends many of his afternoons in the gym. “During [physical training], we usually run or do a [High Intensity Tactical Training workout], so I get my cardio in,” King said. “Mondays are bench and heavy deadlifts. Tuesdays, squats and overhead press. Wednesdays, I work accessories like lats, chest flys, incline press, triceps and biceps. On Thursdays, I do bench and deficit deadlifts.”

Even though his unit is often training in the field, King said, he always manages to find time for his fitness routine. “If there’s something you want to do, you’ll figure it out,” he added. “If we’re in the field, we’ll do [artillery] round presses. Each round is about 95 to 105 pounds, so if you lift enough of them, you’re going to be strong.”

In a typical training program of 12 to 16 weeks, King said, it is important to begin light and work on form and technique to prevent injury. As he approaches the final week, he said, he adjusts to higher weight with fewer repetitions to build strength.

“Setting these records made me feel pretty good,” King said. “I worked really hard, so it shows that hard work does pay off. I believe you don’t have to compete to be proud of what you’ve done. It feels good when you reach a new max.”

Deadlifting 660 pounds can be dangerous. In addition to properly warming up, King has developed his own way of dealing with stress before a big lift. “I get completely quiet and try to clear my mind,” he said. “I’ve done thousands of reps; maybe more. If you just clear you mind, you won’t think about what could go wrong.”