Peterson employee also a champ weightlifter

Published Dec. 21, 2007
By Ms. Corey Dahl
21st Space Wing Public Affairs

PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Gym rats here can easily recognize Cyrus Ford - the fitness center regular spends about an hour and a half daily on the weight machines.

But what most people don't know is that Mr. Ford, a Milstar terminal operator with the 21st Space Communications Squadron, isn't just lifting for the sake of lifting. The 242-pound competitive weightlifter is working on defending his state lifting title and many records.

Ranked number one in the state in his weight class by the Natural Athlete Strength Association, Mr. Ford also holds NASA's American records for bench press, curl and dead lift in his weight class. He's currently number five on the association's "Top 100" list and hopes to move up - soon.

"I was number one for, like, six months last year," he said. "I'm working on getting back there. I don't want to be five for long."

Mr. Ford hasn't always been a strongman, though. A scrawny kid in high school, he started lifting weights in hopes of bulking out and looking good. But once he had the body, he didn't want to stop.

"I liked the way it made me look," he said. "I liked the way it made me feel, so I thought, 'It would be really cool if there were competitions for this.' And there were."

Mr. Ford lifted competitively throughout the nine years he spent as active duty Air Force before joining the federal civil service. Now, he competes at two regional competitions in Denver every year as well as one in Las Vegas, and has a room full of medals and trophies to show for it.

He attributes his success to a lot of practice and proper form but doesn't adhere to any crazy eating strategies. Eschewing the weightlifter diet of high-protein shakes or raw eggs, Mr. Ford said he eats what he wants and opts for drive-through hamburgers and French fries more often than not.

"I eat whatever," he said. "I spend a lot of money at the McDonald's here on base. I figure it all balances out in the end."

The most Mr. Ford has ever lifted? He bench pressed 500 pounds at the gym once, but his highest in competition is 463 pounds. At the gym, passersby can often see him lifting at least 400 pounds.

His high-octane workouts often attract attention from people who stop him for advice. In fact, he's helped get one of his co-workers, Michael Sawyers, hooked on lifting weights.

A longtime racquetball player, Mr. Sawyers had never lifted weights until this year, when Mr. Ford helped him draw up a weightlifting plan and showed him the correct ways to perform each exercise. Mr. Sawyers has since doubled the amount of weight he can lift and added about ¾ of an inch of muscle to his arms, he said.

"Hearing Cyrus talk about weightlifting each day and his obvious success motivated me to start a weightlifting program," he said. "He helped me tremendously by writing me a very detailed exercise routine and providing encouragement when my motivation occasionally waned. Not only do I see results, but I feel good after working out."

Now practicing for a spring competition in Oklahoma City and preparing to defend his title and rankings in Denver this March, Mr. Ford said he's happy to pass on any advice. The father of four is anxious to get his two oldest children, who are 11 and 10, started on weights in a few years, once they've grown a little more, and he'd like to find more local weightlifters to practice and travel to competitions with.

"A lot of people are hesitant to approach me," he said. "I must look like I'm this big, scary, mean guy or something. But I'm not. I'll talk to anybody who wants advice."

Push it up!