Navy veteran becomes avid weightlifter Published Feb. 11, 2015 By Ryan Stark Nucleus staff KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Most people who put more than three decades of their life into a military career would choose to retire and take it easy. Not so for Mike Shannon, a retired Navy captain with 34 years as an emergency trauma nurse in the service. A competitive powerlifter, his training schedule has him sweating at Kirtland's East Fitness Center nearly every day. Shannon has won in his age and weight divisions in state, regional and national competitions, he said. He can lift 315 pounds from a squat position, 350 pounds from the bench press and 405 pounds deadlifting, the three positions in which participants compete. Shannon competes against lifters age 60-69. There are categories for participants ages 70-79 and 80-89 as well. "You have to be pretty dedicated," he said, "working in the gym every day." A nursing instructor at Central New Mexico Community College, Shannon, 61, is a relatively recent powerlifter. "It's psychologically very rewarding," he said. "My students at CNM really love it. They just thought I was the fat guy at the front of the classroom." He took up the sport about 18 months ago when he entered his first tournament. He and his son dared each other to enter the competition, Shannon said. "It was a bet with my son," he said, "but he reneged." Shannon said he was impressed by the friendly nature of the competition among powerlifters. "It's so wide open, fun and competitive," he said. "Honestly, if you go to the meets, everyone's incredibly friendly and wants you to succeed." Shannon participates as a "raw" powerlifter. In other words, no steroids or other performance-enhancing substance. "It's called 100 percent raw," he said. "It's really all-natural." He added that the "raw" designation also means assistive devices, like lifting straps or belts wider than four inches, are not permitted. For anyone interested in starting powerlifting, Shannon's advice is simple. "Just start," he said. "Always follow through with what you think you can do. You never know your potential unless you try."