By Christina Wood

Lt. Col. Oliver George, USAFR, credits the discipline that was instilled in him while attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., for much of his success.

“I believe the military background that I gained at West Point has been beneficial throughout my life, in all aspects of my life — my professional career, sports, the reserves,” he said. “That discipline, that's the foundation.”

A self-professed “skinny kid” who would gaze longingly at the Charles Atlas muscle-building ads in the back of comic books, George developed his physical strength, as well as his mental fortitude, while at West Point. “I knew going into the academy that I wanted to powerlift. I wanted to be on one of their strength teams,” he said. “Powerlifting taught me about strength and movement and power.”

He continues to put those lessons to good use today, both as an officer in the Air Force Reserve and as a competitor in the world of amateur powerlifting.

George was commissioned in the Army in 1989 and left in 1992, following Operation Desert Storm. For the next 13 years, he explored opportunities in the private sector, including a four-year stint working as a personal trainer in Dallas.

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After 9/11, however, he began thinking about returning to the military. “You think differently in your 20s than you do later in life,” he said. In 2005, he joined the Air Force Reserve, with explosive ordnance disposal being his primary career field. As a reservist, he is assigned to the Joint Staff J7 Joint Exercise Division and, until recently, served as the reserve component interagency branch chief.

On the civilian side, George works for the Department of Energy in support of its Weatherization Assistance Program, which enables low-income families to reduce their energy bills by making their households more energy efficient.

Between his years on active duty with the Army and his service in the Air Force Reserve, George has accumulated more than 20 years, but he’s not done yet.

A youthful 57, he’s relishing a new assignment — wargaming — with Joint Staff South. He has also returned to his early interest in powerlifting, doing cardio three times a week and training in the gym at least five days a week. His workouts last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. “It just depends on how much time I have based on my work schedule — and life,” he said.

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“It's hard pursuing your athletic dreams when you have other responsibilities,” he said. And he’s not just talking about finding time to work out. “Mentally, you have to be strong. … You have to get up when you don't feel like getting up and work out when you don't feel like working out. It's the same type of mentality you have in the military. What's the mission? And what does that take? That takes discipline. It takes self-motivation. That takes drive, a determination to be your best. It takes all those things.”

Since returning to competition in 2023, George said his commitment has been rewarded with two world championships in the strict curl and one world championship in the deadlift at the 365 Strong World Powerlifting Federation Games. “The wins, that’s a return on investment and that's continual motivation to keep moving forward.”

In March, George traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the prestigious Arnold Sports Festival for the first time. The annual four-day event, named in honor of Arnold Schwarzenegger — who regularly attends — began as a one-day professional bodybuilding competition in 1989 and has since evolved to become the world's largest multisport fitness festival.

Despite having to take two weeks off from his preparations in order to fulfill his annual reserve training, George deadlifted 525 pounds to take top honors in the Masters Division (55-59 years old) 242-pound weight class, in the Xtreme Powerlifting Coalition meet at the festival.

“It feels great to be competing again,” he said. “It feels great to see my strength coming back at this age.”

Christina Wood is a military culture writer.