Number 902 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) personnel took part in a charity Bench Off to bench press the equivalent in weight of an A400M Atlas aircraft (141,000 kg).
The event was organised by SAC Canavan and SAC Thompson who catered for a range of abilities with a 50kg and 25kg bench press based on 28 personnel repeatedly performing 10 repetitions at their preferred weight.
At the halfway point (70,000kg bench pressed), KBR contractor staff provided a much-needed protein boost of scones with jam and cream, which personnel tucked into between sets. In aid of the mental health charity MIND, which is close to both SAC Canavan and SAC Thompson, the Bench Off was a huge success with personnel completing the challenge in 57:08.29 minutes and £130 raised.
Having set the benchmark (no pun intended), the challenge has been highlighted to the other units within Number 83 Expeditionary Air Group – Number 901, 903 and 906 EAWs – to see if they can beat the time while raising further awareness of, and monies for, MIND.
SAC Thompson said:
“Having recently become a Mental Health First Aider, I thought the Number 902 EAW Bench Off would be a perfect way to raise awareness of mental health. The event has highlighted the importance of looking out for each other while serving in the military and has fully embodied our team ethos of ‘One team, One fight’. It was a great success and will hopefully generate some healthy competition with the other EAWs.”