\u201cThat\u2019s classified,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cIn this community you\u2019re going to be called something because you have a funny name or you earned it. Mine was something I earned in part because of my optimism and positive energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain J. Russell Linderman is not known for sitting still. He\u2019s always got something to do, and he\u2019s committed to giving his best efforts towards whatever is in front of him, whether it be his career, family, or himself through fitness. He\u2019s used to that, though, because he described his childhood self in a similar manner. He was always active and never bored.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was one of those kids that was outside all the time \u2013 whether it was riding my bike, running through the woods, or playing sports,\u201d he shared. \u201cMy mother saw that and made sure I was involved in some type of system that helped me stay more organized, which is why I was into sports early on. I was quite a handful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The native of rural Pennsylvania played several different sports<\/a> as a kid such as football, volleyball, soccer, and he wrestled as well. His father had him doing other activities such as rock-climbing, skiing and scuba diving. Aside from the activities themselves, they helped him develop skills working within a team and pushing himself to achieve more, which has served him well in the years since. He credited fitness as a big reason for who he is today, and he\u2019s adamant about its importance for others, whether they serve in the military or not.<\/p>\n \u201cFitness is so important because it can touch so many aspects of your life, and society needs healthy,\u00a0 well-balanced individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n Captain J. Russell Linderman had wanted to serve in the military going back to his younger days, and he even felt compelled to help in other ways as a kid in school.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing back to elementary school or junior high, I always liked helping other people. Whether it was something simple or if another kid was being bullied. When the topic of serving in the military came up, it always appealed to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though his passion to serve was there, his path to the military was an uncertain one at various points. He had suffered undisclosed injuries that postponed his entry into the United States Navy. He focused on education as well, earning his B.S. in Premedicine from Penn State University and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine. He also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he studied brain tumor angiogenesis, growth factor control of blood vessel development<\/a>, and vasoactive hormone receptor localization in the microvasculature. Throughout his college years, his outlet was hours in the gym clanging and banging with the weights, which at that time earned him another nickname \u201cRussellman the Muscleman.\u201d<\/p>\n While he was excelling in school and the gym, he did persevere through the injuries thanks to fitness and his personal will to succeed, and he was commissioned into the Navy as a Lieutenant in 1999. He credited his passion for personal excellence as a key to going through those processes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been something that I\u2019ve heavily relied on for so many reasons,\u201d said Linderman. \u201cIt feels great to come in after a workout<\/a>, feel that sweat and those endorphins. It can help you reset your mental state. It\u2019s very important to me, even now.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2000, Captain J. Russell Linderman went on to work as a Naval Aerospace and Operational Physiologist. His job was to help the pilots, aircrew, and other warfighters perform better through physical performance and fitness.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to teach about human performance, I got to fly, I also had the opportunities to do research. What job could be better?\u201d<\/p>\n The husband and father of two transferred to the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in October 2021, where he\u00a0shares his passion and commitment to fitness and wellness with others in his current role with CHAMP. His objective is to enhance warfighter readiness through evidence-based human performance optimization knowledge, guidance, and operational support. In other words, he helps those he serves apply proven, evidence-based, information to be their best so they can continue to excel as a part of the greatest military force in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get to help servicemembers and their families perform better. That\u2019s what CHAMP does.\u201d<\/p>\n Captain J. Russell Linderman explained that there are four efforts to help provide the information and guidance for those they work with \u2013 education and training, research and scholarship, leadership, and operational support. The guiding principle for their work is Total Force Fitness, which Linderman described as a holistic approach to preventative medicine.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m like the drum major,\u201d he said. \u201cI keep beating the drum to let people know that there is this great resource for military members. I made this unofficial tagline that CHAMP is made for the military, and it\u2019s good for you.\u201d\u00a0 The \u201cyou\u201d in this case being every person that has a computer, or mobile device, and can access the CHAMP website.<\/p>\n There are many resources that servicemembers and families can use to improve themselves that Linderman hopes they will take advantage of. One of those is Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS),<\/a> where dietary supplements can be screened for safety.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a big thing. Say you go to a local store and buy a dietary supplement. You may think since it\u2019s over the counter and says it does this, you should try it. However, there may be a compound in there that military members shouldn\u2019t take. I wouldn\u2019t want to take that risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Another is Warfighter Nutrition<\/a>, which serves as a strategy and guide to help servicemembers optimize performance through their nutrition, even in the most rigorous conditions. He shared another recent resource called Rehab, Refit and Return to Duty,<\/a> also known as Rx3. There are several more platforms that range from rehab to sleep to gratitude and everything in between. Linderman\u2019s focus is to increase awareness of these platforms and programs while also finding new ways to continue optimizing the performance of the heroes in uniform and their families.<\/p>\n \u201cResources like that are extremely important, and they can benefit from knowing and using all of them. They are right there for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Linderman\u2019s career could be considered a template for future advocates of service and fitness. He clearly lives the way he wants to help others live as well. He hopes that his work and experience can serve as a positive example for why younger Americans should consider service for themselves in the future as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a pretty darn good gig. You get to see the world, you get to connect almost immediately to a community, and all the people you serve with become like a family.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Captain](\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Captain-J.-Russell-Linderman-preparing-to-fast-roping-from-a-helicopter.jpg?w=200&quality=86&strip=all\")
![\"Captain](\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Captain-J.-Russell-Linderman-wake-boarding-on-a-lake.jpg?w=200&quality=86&strip=all\")