Military Bodybuilder Of The Month: Dakota Lindboe

Many military men are family men. Their families follow them to bases and stations all over the globe. Dakota Lindboe took his family to the great plains of the United States. He'd never left the South, so living in North Dakota came with plenty of culture shock.

After the move, Dakota reapplied his efforts to the weight room and turned his physique around. See how this young airman finally achieved the body he wanted in this installment of Military Bodybuilder of the Month!

My grandaddy used to have an old rusty EZ-bar sitting out behind his house with about 25 pounds on it. He and I would go out and do curls, overhead presses and a few other basic exercises. I was only 8 or 9 years old, so I had no idea that I was working my muscles. I was just having fun.

I got my first gym membership when I was in high school at Future Fitness in Lake City, Florida. I didn't know what I was doing, so I would just go in there and bench press or do curls or whatever I saw the guy beside me doing. It wasn't until I got to my first base of Minot, North Dakota, in 2010, that I started hitting the gym hard and doing my research on how to build and strengthen my muscles.

I wanted to start lifting because my wife loves to work out as well. It's something we could do together. She gave birth to our daughter since we've been in North Dakota, so I figured I needed to get as intimidating as I can before she starts bringing home boys for me to meet.

The hardest part of making the transition to military for me was moving away from family. Before moving to Texas and then North Dakota I had never been farther than Alabama. I had certainly never experienced negative-degree weather or snow, so that was a huge adjustment for my wife and me. As much as I've said I hate this place, it has been a great experience.

I started out on a four-man fire team and now am on a Tactical Response Force. I am currently in the process of retraining into combat arms.

If I hadn't joined the military I more than likely would have continued in construction. I have two older brothers. One runs heavy equipment and the other is a contractor, so construction kind of runs in the family.

I'm not sure about different branches, but PT definitely differs depending what job you have or what unit you are assigned to.

The biggest obstacle for me at first was leaving work at work. I don't regret joining the military for one second, but there were times that I would come home after being gone for 3-4 days in a bad mood and I wasn't seeing what kind of affects it was having on my marriage. The constant absence for periods of time is tough, but you work through it and find that communication is the biggest factor.

The biggest obstacle bodybuilding-wise is not having a set eating, sleeping, or workout schedule.

I think there is a little of both. I think it is less difficult for military because it is mandatory for us to stay in shape and we are encouraged to workout. It may be a little more difficult because we don't always have a set schedule, so we may not get to lift or eat a decent meal every day.

*Every third day I do abs and at least 10-15 minutes cardio everyday

My short-term plan, as far as bodybuilding goes, is to enter my first bodybuilding show in men's physique. My long-term goal is to qualify for the pro level competitions. I also plan to get sponsored and pictured in a magazine. In the next few months I will work on getting my personal trainer's certification, so I can not only learn more about making myself better, but help others to better themselves. I will build as long as my body holds up and allows me to get bigger and stronger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Mike O'Hearn, Ronnie Coleman, and Phil Heath!

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.