Three unconventional training lessons from an Air Force Ninja
By Ainslie Murray | Presented by the Royal Australian Air Force|
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Alex Bigg is a name you may very well have heard before. Bigg is an Avionics Technician in the Air Force and a return contestant for the 2018 installment of Australian Ninja Warrior.
As Bigg tirelessly prepares to tackle the course for round two, this fierce, confident and determined Ninja alum has a few great lessons to impart on new Ninja hopefuls — so listen up.
Bigg's story in the Australian Defence Force begins when he was fresh out of high school. A month into his engineering degree with a pocket full of dreams and ready to earn a dollar, he decided to trade in uni life and follow in his brother's footsteps by embarking on an exciting career in the Air Force.
"I had heard the stories of his trips and escapades, the mate-ship that comes from being in the Air Force, and the money he was earning; he had sold me on it," Bigg says.
And so, just like that, Bigg began his career in Avionics.
"An Avionics Technician is sort of like an electrician for an aircraft. I take care of a heap of electrical flight and mission systems, as well as maintain the aircraft instruments and oxygen systems," explains Bigg.
Ninja 2.0
Becoming deeply engrossed in his Ninja training once again, Bigg sheds some light into what initially sparked his interest in the challenging course and why he's stepping up to the plate for a second time.
"I think everyone that has been on Ninja Warrior can tell you the moment in their life they decided to make a change. For me, my change was to get fit."
"My light-bulb moment occurred when I landed in the Middle East on deployment. My RAAF mate and I decided to do a bit of a weight loss challenge between us as we had three months there with no distractions and no excuses. Since then I've just never stopped training and exercising," he says.
"I went into my first season of Ninja Warrior overly confident. I hadn't even contemplated the possibility of coming off early, let alone on the second obstacle."
"I was angry with myself, then disappointed in my efforts because I felt like I'd let others down."
Family drive
Driven, passionate and resilient are character traits we've come to expect in Defence recruits turned Ninjas, but Bigg credits his main motivation to his wife, work mates and in particular his son, Arlo.
"I thought, if I were to give up after only one attempt that would be a pretty poor lesson to pass on to him. So, I trained, a lot, re-applied and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to have another crack."
It's no surprise this self-confessed adrenaline junkie has a major penchant for extreme sports too and regularly partakes in skating, rollerblading, spearfishing, downhill mountain biking and four-wheel driving.
Training for season two saw Bigg ramp up his fitness regimen to a new level. This time around the Avionics Technician specially built his own home gym where he engaged in some serious high-intensity work-outs, six days a week.
"It has a ladder, a peg board, cliff hanger, slider, a rock climbing wall and a lot of monkey bars and holds to swing from," says Bigg.
Air Force foundation
A career in the Air Force has certainly helped prepare Bigg for the mental and physical difficulties that comes with competing in Ninja Warrior. The well-travelled Avionics Technician needs to maintain a strong level of health and fitness for his role in the Air Force which has seen him deployed to many corners of the globe — Japan, Malaysia, the Middle East and all throughout Australia.
"I am lucky enough to have a pretty unique job that can provide a bit of a rush, especially from travelling and driving some of the bigger machinery or loading up the explosive ordnance," Bigg says.
"I think the Australian Defence Force, no matter the service you look at, will always produce decent contestants for Ninja Warrior," Bigg says.
"From the day you join up, you're challenged to overcome obstacles and you get taught about the ramifications of not completing something. I think, because of that mindset, ADF members hate to fail and always give it everything they've got."
*Presented by the Royal Australian Air Force.