Front and Center: Rebecca Turner

Front and Center: Rebecca Turner

Published on Monday, September 8, 2025

By: Annie Oeth, [email protected]

Photos By: Melanie Thortis/ UMMC Communications

Rebecca Turner practices what she preaches at the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, resulting in placing in the top 10 in the world in the World Natural Strongman Competition in Galway, Ireland.

Turner, a registered dietitian, placed second in the world in the Max Axel Press, one of seven events in the annual competition, in the women's lightweight masters' division, lifting 165 pounds. She was the only American competing in her division.

"My goal was to look like I belonged there," Turner said of competing at a global level. "It is the scariest thing I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done."

Natural Strongman is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of weightlifting through rigorous testing and adherence to natural standards. It was founded in 2022 as United Kingdom Natural Strongman. This year's Natural Worlds included about 250 athletes from 30 countries.

Turner's trip to Galway started at UMMC, when coworker Tommy Berg, an exercise physiologist, asked if she'd be interested in giving Natural Strongman competitions a try.

"He knew I was interested in strength sports," she said. "I laughed, but he encouraged me, so about two years ago, I gave it a try at the Red Brick Rumble, a local competition in Clinton, and got the bug for it."

The sport "looks for absolute strength" in pressing, pulling, gripping and carrying heavy loads over a distance, she said.

Berg said, through getting to know his coworkers, he discovered that Turner has a background in competitive lifting.

"Through our conversations, I discussed with Rebecca how underrepresented women are in strength sports," he said. "Rebecca and I further discussed that I believed she could be very successful, and I encouraged her to try a local competition. During her preparation for that competition, Rebecca trained with my wife and me."

Preparing for the Natural Worlds took eight months, "a season of dedication," Turner said. "I was going to the gym at 4:30 to 4:45 a.m. every day so I could train before the children needed to get up and go to school."

Food was, and is, fuel, she said. "There's no skipping meals during training, and it is no time to lose weight. I relied on lean proteins and good carbs plus rest and recovery."

Turner said she hopes her achievement inspires Lifestyle Medicine patients, "especially women who are over 40. I want strength training to look relatable to them."

Lifting weights and other forms of resistance training have plenty of benefits for those looking to live a healthier lifestyle, she said. Among them are improvements in bone density and metabolic health, a reduction in stress and greater stability, lowering the risk of falls.

"The benefits are endless," Berg said. "Many avoid resistance training due to fear of injury, and many movements are not intuitive. Doing a proper squat is not as simple as walking in your neighborhood. Strength and functional capacity go hand and hand. The stronger you are, the easier activities of life are."

The purpose of resistance training is to mimic movements of life but make them much, much more challenging, he said. "Doing a weighted squat will improve your capacity to rise from a seat. While flexibility and cardiovascular training are important, patients still need the strength to rise from a chair or to carry their groceries into their home."

Lifestyle Medicine can help patients live fuller, more active lives, Turner said.

"Our clinic offers patients their own team of health professionals," she said. "All you need is here at UMMC."

No referral is needed, she said, noting that she hopes more women will make the choice to make healthy changes.

"It is worth the effort," she said. "Women take care of everyone else plus their careers. They need to make sure they are taking care of themselves."

To schedule a Lifestyle Medicine appointment, call (601) 984-2233. Telehealth visits are now available.