Bodybuilding helps Houston veteran triumph over PTSD

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- You may not think that bodybuilding is a place for healing, but the gym is exactly that for military veteran David Cuff.

The regimented schedule is right up Cuff's alley. After he retired, he needed something, he needed a path.

"I hit depression and I needed a hobby to get me through what was weighing on my shoulders, so I got into fitness," Cuff said. "From there I got into bodybuilding."

His trainer Dustan Sensat says Cuff suffered from PTSD, which affects his focus.

"But he has been able to battle through it," Sensat said. "It's an impressive story, quite inspiring."

The gym is his safe place. It allow him to block out the noise.

"I was at the lowest of my life," Cuff said. "I was in the dirt, I had nobody there. The couple of things I had was the gym and Jesus. I am now able to focus on what I need to get into and everything else goes away."

Cuff urges those who are struggling to find a place for that energy.

"If anybody is out there going through something like depression, just find a hobby like the gym or something like that, and keep your mind off that," Cuff said. "If you are feeling depressed, get into that. It can be a great hobby and enough motivation to get off your shoulders."

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