Unedited from that very day 3 years ago, a nearly 17 year old innocent little Ryan being interviewed for the school yearbook and paper. Reading my answers to these questions, I like to think I had some wisdom for a 17 year old kid. I’m still on that journey I speak of, and I’m loving it. Enjoy, with some of my favorite pictures, some never seen before! (there are benefits to being one of the select few who read my posts)
How did it feel to walk across the stage?
A: – it felt like a culmination of 4 years of my life being defined in one moment in front of thousands of people
How did you celebrate after graduation?
A:i went to project graduation with my closest friends. our bus was overloaded because i declared our bus “the party bus”
What were your feelings after realizing you graduated?
A: my feelings were, accomplished. i thought i would be really sad, but i wasnt, looking around seeing all of my friends and fellow students rising in the end and being applauded by everyone, it just made me feel like through all the tough lessons learned and all the hard work, it was all worth it.
How do you think graduation wrapped up the year?
I told myself I would never share this beyond the depths of my old myspace. well here it is. the infamous speedo indecent at the biggest sickest party in the nicest neighborhood in town. everyone saw my goodies that night.
A:for me, it ended the most storybook senior year i think anyone could’ve had. from being a football captain, getting good grades, going out every weekend, dating, prom, and graduation. it was the perfect ending.
Do you feel accomplished after getting your diploma? Explain
A: yes, even though i wasnt the best student. i lived life through highschool like i believed it should’ve been lived. i was never spending hour studying, i was trying to be happy. i wasn’t an a student, and never will be. i can say i did my best, and i have accomplished enough as the next guy. my diploma is just the beginning really. and i believe its that way for everyone.
What does graduation symbolize to you?
A: – it symbolizes growth. as a student, but most of all as a person. the choices we all made in highschool have effected our habit, our habit effects our attitude. and our attitude effects our charachter. to me charachter was always the most important. so much more than any peice of paper can say. graduation represents the coming to adulthood more than the passing of classes to me.
How is graduation going to change your friendships?
A: graduations will test the majority of my friendships, im losing the vast majority of my friends. but i cant be sad. i am so happy for all of them reaching their goals, and living their dreams. the journey of life is a long one, and im looking forward to the rest of it.
This last photo is a special one, I remember immediately after this stopped it was time for the real world. It was probably a week before graduation, and that this was the last time any of us would have pure unadulterated child like fun like we did here. I remember being lost in the moment, and being so happy that my heart beamed. I was surrounded by the most important people in my life and I was done with high school. I still had that terrible feeling though, deep down in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was over. The freebies, the easy ride, having things done for me, scathing by by the skin of my teeth when I should have been punished, tearing shit up without a care in the world. I knew it was finally over.
I decided to share this interview because I literally stumbled upon it for the first time since I had it those years ago. My best friends sister is graduating in a few weeks, and I’ve seen her grow before my own eyes, it takes me back to the days these pictures were taken. Looking back it fills my heart with joy, and makes me happy to know I am exactly where I want to be and I am becoming the man I desired to be during the time this interview was taken. Its comforting to know the words I spoke still strike a chord within me and that I am on the journey of life I knew I would be on at that time.
The dreams I had then are the dreams I have now, I’m just a lot more wise and a whole lot bigger physically and spiritually.
Nostalgia is not a bad thing, and what I am doing may seem a little overboard, but there is a point friends. Pause a moment and think back the same time period this is spanning for me, 3 years or so. Are your attitudes the same? Has your character been compromised? Are you on the path that you envisioned for yourself? I speak a lot about goals, attitudes, character, and habits. This is why people, without these pieces all together you cannot hope to become what you dream of and desire most. We all stray from the path, do not thing you are alone in your trifles and don’t forget we all have demons. Staying steadfast in the face of adversity is the most desirable trait of successful people, failure is going to happen what matters is you grow from it, in this grace failure is beautiful and important beyond actual success. If you have strayed from your path, make an effort to get back on. One step at a time, with your chin up and heart beaming leading the way. Rejoice in your strength, because you DO have it. Feel your power. Unleash your spirit in everything you do.
The Bellsheiko program is the brainchild of myself and USAPL MIlitary/Masters National Champion and Team USA Masters World member Andre Gholson. We began speaking of creating a program that combined the famed Boris Sheiko’s plan with Our Coach Gene Bell’s Methodologies October 2011, this program is the result. I came up with the core of the work based on Sheiko’s programs and added to it what Andre and I believed was important to becoming a big bencher, Andre drafted up the optimal accessory work based on what he has experienced in the bell powercycle and training under Gene (longer than I have). The program was designed for an equipped lifter, but from what Dan experienced, shows that it can also be used proficiently for a raw lifter… The program has been used by myself successfully for two cycles, adding to my raw strength noticeably and has translated well over to my geared training. Dan is the first person outside of BPS to implement the program, with an intermediate bench press like he has, I thought he was a perfect choice for the very first real world application test. I am glad I chose him, he kept me up to date with his week by week results and made coaching him that much easier. He also stuck to the program to the tee and as you will read below, he got some significant results from the program. This makes me feel confident about this program, I will now move on to finding an advanced bencher to try out this program to avoid bias from myself and Andre doing a review. If you have any questions about the program please contact me, for now it will remain confidential and unavailable to anyone. Take care, and enjoy the write up.
-Ryan
Back in January, I went and competed as a raw SHW in the Capitol City Clash, a USAPL meet. I weighed in at 150 kilos, about 330 lbs. I managed a 352 lb touch and go bench, and I missed on a 375 lb bench, couldn’t move it off my chest. I had hit 365 sloppily before, but I knew my bench needed help. I was happy when Ryan mentioned this program, and eager to start it. I’ve gone through two cycles while cutting and managed to drop down to 308 and hit an easy 365 lb bench.
My first week of this program I thought I was going to die. I had previously done 5/3/1 and westside, along with a few short cycles of reverse band work on all my lifts. This program had a lot more top end work than I was used to, and it was my first time implementing board presses. I also figured out that my grip width had to be brought in to save my shoulders. I’ve found that even an inch can make a difference for whether or not I get the rep. That is one of the huge takeaways from this program is that if you hammer your form under the heavy weights, you can then handle heavier weights with better form. In the third week of the first cycle I struggled a lot. Some days, the weight is just heavy. 135 felt like 275. It was a tough week, but I managed to get all the prescribed reps, and I noticed that as soon as I was able to get the bar in the top half of the press, the weight flew up. Your triceps will definitely blow up on this program, in the best way possible. Week 4 I initially though had been a failure, because I forgot my wrist wraps, but I still managed two singles with 356. That was huge! My weight had been slowly climbing down into the mid 310s, but was pretty much stable this whole cycle- no big swings. Week 5 was a nice respite and I hit 356 for a double.
Crazy Russians!!!
The second cycle through was tough, but still felt awesome. I consistently felt stronger and more stable under the bar, and weights that used to challenge me were going up regularly. I added 5 lbs to all my main lifts, but not the back down sets or board presses. I went up through week 4 of the second cycle and decided to try for a new max. I had just weighed in at 308 after a day of eating, and I managed to hit 365 no problem. To me this is a huge victory. I’m not a big bencher- it’s definitely the least impressive of my lifts, but to drop 22 lbs and manage to hit the same weight was important for me, mentally.
This program definitely changed my thinking about how to approach my bench press training. I realize that for this, unlike say, deadlifting, I need consistent, heavy effort. With deadlifting I can take a few months off and still pull big, in fact I didn’t deadlift for almost the whole first cycle and managed to pull 625 just a couple weeks ago. Bench pressing is an art, and drilling that technique during warmups and then fighting to keep form under heavy weight is important.
I’m glad to have helped test this program, and I can’t give it high enough praises or recommendation.
The ultimate sign of commitment, of strength, willpower, perseverance, wisdom, confidence, and serenity. The fact is all throughout the history of time, in almost every single culture on earth, the beard on a mans face has represented this. In ancient Sparta, the faces of prisoners and traitors and cowards were shaved to show disrespect and to strip them of their rights. In India beards were commonly never shaved and allowed to grow to extreme lengths to show wisdom and was worn as a badge of dignity. Ancient Greece, beards were a sign of virility, and it was common to stroke the beard of one another when greeting, smooth faces were considered effeminate. The Celts were no different, full face beards were common and it was considered dishonorable for a Celtic man to have a shaved face.
William Wallace, one of the greatest warriors and leaders to ever walk this earth. this mother fucker had a beard, and probably fornicated with all the women he wanted.
Now we get to the United States, where today feminine men with clean faces and thin paltry features are glorified, the majority of which are less than 200 lbs bodyweight. To me and the majority of other men in this world, the rule of thumb is that that Adult Males are greater than 200lbs, No body every stopped anyone with a 6 pack, remember that. It’s frustrating being surrounded by these literal girly men that pluck their eye brows, shave their face, and wear clothes fit for a women bigger than them, and then are glorified in out advertisements and media outlets. The looks of these ‘men’ are also a reflection of the character traits that are now associated with them, changed from our roots. I ask what happened to the standard set by our ancestors? Where a man was measured by his actions and the content of his character, by the way he loved his fellow humans and by the changes he made to this world.
Earnest Hemingway, a bad motherfucking story teller who traveled the world and lived a life anyone would be envious of. Yup, he wore a beard!
I don’t want this spontaneous post to be a rant about our society today and a cluttered subjective display of power. Rather I want to share why I feel so strongly about this beard I am growing and living with. I am currently in a room with countless other students, and am happy to say there are some other men here with beards, it restores my hope in humanity.
I’ve lived a goal driven life since I was 17, I made a commitment with myself that I would strive to be the best and most intense version of my being in every aspect and moment in my life, a daunting goal for anyone, but at 17? what the hell was a thinking. 3 years later now and with a resume stacked with accolades and achievements, I am living the life I dreamed of and promised myself I would have, my future is as bright as the sun because of this and I am so grateful for all of those who have been on this journey along side me, put up with my shit, were there for me when I was weak, and have shared their vast knowledge and experience with me.
This beard I sport is a constant reminder of my commitment, to myself and to the people around me. The promise of my dreams becoming reality, of finding myself in the eyes and hearts of my fellow humans. The things I say sometimes may seem naive and farfetched, I believe the contrary. They are what every person living should strive for, being the absolute best they can be in every moment of every day. This crazy beautiful life we all have an opportunity to live is a true gift from whoever or whatever created us, and why would you sit idly by not giving your all? The passion, the heartache, the energy. My beard is as close to me as anything else in my life and will be growing until I get out of school and move on to my calling in life, whatever that may be. To all the men reading this, I am not telling you to grow a beard, or that not having a beard is an insult to your man hood, but I wanted to share what I feel, what I believe mine represents to me and what it has represented in the past. I’m going through some tough times right now, and whenever I feel weak I remember that day, that moment I had with myself in the dark recesses of my soul and then I look into the mirror, stare at the man I have become, and I inspire myself, It is real and it is pure unadulterated reality. Men lets start being men about our lives, lets seize the day and change this world and impact it any way we can. Because when I leave this world behind, I will be remembered in the hearts of the people I touched and loved, and they will cherish the things I shared with them, the passion I showed, and the feelings that had when they were with me.
“There are two days in your life that are the most important. The day you were born, and the day you realize why you were born.”- Marshall Johnson.
This is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind over the past months, and has culminated into something I never expected. Just recently I have realized the breed of person that competes in this sport, more specifically the geared or ‘equipped’ variety. We are all a little bit insane, and all have our issues that drive us to put our body’s through what we do to achieve absolutely nothing of any discernible value in the real world. This is not the Olympics, for the majority of us our greatest glory and triumph will not even be in front of cameras or other people, let alone an audience of any kind. So why do we do this? Why on earth am I in pain 7 days a week from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep? It’s a lot deeper and darker than I ever could possibly have expected.
One of the most reverberating conversations I have had was about a year ago, on the road with my mentor and coach, we were talking about competitors, and what he believed was a key trait in the top level guys; pain tolerance. Sounds simple enough right? That’s a negative chief. Pain is your body’s reaction to external stimulus that has caused a negative effect to the homeostasis of your body and is present so that we do not do anything to harm ourselves and threaten our livelihood, or some shit like that. So pain is essentially there to tell us something is wrong, and needs to change or something bad will come from it. In order to excel in this sport one must have ungodly pain tolerance, I’m not talking ouch I bumped my toe pain tolerance, or needle in my arm, or cuts scrapes or burns, the type of pain we go through is more like a reverberating constant banging on your soul, it cuts deep and does not show mercy. The lifters who bear on through this hurt, this hurt that hits hard and comes back for more, are the ones who will succeed and shoot to the top… The lifter in the picture above is one of the most intense individuals I have ever encountered, he was the lifter Gene was talking about, recalling a time when he witnessed the lifter squatting 900+ lbs and blood was coming out of the back of his neck…
Pain, there is the root of why I believe we all do what we do. They say you have to be a little bit crazy to do what we do, I say you have to be a lot crazy to get under 200+lbs over your maximum raw PR and lift it. The fact is we all wake up in pain, and go to sleep in more pain. There has not been a day in my life without pain from this sport that I can remember, what drives us to put our minds and bodies through this peril?
Greater pain.
Think about this for a second; if one pain is the lesser of another, and you could chose which pain to go through because you have to go through one, which would you chose?
There is greater pain that we could be going through, 100 % of the time this pain is mental, with all lifters there is something, deep in our psyche, sometimes we are not even aware of, that drives us, pushes our buttons, and causes us to continue on down this path. I’m not saying this is the sole reason of purpose for lifters, rather I am acknowledging that each and every one of us not only in powerlifting, or bodybuilding, or strongman, but even the weekend warriors and the old gym rats, all have something inside of us that forces our hands on the barbell.
The picture above; Where is he in this moment? some context for you- he is 19years old, the son of a legend, and a champion of champions, currently the reigning deadlift champion of the world, this pull would lock in his repeat title, oh yea, and he is in front of thousands of people at the largest sports expo on earth.
so where is he here? What is going through his mind, surging through his veins and resonating in his bones, why is he here, may be a better question.
The point of this post is not to share why I do what I do with you but to encourage you to stop a moment, and think about why YOU do what you do. The reason you compete, why you go in and hammer your bodies 5 days a week, why you miss out on important occasions, or stay in while everyone else is out, don’t think you are alone or that no one else understands, brothers and sisters of iron, we understand.
The answer to this question for most competitors is deep and dark, I know it is for me. Most lifters will also say this is what makes them great, what makes there lives worth living, and what fuels them. I understand the majority of my readers are not lifters, don’t think this does not apply to you. We all do things in our life that are identical to this. Drinking, taking drugs, being a workaholic, studying and video games, the list goes on. These are all things we do to escape something in our minds and our lives. I believe personal growth and enlightenment will come from understanding our reason, so I challenge you all to stop and ask yourself-
This was the first time I prepared for a meet by myself since early 2010, (the first time without the guidance of my BPS brothers). I wasn’t nervous though, I prepared myself for the first 5 meets and was successful, I welcome the challenge! I’m going to make this write up as short as possible, skipping the diet and other non important information to keep from boring you, after all I am a super!
Training went very well leading into the meet, I found a great gym here in San Marcos by way of Metroflex, one of the most storied and famous gyms in the United States. I train in rather adverse conditions, concrete floor, no heater/air condition, shitty power rack and I love it. It makes meet day so much easier and prepares me for adversity. So many lifters training AMAZING conditions, and then get to meet day and crumble when something happens, I welcome the difficulty. This cycle was the first time I got into a squat suit, a mix of being excited and nervousness would surge through me every squat day, having NO idea where my strength lied in the suit, I called extremely conservative training numbers and realized come meet day, I needed to go BIGGER. goals for the meet- get a legal squat in
Bench was amazing this cycle, I hit 600 lbs to a three board on my last set of the day after 565 and 585 presses in my ken Anderson shirt. I threw on my meet shirt 3 weeks out and got two solid training sessions in. I hit 565 to a 1 board EASY, but when I took my opener at the University of Texas the following week (training with a friend) It was slow and ugly, so I was disappointed. The Goals for the meet- 545 for the new state record.
Deadlift was atrocious the whole cycle, pulling was painful and technique was ugly, I blame heavy squatting, something I have not ever had to do, soreness and fatigue in my lumbar spine effected my pulls on friday, coupled with a TIGHT velocity suit made getting to the bar a chore, the bane of my existence. planned opener was an EASY 501.5 lbs, I even thought about opening at 454lbs, I was that worried.
I decided to drive up a day early, and my training partner came along (we both have lots of friends up in College Station). I met up with some friends at early equipment check and we then mobilized to our hotel. I stayed with a good friend who hails from the Ukraine, he is a rather large fellow who enjoys lifting heavy things, but is caught in a hell of a battle between wanting to be strong, and looking good for the ladies. Quite a pickle to be in as a powerlifter, and something I completely understand, he was nervous about his performance at his new weight and was freaking out, I did my best to calm him down.
Meet day!! I weighed in at a healthy 319 lbs, about 4lbs more than I wanted to weigh, but acceptable none the less. I was feeling rested and well fueled once I got some good food and drink in me. It was a BIG meet, 97 lifters on two platforms, 3 flights on each platform. It was going to be a long day, something that I am mentally and physically prepared for, but still sometimes things do not go as planned. There were a lot of new faces at this meet, many from Texas Tech University, and Baylor University all trying to get their lifters qualified for nationals. The crew from Spring drove up and it was really nice seeing and being around that group, I thoroughly enjoy them whenever I see them, great bunch of people.
SQUAT!!!!
Warmups began once the flight before me started second attempts, my warmups looked like this-
bar x lots x 2
135 x 6
225 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 2
365 x 1
suit on, straps down
405 x 2
knee wraps- 455 x1 This was what my last warmup was in training so I stopped here and headed over to sit down and lower my heart rate before my opening attempt of 518 lbs
518 – 3 white lights- it was a JOKE, I pulled my suit legs up over my quad during warmups, this is what made a huge difference in fighting the suit to hit depth. Can’t be mad, I was in the meet.
I let Gene drive, not knowing what to call, I trusted in him.
556- SMOKE SHOW, should have been my opener… 1 white, 2 reds. one side judge threw a white, another a red, and the head judge threw a red also, she stated because ” You are not deep enough ” Note that judging depth from the front is legal, however Since I began competing I have not seen this happen but maybe once or twice, so the fact that it was happening to me says something. Mind you I am a thick guy at 320 lbs, making judging depth even harder from the front.
3rd attempt- 556- rolled over my last attempt, mindset to take it lower. which I did, once again a smokeshow! but 2 reds and a white. The side judge who was placed in on the final lifts threw a total of 2 white lights in the last round out of about 20 lifters, he red lighted many good squats and should have been removed by the meet director. I was judged from the front AGAIN, though this squat was taken deeper, It was taken from me. My world champion coach and national level judge said it was a good squat, I believe it was a good squat. Sometimes personal vendettas, and sectional interests interfere in this sport, this is not the first, or last time a lift will be taken from me. I will grow from it and use it as fuel for the fire
I was amped for bench, because after all that is what I do as a specialist. My mind was focused on the task at hand and I began warming up a bit too soon, which would come back to bite me in the ass.
warmups looked like this-
bar x lots
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 1
shirt on
405 x 1- 4 board
475 x 1- 2 board
at this time the others in my flight were just beginning their warmups and I was done, I went to sit down and I remained there for well over 20 min, if not a half an hour. this was a gross error on my part, especially since I had the heaviest opener in my flight and would be at the end of the round. I should have gone and taken 475 to a 3 board again.
opener- 523- an easy weight I can touch and press quickly, this attempt was different however, the weight felt heavy in my hands, and I was cold. I touched and pressed, once I got to the top quarter I lost it, I had gotten off the throttle and the shirt killed me. missed lift
second attempt- 523- I rolled over, confident I would get it the second time. In the past this was where I would start getting nervous, second guessing myself and just thinking purely negative thoughts, today was different. I was calm cool and collected, confident in my ability and ready to perform. I attack the weight and this time was held at the bottom about 3 seconds, it killed my stretch reflex and I had nothing. missed lift.
3rd attempt- 523- this is where 90+% of lifters shut down, where they throw the towel in mentally, and are a lost cause. I used to be that lifter. not today. I credit my mental training in the gym, and constantly striving to refine my mental and spiritual capacity on the platform. Old Ryan would have already been out, would have been dead mentally and not have fought through the adversity. I prepared for the lift the same, except this time I pulled down my super katana collar and widened my grip out. exactly what I needed. I wrapped up and latched my belt. then waited. I think the look on my face here explains it all-
what you don’t realize until you are up there, in the moment, is that it is just you and the weight. your training partners can’t help you lift it, your coach can’t will you to lift it, and the crowd can’t make you do it. It is truly you and the weight, your inner fire and the will to succeed predicate your performance on the platform. Here I am, about 6 seconds before I approach the bar, and It’s just me. What was going through my mind at this moment is a secret between me and myself, as I’ve said in the past it is hard to explain what it take to unleash yourself at will, to fully have control of your inner being, and control it at will. This shot in time captures a moment where this is happening and I myself get goosebumps from it.
BARS LOADED!
I attack the weight, harder touch, but easier press. It was still a grinder at the top 1/4 and the crowd was going nuts! I was fatigued and the looseness in the sleeves of my shirt showed a weakness in the shirt. but I stood up after getting the rack command…. where are my lights? the gym fell silent, the lights were not working. an hour long 5 seconds later they lit up… ALL WHITE LIGHTS! the crowd goes nuts, I go crazy and high five and hug everyone. what a great feeling, overcoming adversity when it counts the most! I am truly proud of myself and I know I grew as a lifter that day.
champions thrive in the face of adversity
Deadlift- a shitty training cycle had me nervous. I began warming up for deadlift immediately after benching, I had about 5 minuets to take a swig of energy drink and strip down into my deadlift attire.
Warmups for deadlift are always short and sweet for me. I am still warm from squatting, and benching, and my body is stretched and all that shit
warmups looked like this-
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 1- straps down
455 x 1- straps down
gametime!
opener 501- so conservative so I wouldn’t bomb. SMOKED IT, posted a total, and cheered! feels good.
I decided to deadlift in my Inzer maxdl suit, because I am a bitch and my velocity hurts and makes it nearly impossible to get in my groove. so disregard this picture, I just like it alot and wanted to include it!
2nd attempt- 534- I called for a PR (5 lbs) no fucking around this time, I was tired, and hungry as eff. I asked for my buddy Vick to slap my back, get me fired up since I was tired and needed some energy. BIG mistake. here is a pick of the aftermath, probably the hardest slap any of us have ever heard. lol thanks alot vick, ill get you back ; )
I pulled the 534 easily and set that bitch down. 1575 total and a smile on my face! I wanted to scratch my third, but vick wouldnt let me, he called for a 13 kilo jump, which in hindsight was a bad idea, I should have gone to 250 for a doable last attempt.
3rd attempt- 562- the bitch moved off the ground about 1.5 inches, I put it back down… like a boss. and called it a day!!
final thoughts-
I am definitely pleased with my performance, I feel like I left about 100 lbs on the platform that day. I was good for 573-545-556 . but sometimes things do not go your way and you have to adjust. I am grateful for all of my wonderful friends who came out and supported me that day, powerlifting meets are boring at times and they toughed it out to cheer me on, I’m a lucky guy! I grew as a lifter this day, especially in the bench, I got my first suited full power meet under my belt, and I have some nice goals to set and achieve for collegiates in April. for now, back to training hard and trying my best in school.
You might have heard of bodybuilding, the sport that puts the muscular human body on display for judges by posing a variety of ways at competitions. If bodybuilders were running for Miss America, this would be the beauty portion of the competition. On a completely different spectrum, there’s powerlifting. Powerlifting would be the talent portion of the Miss America competition. Powerlifters are judged on performance, not on looks. Therefore, bodybuilding and powerlifting are two different sports that are commonly mistaken for each other, but both sides will tell you that they are drastically different. Powerlifters receive scores by how much they lift, and the more they lift, the higher the score. At the end of the competition, the one with the most points wins. Simple as that, right? Wrong. Powerlifting is not just a sport of muscular men competing to be the strongest, it is a sport of confidence, discipline, and most of all, passion.
Powerlifting is a sport of three lifts. You have the squat, bench press, and deadlift. At a competition, you have three attempts at each lift, and you take the best weight you achieved from each, receive a certain score, and combine them to get a total. As is with most any sport, the one with the most points wins. Points are solely based on performance, not form or appearance. The smallest man competing can overtake someone bigger in size, just based on if he manages to achieve a higher score in the three lifts. Points aren’t based on the outfit you’re wearing, how tan your skin is, or if you can win a beauty competition. This is the drawing effect of powerlifting. Competitors know that they can focus on one goal and not have to worry about petty things such as appearance. After all, it’s more impressive to be able to out-perform than to out-pretty your competitors.
Usually, the first thing that comes to mind when there is any mention of muscular people in competitions is the misconception that they are dumb as well as ignorant. Most might even label them as “meatheads”, or men and women who have nothing going for them except their body. This is not the case. According to my powerlifting friend Ryan Carrillo, “Most serious powerlifters have extensive knowledge on the human body, it’s mechanics, and how it functions down to the cellular level. We have a knowledge on diet and nutrition so that we know what to put into our bodies, and when to perform to achieve the best results.” Powerlifters are not just muscular bodies. They are brains, too. Intelligence in powerlifting goes beyond the human body. These are people with educations, college degrees, even people who have started companies. It might be surprising to some that these “meatheads” have a little more than meat to them, but it is what logically makes sense. One cannot be successful in this sport based solely on rookie luck. It is a learned sport, one that takes brainpower and time. Years of experience can lead to a title, but it’s what you put into those years that will truly lead you there.
Gene Bell, multi time world champion powerlifter and record holder. Bodybuilder early in his career
As one could tell, powerlifting isn’t for the faint of heart. They have to be a certain type of person, one who exudes positivity from every muscle in their body. If one were to go into a competition believing they can’t compete with the other people around them, they have already lost without even lifting a single weight. As much as the sport is physical, it is just as mental. As any coach will tell you, competing is 90% mental and 10% physical. “In this sport you can’t have any self-doubt,” says Ryan. “You have to have faith in your ability and bounce back when things don’t go your way.” Any good competitor will envision himself or herself winning before they even begin. In fact, the mental part of competition could be included in the training category. You have to work out your brain just as much as your body. A strong mind and strong body can be unstoppable. There is a certain level of conceitedness that is acceptable in most every sport; it goes along with being competitive. The will to win will turn any man or woman into a competitive machine, stopping at nothing to achieve what they have set out to do. Powerlifters display this characteristic in every aspect of their training and competitions. While it is good to work with others in this sport, it really is based on how seriously the individual decides to compete. There are different levels of discipline and dedication involved, and the higher those levels are, the more successful a competitor will be. There is no supplement that you can take to magically put you in the right mental state. The mental training comes from within. You are constantly on the pursuit of a better version of yourself both physically and mentally, and this practice can translate over from sport to both professional and personal life.
Generally, powerlifters are your average Joe. They are businessmen and women, truckers, lawyers, students and parents just looking for a challenge. Think of it as an extreme hobby. Usually hobbies are activities you do after work or school, and they rarely ever interfere with your everyday life. Powerlifting is different. One has to be conscious of their body at all times. What they eat, what they do, and most of all their belief in themself all reflects in their results. Powerlifting is a lifestyle; a choice one makes to test their limits. There is no financial gain from the sport, so material rewards aren’t the motivation to keep competing. Motivation for doing the sport isn’t only to impress others, it is to impress themselves. There is a certain sense of pride they get when their hardwork is put to the test and they come out victorious. Hours upon hours of training in a gym, thousands of dollars spent on travel, event costs and equipment all seem worth it when they see just how far they’ve come by pushing themselves to new heights. Ryan says, “Every day I get to talk, think, practice or compete in this sport is a dream come true. To me powerlifting is more than a sport; it is a way to refine my character through the highs and lows of powerlifting. I learn something about myself almost every day, and the lessons I learn from powerlifting translate into the real world.” Ryan went on to say that because of this sport, he’s a better brother, student, friend, and son, but most of all a better human. Powerlifting has brought out something within him that otherwise would have been hidden, and he has this sport to thank for the person he is today.
One of Ryan’s favorite words to describe powerlifting is “passion”. This is almost the definition of the reason behind why powerlifters do a sport that doesn’t benefit very much financially. It is beyond material prizes. It is the feeling one gets after being successful. As an athlete myself, I know how great of a feeling it is to win. When your hard work has culminated to achieve what you have had your sights on, there is truly no greater feeling. This can be compared to anything in life. In school, after studying hard for a test and receiving exceptional results, you realize just how much hard work pays off. At work, after a project you’ve been working on is finally done and everyone is pleased with the results, you realize you haven’t just pleased others, you’ve pleased yourself. You can’t get enough of this feeling of success, and eventually you have so much passion that it becomes an obsession. In life, it’s good to have an obsession, something that you’re passionate about. To have the opportunity to do something that makes you so happy is truly what makes life beautiful.
Powerlifters like Ryan get into the sport simply because they have a competitive fire inside of them. Ryan’s main reason was that it has always been a dream of his since childhood. I’d like to think this is why most anyone gets into any kind of subculture they’re a part of. It starts as a desire to do something different, something that can ultimately help define you. It’s something you never doubt, something you go at non-stop with no turning back. Not every moment will be what you expected it to be, but it’s the moments that are above and beyond your expectations that make it all worthwhile. Powerlifters go through a lot of physical and most likely mental pain, but I’m positive any powerlifter would honestly say that it does hurt, but it hurts like Heaven.
Today was my final day at Olympic Gym, a bittersweet event marking the beginning of a new period in my life. I’ll never forget my first time in the historic O-Gym, invited by the legend Gene Bell, It turned out to be the greatest decision I ever made. The lessons I have learned in the past year and half are some of the most significant that I have ever come across, and have affected the way I carry myself, and made me the man I am today.
In the beginning it was just really three of us, Gene was unable to make the gym often because of school, he was going back for his second masters, and John would only be able to make it once every other week or so. So there I was, a 19 year old in-experienced lifter training with the strongest men in San Antonio. I remember how intimidated I was the first month or two training with Ron and Andre, I never thought they would turn into two of the most significant male role models in my life, up to par with my father and my best friends dad. Andre, one of the largest and most physically astounding individuals I have ever come across, I remember when I first saw him, not knowing the special connection he and I would share years later. It was my first powerlifting meet, at the Longhorn open in Austin, boy was I nervous… me at my first meet-
I competed in the bench only, staying away from squats and deadlifts because of my back, something I never thought I would be able to do, let alone compete at… Andre competed at this show too, and I remember spotting him from a far and commenting on how HUGE he was, I nicknamed him the gorilla that show. The next time I saw him was at what was my third powerlifting meet ever, the summer powerfest in 2010. He was rocking a purple bench shirt and smashed 518 lbs!! He was intense, scary, and REAL. The epitome of what a powerlifter was in my mind at the time, never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be someone I call brother and a man who’s voice echos in my mind daily. I would eventually become “johnboy” to him and have recently graduated to “BIGUN” while he has become “manman”, oh shit the crazy things he and I have said and done in the gym, I will cherish forever. Our air drum battles, sumo wrestling matches and his war stories. The road trips we took and the bond we made, will forever be apart of me.
Ron I met the first time I trained with BPS, straightforward and to the point, he has a swagger about him and was just as intimidating as Andre. He impressed me with his big benching and fiery attitude in the gym. Later on he would teach me indirectly how a man carries himself and acts, also how one loves and cares to those he values most in life. An educated and accomplished individual, he does not wear it on his sleeve like so many I know and has taught me how to be humble and confident at the same time, that swagger I spoke of earlier. He has bettered me more as a lifter and technician than anyone, this man was put on earth to COACH, and has made me a better coach because of everything he showed me. These things I will have with me forever and will aid me greatly years from now when I am coaching high school kids in the gym, on the field, and in life.
Imagine an old as time caffeine addicted wizard, long beard, crazy hair and all of the knowledge you could ever wish to have…then remove the hair and bear and you have Gene Bell. My mentor, my coach, and my friend. This journey was sparked by his kindness to let me in and train with him, and continues on today with his leadership and support. I do not believe I have ever heard something come out of his mouth that was not wise and meaningful. He has a stern look on his face 90% of the time, but when he is around me I have him laughing about 100 % of the time, don’t let him fool you. The many long road trips he and I have been on together has enlightened me on countless things, life, love, lifting, eating and countless more. I have grown as a person and learned some things most people would KILL for… ah, to pick the brain of one of the most elite lifters of all time… I’m a lucky guy!
The number one lesson I have learned from my experiences at Olympic has been this; Listen to your body, and take care of it. It’s the only one you get and lifting ‘x’ amount of weight is not as important as your health. If it hurts, don’t do it. ” Live to fight another day”- Andre Gholson.
Just recently about 2 months before I parted from Olympic I began developing my ‘killer mentality’. Asking Jill MIlls, big Dre, Ron, Gene, Kevin, and the owner JD I have learned how each prepares mentally for competition and for big lifts. This mentality I have began developing also applies to my social and work life. It’s not something I can describe well, rather it is an inner desire, a voice and feeling like no other. It gives me energy and allows me to do larger than life things. I have begun harnessing the inner beast that lies within the walls of my psyche and beats on the inner part of my soul. It has led to bigger lifts, a more confident me, and a better student, son , brother, and worker. It’s a major stepping stone in my development as a lifter, and as a man. Without Olympic I would not have developed this. I am forever marked by the conversations I have had, the buckets of sweat and close bonds I have made with the individuals inside it’s hallowed walls. My journey has just begun and It is awesome to be along for the ride. With the friends and relationships I have built since I first stepped inside its doors I will be forever grateful and blessed to have.
It is the beginning of my 3rd week here in San Marcos, training is going great. My next meet is the Aggie invitational February 25th. Looking to put up some big numbers.
I miss my brothers and sisters back home though, they will forever be a part of me and always on my mind. Looking forward to when we re-unite this summer. Until then…
