By Elliot Coulombe Woznica
Published 2/3/2022
Introduction
As 2022 rolled around, my involvement in the powerlifting scene was solidified through my participation in my second ever meet. With 2 state records already under my belt from my first meet, it was no surprise that I entered this one with high expectations. With that being said, the results of this meet were more than I could ever have hoped for. Rather than breaking any new records, I discovered that I am a mere 180 lbs away, in total, to qualify and compete in national powerlifting for the USAPL federation. This has always been a huge goal of mine, so I wanted to devote some time to telling the story of who I am and what I’m doing to solidify my spot at nationals this year. Welcome to my blog, Road to Nationals
Current Statistics
Having started powerlifting only a year ago, I’m extremely proud of the progress I’ve made and the total I’ve accumulated over my short time in the space. Just for some background information, I compete in a federation called USA Powerlifting (USAPL) and the metrics for success are how much weight an individual can lift on squat, bench press, and deadlift. The metrics also take into account age, bodyweight, and the total weight you can lift across all three lifts, and rank you based on a combination of all of these factors. This segues perfectly into my own metrics and the goals I have moving forwards. Below is a table showing all three of my competition lifts from this last meet, as well as my bodyweight and total.
| Weight (lbs) | |
| Squat | 374 |
| Bench | 286 |
| Deadlift | 424 |
| Total | 1,084 |
As you can see, my current total is 1,084lbs. A national qualifying total is only 1,265lbs, though, placing me 181lbs away from nationals. At first, this might seem like a lot. However, in the last 6 months, I’ve managed to put 130+ lbs on my total with room to spare. Because of this, I have high hopes for the future.
The Road Ahead
Although I am optimistic about going to nationals, there’s still a lot of work to be done to solidify my place as a national-qualifying USAPL powerlifter. The goal with this blog is to show my journey, what I’ve learned along the way, and what I’m doing to make progress. On top of this, I hope to discuss various myths, facts, etc about fitness as a whole in an attempt to inform readers and maybe encourage them to get in the gym!
