My Road to Elite

By Justin Enes

For www.EliteFTS.com

I hit my first Elite total on Feb 16, 2008, in Tribes Hill, New York, after six powerlifting meets. I went 715 lbs, 440 lbs, and 670 lbs for an 1825-lb total in the 220-lb weight class. This was not an easy goal to accomplish. I’m not one of those genetic freaks who hit huge numbers their first few times in the gym.

I started training eleven years ago to get bigger when I was 14-years-old. I was 5’ 8” and 95 lbs. I couldn’t even bench an Olympic bar and maxed out on the deadlift with 65 lbs. I made some very slow gains and was brainwashed by FLEX magazine so I overtrained. People used to laugh at me when they found out I lifted weights and thought I was joking with them.

In January of 2002, I wanted to try powerlifting. I got in contact with Chris Taylor from Iron Island Gym in New York. He let me come to his gym to do a test day. I met some great people that day and received a ton of support. Chris agreed that it would be a good idea for me to come down and join their team because I was training by myself. The only problem was it was an 80-mile round trip and took at least an hour and a half to get there. Everyone thought I was crazy to go to Iron Island when there were so many other gyms that I could go to. However, I knew that it would only be a minor obstacle if I wanted to get stronger to train with such a great team.

 

I began to go there 2–4 times a week. After a few months, I did my first meet in April 2002. I was 6’ 1” and 178 lbs. I totaled 1100 lbs via 370 lbs, 225 lbs, and 505 lbs. I was hooked. Even to this day, it’s still one of my favorite meets. I continued to workout at Iron Island and was more focused than ever. We began to get more great lifters like John Bernor, Joyce Tacktill, Shawna Mendelson, Peter Grosso, and Eric Adolph.

 

I kept plugging away and made improvements on my total in every meet. In November of 2005, I totaled 1735 lbs at 220 lbs. Soon after this meet, the team left Iron Island and went to another gym over 100 miles away from me. I trained by myself for a while until I met Scott Sceppe. He’s second all-time on the bench in the 198-lb weight class. We really worked on my bench and began to develop a powerlifting team in Staten Island, New York.

 

My goal was to total Elite since my first meet, and I had decided that my meet on Feb 16th was where it was going to happen no matter what. I got food poisoning the day before and couldn’t rehydrate or eat properly. My first two squats got red lights, and I only hit my opener of 715 lbs on my third attempt. I was able to hit 440 lbs on the bench for a 55-lb PR to give me a shot at Elite with a big pull. I opened with 605 lbs and then jumped to 650 lbs for a 5-lb PR and an 1805-lb total.

I called for 670 lbs on my third attempt to give me my Elite total. I’ve dedicated my life to getting this and made many sacrifices over the last six years. There was no way I was going home without pulling this weight. The weight went fast to my knees and then stalled. I struggled all the way to lockout for the hardest deadlift of my life. My girlfriend, training partners, and other lifters at the meet immediately congratulated me. It was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had. All my hard work, dedication, and sacrifice had paid off.

 

I want to thank all my training partners over the years for all their help and support. Without those guys, I couldn’t have done this. I have average genetics, but I made up for it with consistency and a great team. For every lifter trying to get their Elite, don’t give up. Find a team to train with, set goals, and make every sacrifice you have to so that you can succeed. The feeling of reaching Elite is well worth the hard work and dedication.

Here’s the link to my 670-lb deadlift for my Elite total.

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