Starting at 30

By Andrew Billing

For www.EliteFTS.com

“Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.” —Virginibus Puerisque El Dorado

Turning 30 is a strange moment in one’s life. You’re now officially an “old guy” to the college girls, but your older coworkers still consider you “wet behind the ears.” Most of your friends are now married and starting to have kids while you’re struggling to finish your second master’s degree and trying for that first promotion at work. For some reason, you start to reflect on your 30 years of living, and you wonder about all of the things you’ve always wanted to do but never did.

This was especially true for me because only a couple of years prior, I had lost my mother to cancer. Of course, some may say, “I should have gone to Europe” or something to that extent. For me, it was powerlifting. I’ve always been into strength training, but I’ve never taken my training seriously. Don’t get me wrong. I love lifting weights no matter what’s going on in my life. When I’m in the gym, I can forget all about it. I even wrote a 200-page graduate thesis on the effects of load/grip width and experience level on the three dimensional mechanics of the female bench press. (Yes, studying the girls had some benefits.) Now why in the hell am I writing this article?! Well because I wanted to share my first experience of powerlifting in the hopes that it may motivate someone in a similar situation to start powerlifting.

Although I’ve been strength training for years and love lifting weights, I’m a big pussy. I’m not blessed with great genetics, and I’ve never been viewed as a big, strong guy. So thinking that I could even be a “poor” powerlifter was hilarious. I tried telling my friends, and they told me I needed to get married. On a side note, if you’re single, why does every married friend tell you to get married? Anyways…

The gym I belonged to was “powerlifting” friendly and had a powerlifting team, but it lacked several of the tools that I read about all the time on EliteFTS. In addition, it was becoming way too commercial. I was getting sick of seeing guys curling in the only power rack and having to wait 20 minutes for an open bench. So I decided to put together my own gym in my basement. Slowly I started to build my arsenal.

I started with the power rack. Because I’m an engineer, I have free access to CAD, machining centers, welders, grinders, and other fabrication equipment. So I decided to design and build my own. I wanted something compact to fit in my small basement but also highly versatile. I designed what I call the “small multi rack.” It is 72 inches tall with an inside cage measurement of 44 inches by 32 inches. I placed holes every two inches on the uprights and holes for band holders in the bottom rails. In addition to fabricating a power rack, I also built my own adjustable box for box squats and an IPF legal bench. Then I purchased a 0–90 degree adjustable bench, 1500 lb power bar, weights, bands, chains, and boards. I was on my way.

At the same time that I was building my gym, I increased my training knowledge. I created a huge library of articles, books, and videos. I have huge three-ring binders labeled “Westside,” “EliteFTS,” “Conjugate,” “Periodization,” and others. You get the idea. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of information available. In reading all of this, it was interesting to see how my college professors in exercise physiology had such different views of strength training. It’s almost scary.  

I had just one more thing to get—my supporting cast. I knew that I couldn’t train on my own. Fortunately, I was able to recruit two of my friends to help train with me. It took a lot of convincing to get them to stop training like bodybuilders, but they eventually came around. We created a gym name (Dawg Pound Gym after the SIU Salukis) and a strength equipment line for the equipment that we built (Dynamic Strength Equipment). (Don’t worry. I’m not going to compete with EliteFTS). We even made some T-shirts with our logo. Yes, I do have a problem with over doing things sometimes.

Let’s fast forward a few months to my first meet. After only a few months of training and implementing the powerlifting tool belt (bands, chains, and boards) and principles (ME, DE, REP, and CON), I entered the meet with high hopes. It had been a long road with several setbacks and obstacles along the way. I had had several injuries, and a month before the meet, I had lost a good friend and coworker in an automobile accident.

About three weeks out, I thought about not even going through with it. However, lucky for me, a friend gave me a book to read. It was called The Fighters Heart. It tells the story of Sam Sheridan’s journey into the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). I saw much of myself in Sam. We both had this underlying passion for something even though we weren’t “naturally” gifted at it. I even thought about writing to Sam to thank him for telling his story. Maybe some day I will. If you’re a fan of MMA or simply someone going after a dream, I highly recommend this book.

Going into the meet, I was pretty nervous. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself or look like a complete idiot. Then right before my first lift, I suddenly realized something. The most important thing about this whole experience, these months of training, was the journey, not the destination. It didn’t matter what I lifted that day. It only mattered that I was there. I didn’t have my best day of lifting, but I still had a lot of fun. I was happy that I was able to experience it, and I can honestly say that I’m hooked and hope to continue on my powerlifting journey.

I’ll never be an elite lifter or the strongest guy in the gym, but that won’t stop me from striving to be the best that I can be and having fun while doing it. One thing I’ve learned in my small amount of time on this ball of water that we call earth is that nothing ever worth having comes easy. You have to work hard, work smart, and always give your best effort. Although I have never met or spoken with anyone associated with EliteFTS, I want to thank you for providing me with a forum to learn in. Without it, I would never have taken this year long journey. I consider EliteFTS one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. Keep up the good work! And to the novice like myself, “optima diem prima fugit.” The best days are the first to flee so you had better stop making excuses for why you don’t do something and just do it.

I’d like to thank my training partners and friends, Chris and Tim, for helping me get ready and joining me on my journey. Thanks to my family and friends for their support. And a special thanks goes to my friend, Pete, for helping me weld my equipment. Rest in peace my friend. We all miss you.

Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.