Out of respect to whom I consider one of the best ambassadors the sport of Powerlifting has ever seen I have decided to repost this article. Former elitefts™ Team Member Al Caslow recently announced his retirement from the sport of Powerlifting and everyone at elitefts wishes him the best as he closes this chapter of his life. There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to impact people in a positive way for the rest of his life. This article will show you a "part" of what Al accomplished in the sport. No article could ever begin to describe the impact and influence he has had on all those lifters he has influenced throughout his career. - Dave Tate

  With work, I have never settled. I work hard to stay busy, be productive, and do more than asked for. The same can be said about sports. I would be amiss to not acknowledge genetics in sports, but character and hard work will help you rise above genetic limitations. - Al Caslow

Throughout all my years in the gym there has always been one saying that would pop up every time someone would be running their mouth about what they were "going to" do or when speaking about something someone else did in the gym. While a very simple statement, it carried a giant meaning.

"Take it to the Meet"

This was basically saying it doesn't mean shit what you do in the gym, what somebody else says, or what THEY did in the gym. What matters is what you do on the platform, take it to the meet! The Aim of elitefts.com Inc. is to Live - Learn & Pass On. This has been the vision and driving force behind elitefts.com Inc. since it was founded in 1998. 1. To live life to its fullest and compete to the best of your abilities. 2. To learn from others and yourself. 3. To pass on the value in what you know. When you pass on you teach, you begin to gain a deeper understanding of your craft; with this understanding comes mastery; with mastery come excellence; with excellence comes responsibility. This heightened responsibility means your purpose to LIVE becomes stronger, exposing the need for more education that once again needs to be passed on to be mastered. At elitefts.com we spend SO much time and EFFORT on the educating and passing on aspect that we forget to give credit to the lifting stats of many of our sponsors.

The Real Al Caslow

Let me tell you some things about Al Caslow you may not know.

• In track he ran 48.17 in the 400m, 21.25 in the 200m, and 10.48 in the 100m.
• He owns the California Kickoff Return Record for the longest return of 99 yards.
• He played receiver at the collegiate level and had over 1,000 yards receiving in 99.
• He had a short run at the profession level.
• He had a boxing career that spanned 57 amateur matches and five professional exhibitions.
• He used to own his own warehouse gym.
• He was coached by Landon Evans, John Berardi, Justin Harris, Laura Phelps, Rick Hussey, and Shawn Frankl.
• His family has been sponsors for the Boston Terrier Rescue Foundation.
• His family annually creates a team and donates to the Pancreatic Cancer Foundation for their annual 5k walk/run-a-thon.

The thing that impresses me the most about Al, and one of the main reasons I wanted to have him part of team elitefts™, is I knew he could help ME get better. There is FAR more that goes into being a part of team elitefts™ that most people know. Yes, we have a selection committee, a sponsor application, and will research and follow people for, in some cases, years. We are not looking for people who can just fill a spot and lift big weights. To be honest, these people are a dime a dozen. We want people who will help others aspire to be better. Al Caslow is the type of man who inspires others to be better. He does this by his dedication to his family, faith and work. Notice I didn't say training. Yes, Al is dedicated to his training, and he is the type of person that if he didn't have something to train for he would have a very hard time training at all, but the point I am trying to make is many years ago Al made a realization that training was just a part of his life, NOT the core of his life. THIS is when we knew we had to have Al Caslow be part of team elitefts™. It should also be noted that when Al made this realization, his lifting TOOK OFF. Even though I am far removed from the sport, and will never compete again, I still struggle with my training priorities. And because of it, I have made decisions that may not have been the best for my family and work. I have "meathead" so deep in my blood that my passion for training could very well destroy everything in my life (as it once did). When I feel that "pull" or think that my balance is getting out of wack, I always think of Al Caslow. He doesn't know this (well he does now), but this ALWAYS helps me pull things back into perspective. I am honored to be on the same team as Al Caslow. With this all in mind, he is also a great lifter. Check out the stats below...

Powerlifting Stats

2007

Multi-Ply 165-Pound Class #2 ranked Squat #11 ranked Bench Press #3 ranked Deadlift #3 ranked Total

2008

Multi-Ply 165-Pound Class #2 ranked Squat #11 ranked Bench Press #1 ranked Deadlift #2 Total

2009

Multi-Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench #3 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total Single Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench #6 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total

2010

Multi-Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #12 ranked Bench Press #1 ranked Deadlift #2 ranked Total

2011

Multi-Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench Press #3 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total Single Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench Press #6 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total

2012

Multi-Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #5 ranked Bench Press #3 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total Single Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #14 ranked Bench Press #5 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total Multi-Ply 198-Pound Class #3 ranked Squat #14 ranked Bench Press #4 ranked Deadlift #2 ranked Total

2013

Multi-Ply 181-Pound Class # 1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench Press #3 ranked Deadlift # 1 ranked Total Single Ply 181-Pound Class #1 ranked Squat #15 ranked Bench Press #6 ranked Deadlift #1 ranked Total

Be very conservative with OPENERS in the meets. Where you start, has absolutely zero impact on where you finish. Unless you start too high, then you don’t actually finish. It's far more entertaining and self-rewarding to finish a meet. Bombing is an experience that gets old after the first time. - Al Caslow

All-Time Records

Current all-time World Record in the 165-pound class with an 887.4-pounds squat

Quintuple bodyweight squat Hall of Fame

Al Caslow 181-pound class with 910 pounds squat Al Caslow 165-pound class with a 887.4 pounds squat

Men's 12x bodyweight total Hall of Fame

Al Caslow #9 with 2,099 pounds at 165-pound class

All-Time Top 20

165-Pound class #1 ranked Squat @ 887.4 pounds #2 ranked Total @ 2,099.9 pounds 181-Pound Class #3 ranked Squat @ 910.0 pounds #4 ranked Total @ 2,125 pounds

All-Time Great Male Squat/Bodyweight Coefficients

#8 ranked Squat @ 887.4 pounds @ 165-pound class

All-Time Great Male Total/Bodyweight Coefficients

#8 ranked Total @ 2,099.9 pounds at 165-pound class SOURCE: Powerlifting Watch

Professional Powerlifting Highlights

Best Lifts:

165-Pound Class Squat @886 pounds Bench Press @ 540 pounds Deadlift @ 688 pounds Total @ 2,100 pounds 181-Pound Class Squat @ 910 pounds Bench @ 550 pounds Deadlift @ 705 pounds Total @ 2,125 pounds 198-Pound Class Squat @ 888 pounds Bench @ 540 pounds Deadlift @ 688 pounds Total @ 2,115 pounds

Titles:

APF Junior Nationals Winner 165-pound class - 2008 APF Senior Nationals Winner 181-pound class - 2008 APF Senior Nationals Winner 165-pound class – 2009 Lexen Pro/am Winner 165-pound class - 2009 Pro/Am Winner 181-pound class– 2010 USPA Olympia Contest winner 181-pound class - 2012 XPC Coalition Winner 181-pound class – 2012  

AS IRON SHARPENS IRON, SO ONE PERSON SHARPENS ANOTHER

PROVERBS: 27-16-17

Al Caslow Wallpaper: