When we discussed body weight and leverage in powerlifting, Mike Robertson noted, “…as you improve your leverages and get bigger, your technique is bound to change as well. Thus, improving technique is a dynamic process…” Re-reading this a couple of months ago, I began to consider the dynamic nature of powerlifting in general. To discuss this subject, I contacted elite powerlifter, Nick Tylutki.
Nick’s achievements in the sport include a bronze medal at the 2000 IPF Junior Worlds in the 198 weight class, the winner of the 2004 IPF North American Championships in the 220 weight class, and the winner of the 2006 USAPL Nationals in the 242 weight class. Nick also competed at the IPF Worlds in 2003, 2004, and 2006. His PRs are an 821-lb squat, a 501-lb bench press, a 782-lb deadlift, and a 2077-lb total.
On a personal note, Nick has encouraged me as a powerlifter since I entered the sport last year. He exemplifies the best traditions of powerlifting, and it was an honor to have the following dialogue with him.
MK: From 2000 through 2002, you competed in the 198 weight class. In 2003 and 2004, you competed in the 220 weight class. From 2005 onward, you have competed in the 242 weight class. To what extent did you anticipate and seek these weight class changes and to what extent did they naturally result from becoming a stronger powerlifter?
NT: When I first started, I didn't know what I was doing and didn't really anticipate moving up weight classes. I figured that I would add some muscle mass, but I didn't think that I would eventually end up in the 242 class. I weighed in at about 193 at my first meet and was really skinny and tall compared to my competitors in the class.
Even back in 2000, Brad Gillingham, soon after we first met, told me that I had world class strength. However, he told me that I should work my way up to the 242 class where he thought I'd meet my true potential. It took me a couple of years to actually want to move up to the 220 class. In 2003, I finally made the move (sort of). I weighed in at 212. Nothing came naturally as far as weight gain. I've been blessed with a fast metabolism and eating literally became a job and a pain in the butt to get to 212.
MK: How much did your nutrition change during these weight class changes?
NT: My caloric intake changed greatly during the weight class changes. I didn't know how to eat at first. I was eating the typical three meals a day with minimal snacking. After reading and talking to other powerlifters, I started eating six meals a day with about 700 calories per meal when moving up to the 220 class. When I got to 220 and decided to move to the 242 class, I stuck with the six meals a day but increased the calories to about 750–800 per meal. I have never made it to a full 242 yet and have reached a plateau around the 230 mark so I need to adjust my caloric intake to start moving up again.
MK: How did your leverages change from the 198 class to the 220 class and from the 220 class to the 242 class? Did certain lifts improve more than others?
NT: From about 195 to 212, my leverages didn't change much at all. I basically filled out my frame without adding additional size to my muscles. From 213 to 220, I became wider in the legs, butt, chest, and shoulders so my leverages changed. Basically my deadlift went stagnant and eventually down a little while my squat and bench went way up.
MK: How did your squat, bench, and deadlift technique change going from the 198 class to the 220 class and from the 220 class to the 242 class?
NT: The main change in my squat and bench was a wider stance and grip. I widened my stance about a half the width of a foot in each side to better accommodate my widened mid-section and bigger legs. I widened my bench grip to the maximum legal width. I changed this because my chest became thicker, and with a widened grip, my bench stroke became shorter. I switched from conventional pulling to sumo because of my large legs and mid-section in hopes of keeping the bar closer to my body and taking advantage of my strong quads and hips.
MK: Things really seemed to click together for you in 2003 when you started competing in the 220 class.
NT: Exactly. When I did my first meet at 212, my total went up 180 lbs. This was an eye opener to me and really encouraged me to add additional body weight. I finally started to realize that what Brad had told me a couple of years earlier was probably accurate. Because I was new, I was skeptical, but I soon became a believer after the first meet at 220. I added an additional six pounds of body weight by Nationals that summer, and my total went up another 80 lbs or so. It was like I had just started lifting, which was awesome.
While at the 220s, I stayed around the 1960–1980 mark. I eventually moved up about 6–8 lbs, and I hit my first 2000 plus total at 2025. I recently hit a 2077 at 230. Now I find myself knocking on the 2100 barrier.
MK: As I recall, you weren't in the best of health on the day of that 2077 (at the 2007 USAPL Nationals).
NT: It was not a good day as far as staying hydrated. Before the meet, I drank quite a bit of water and Gatorade and had a little too much to eat. I had done the same thing five months earlier at the Minnesota State meet with the same result, but I apparently didn't learn my lesson. On my opening squat attempt, I threw up as soon as I started my ascent. I was able to finish the lift with white lights. I did the same thing on my second attempt and was really apprehensive about my third attempt. Not many people get the chance to vomit in front of hundreds of spectators. It's quite embarrassing, and I didn't want to do it again. I couldn't let myself “quit” on my third attempt so I went out there and did it and set a new PR for myself. I was exhausted when it came time to deadlift from the dehydration so it may have cost me a few kilos. However, I was happy with a PR total.
MK: In 2006, you began wearing AdiStar weightlifting shoes to squat in. Why did you switch to the AdiStars? What shoes did you wear before the AdiStars and how long did it take you to become comfortable in the AdiStars?
NT: Before switching to the AdiStars, I wore SST Pro Series from Scott Safe. I loved those but wore them out, and when I ordered another pair, the wait was too long for me so I picked up the AdiStars. It probably took be about a month to get fully comfortable in them, but once I did, I really was happy with them.
MK: What shoes do you wear to bench and deadlift in? How has this footwear changed over the years?
NT: I wear the AdiStars to bench in, and I wear a pair of Nike wrestling shoes for pulling. I've only had two pairs of squat shoes (SSTs and the AdiStars), and I'm still on my first pair of deadlifting shoes so it hasn't changed much.
MK: How has your use of equipment evolved over the years?
NT: Overall, my total use of gear has decreased because I've become more comfortable in it. I used to train in gear between 4–5 times before a meet, but now I only get in it once and sometimes twice before meets.
MK: What kind of equipment did you use in your first meet and as a 198?
NT: In my first meet, I wore an Inzer Z suit for all three lifts. I didn't know I needed a singlet for benching so I had to wear my squat suit with my bench shirt on. It felt so good to take the suit off at the end of the meet!
MK: What kind of equipment did you use in the 220 class?
NT: I did two meets with Inzer gear and then switched to Titan and have been using that ever since. I used the Dual Quad for squatting, the Fury for benching, and a Custom A deadlift suit for pulling. I also used the THP knee and wrist wraps along with a belt from the American Belt Company.
MK: What kind of equipment have you used in the 242 class?
NT: I still use the Dual Quad for squatting, but I've switched to the F-6 and the Katana for benching. I still use the Custom A deadlift suit and the THP knee and wrist wraps.
MK: You mentioned not training in gear as much anymore before meets. How else has your training evolved since 2000?
NT: When I used to train in gear more, I would always take a week to a week and a half off of lifting before meets. Now, I train all the way up until about three days before my meets with light and explosive movements to work on my speed. I've found that I don't need the heavy singles 4–5 times in gear before meets. I believe that they end up being counterproductive come meet day.
MK: Are your raw/training squat, bench, and deadlift styles different than your competition/equipped styles?
NT: There are small differences in the lifts without gear compared to my lifts with gear. In the squat, I have to try much harder to reach back with my butt while descending than in a squat without gear. While benching, I believe my elbows are tucked about the same in training as in competition, and I always aim for the same spot on my chest. Deadlifting is pretty much identical in training and competition other than the fact that I train conventional a lot of the time and compete sumo.
MK: If you compete sumo, why do you train conventional a lot of the time?
NT: I like to switch between sumo and conventional in training to hit different muscle groups. I use conventional in training to hit the hamstrings and spinal erectors and switch over to sumo to hit the quads and glutes. I've found that switching between them has helped my deadlift increase the past two years. My theory is that switching between the two styles has helped prevent me from overtraining a certain muscle group and has led to gains in my squat and deadlift.
MK: What does your usual training week look like?
NT: Monday is deadlift night, Wednesday is bench night, and Friday is squat and light bench night. Once in a while, I'll throw in an extra day to do a light bench if I missed it on Friday or other light lifting to work on speed.
MK: Has your warm-up routine changed since 2000?
NT: Now that I'm more experienced, my warm ups are much more efficient and less tiring. I used to do sets of 8–10 in warm ups, but I’ve reduced that to five reps max at 135–225. A lot of times, there's no need for more than 1–2 reps in warm ups.
MK: How has your use of supplements evolved since 2000?
NT: When I first started, I used creatine monohydrate once in a while and that's about it. While moving up weight classes, I needed more protein so I started taking whey protein and have been using these supplements during training cycles since about 2001. I don't like to use them more than for about six weeks at a time. It's just a personal preference.
MK: How has your meet day nutrition evolved since 2000?
NT: I've eaten everything from Ramen noodles to Arby's roast beef sandwiches on meet days. I started off with Ramen noodles and then switched to bagels and Gatorade for a couple of years. I then started eating cashews and drinking a gallon of water. I've learned the hard way that too much food on meet day can be counterproductive so I've reduced it down to something light with lots of fluids.
MK: Has your approach to selecting openers changed since 2000?
NT: Originally, I think I made the same mistake that many people make when choosing openers by opening too heavy. With experience, I learned to use my opener as my last warm up basically. It's light enough that I'll make it 99.9% of the time, and it's heavy enough so that I can gauge where my second attempt will be.
MK: As a world level powerlifter, you have competed in countries ranging from Taiwan and South Africa to Denmark and Bulgaria, entailing travel across several time zones and competitive environments different from the U.S. where you have also traveled considerable distances to compete. Has your method for adapting to time zone changes and other environmental differences evolved since 2000?
NT: My little method hasn't changed much since 2000. It has traditionally taken me about 48 hours to fully adjust to the local time zone. For me, the worst part is staying hydrated on the plane. Hydration is so important in fighting fatigue, and I think staying well hydrated on the flight will better help you adapt when you arrive at your destination. So I push water on the flight and usually sleep for about 2–3 hours on the plane.
After landing and arriving at the hotel, I like to eat a good meal. Then I basically try to stay awake if it's daytime and sleep if it's dark out. If it’s light out and there is quite a bit of daylight left and I feel fatigued, I'll set an alarm and sleep for no more than one hour. Otherwise, if I don't feel too tired from the flight, I'll try to stay on my feet and see some of the local culture as opposed to staying in my room where I'd likely just sleep.
I'll always crash really hard the first night, but I usually set an alarm so that I don't over sleep, which would lead to feeling groggy all day. I allow a maximum of nine hours on the first night and then 8–9 hours on the second night. It really seems to work well for me.
MK: What injuries have you had since 2000?
NT: Fortunately, the only injury that sticks out is bursitis in my hip in 2003. This isn't truly an injury, but it's the only thing that's caused me to take significant time off of training. Otherwise, I've been lucky enough to stay healthy.
MK: What caused the bursitis?
NT: The bursitis was caused by overuse of my hip joint. I was training hard for the Minnesota State meet and was playing volleyball in a city league at the same time. I came off of a heavy squat workout and two days later I was playing volleyball. I jumped like I had 50 times previously that night, and I felt a slight pop and then pain in my hip.
MK: How much time did you take off?
NT: I continued to train and competed for four weeks after the pain started. Then I took 7–8 weeks off of squatting and deadlifting. I was hopeful that the pain would be gone when I started training again, but it came right back so I went in to get a cortisone shot and have had no trouble since.
MK: How did you go about preventing the bursitis from recurring when you started training again?
NT: After receiving the cortisone shot, I backed off my other sports a bit. I normally would play in two volleyball leagues in the winter and a softball league or two in the summer. So for a lot of the year, I was playing a sport twice a week and training on the nights that I didn't play. That was just too much so I backed down to one night a week plus 3–4 training nights and then eventually have “retired” from softball and hard court volleyball.
MK: Besides volleyball and softball, what sports have you competed in?
NT: I also played football, baseball, basketball, and ran track in high school. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to play college football at the Division II level.
MK: At the 2005 World Games in Germany, you had a tough day on the bench and bombed out. What did you learn from this experience?
NT: Right after bombing out, I was devastated. I had never done that before, and I felt sick to my stomach. Ray Benemerito walked up to me and talked to be about it. He said, “It is what it is.” Basically, he meant that it was meant to be and there was nothing we could do about it anymore so it was time to move on. It gave me a new perspective on powerlifting and on other things in life. That was a large part of the reason that I was still able to enjoy the World Games experience.
MK: Are there any competition lifts you are most proud of PRs or otherwise?
NT: The one lift that sticks out the most is my 821 squat at the USAPL Nationals last summer. I had eaten too much before my meet and threw up during my first two attempts. After my second attempt, I contemplated passing my third attempt because I didn't want to throw up again. However, I decided to go for it and made it with room to spare.
Another one that sticks out is a 760 deadlift for the win at the 2006 USAPL Nationals. Tony Harris and I had rough meets up to that point due to a large number of bomb-outs and very short rests in between attempts. I think we were down to five lifters when it came time to deadlift. I barely grinded out my second attempt at about 738 or so. After Tony made his third deadlift, I was able to pick a number that would tie us by totals and I would win on body weight. I made it.
MK: You mentioned Brad Gillingham's early role in your development as a lifter. What other coaches, training partners, and lifters have contributed to your development?
NT: I've been really lucky to be associated with the people that I have met in this sport. It all started out with Paul Ellering (Precious Paul) who used to be the manager of the Road Warriors professional wrestling team. Paul and his then wife, Deb, opened my eyes to the sport and the beginnings of my strength potential. Brad, Gary, and I met on the same day at a small meet in Paul and Deb's gym. We hit it off right away and have been friends, training partners, and world travelers ever since.
Through Brad, I met and became friends with his brothers, Wade and Karl, who are professional Strongmen. I have been invited to train and become a member of Jackals Gym where Brad, Wade, Jon Krogman, Jordan Krogman, Darwin Patzlaff (Jackal), Gary Grahn, and others have pushed me to the next level and have helped me become aware of my unrealized potential. My friends and family have also been very supportive, which makes it easier to spend hours in the gym.
MK: What is your advice for someone who wants to enter the sport?
NT: My advice is to try it out with an open mind. It's not for everybody because it does take a good deal of dedication and hard work if you want to push yourself to be successful. I would also add that a new lifter, or any lifter for that matter, should try not to compare their numbers to others. Rather, track your own numbers to measure success. This is easier said than done, but if you start lifting only to beat the other guy or girl, you're going to lose sight of what's really important in my opinion. Self-improvement is what really matters. If you continue to push and improve yourself, maybe one day you'll end up on top. Set aggressive but realistic goals for yourself and challenge yourself to meet and surpass those goals.
MK: What do you love about powerlifting?
NT: I love the self-competition that is involved with this sport. It's one thing to challenge yourself to show up to a workout, and it's another thing to push yourself to the limit in that workout with the goal of improving yourself. I love training. To me, one of the best feelings is the fatigue you feel after a hard workout knowing that you pushed yourself that day.
Another thing about training that I really like is the fact that there are other guys or gals in the gym busting their butts right next to you. Seeing someone else work hard makes me want to work harder. Another thing that I love is the camaraderie among lifters. Strength athletes just seem to get along and are interested in your self-improvement.
Lastly, it is the ultimate reality check. Some days the weights might feel heavier than normal. Well, the weight doesn't weigh any more so you know there are other factors to take into account. Maybe you're not focused enough or maybe you didn't eat well that day or didn't sleep well the night before. It forces me to constantly evaluate many factors each day so that I am able to push the envelope.
MK: “Carryover” is a word often used to describe how equipment improves lifts. What kind of carryover has powerlifting had in other aspects of your life?
NT: I think in general, powerlifting makes you a hard worker in many aspects of life. For example, I've gotten a lot of praise at work for how hard I seem to be working when really it doesn't seem like I've been working harder than anyone else. In reality, I have been. It's just what I'm used to so it doesn't seem like it. It also helps me appreciate the small things in life a little more and not to take things for granted because the truth is, none of us will be able to do this at a high level forever. So we need to take advantage of and be thankful for what we have now.
When he’s not writing about places like Cuba and Israel, Myles Kantor (myles.kantor@gmail.com) competes in the USAPL and is a CFT with the International Sports Sciences Association.