Today is a real treat for the readers of EliteFTs.com. A good friend of mine, Paul Vaillancourt, just won the 105 kg Canada’s Strongest Man Competition and also placed eleventh at Canada’s Strongest Man (the real deal)! Paul is an extremely strong, tough, and intelligent strength athlete so I was really excited when he agreed to do an interview for my blog.
KB: What is your overall training philosophy?
PV: Train hard, win easy. I try to make my training reflect my competitive needs, and I always want to be bigger and stronger. The more difficult and strenuous the training sessions are, the easier competition feels.
KB: How long have you been training seriously?
PV: I have been training seriously for about five years. I first got serious about training to do a couple of bodybuilding shows and then switched over to Strongman and powerlifting. I like the fact that I can keep my pants on and still compete. I’ve been a typical gym rat since high school (1994).
KB: Who has been your biggest inspiration or mentor in the strength game?
PV: I’ve had many influences. You [Nathan] got me started in powerlifting with the fitness warehouse push/pull competitions. Brian Dunham really pushed me in the right direction when it came to Strongman. He’s been a big mentor. I try to take something positive and beneficial from everyone I meet. Dave Tate and Jim Wendler are both pretty big inspirations as well.
KB: What are some of the lifts you are most proud of?
PV: I’m proud of my 655-lb deadlift, but I hope to smash that soon. With Strongman and its lack of standard lifts, I don’t really have any standout favorites. I did a 310-lb log back in March of 2008. That was a big milestone for me. I also remember the first time I pressed 315 lbs and finally made it into the three-plate club.
KB: What are the contests you are most proud of?
PV: The whole 2008 season has been great. I finished second at Ontario’s Strongest Man and eleventh at Canada’s Strongest man (this was really cool because I felt like and was treated like a professional athlete with television appearances and autographs making me feel like a rock star). And of course the climax of the season was my dominant win at the 105 kg, Canada’s Strongest Man. I won five or six events and got my ASC lightweight professional card. This was a big step in the right direction.
KB: Because you own two gyms, are married, compete, and build your own equipment in addition to having a full-time job during all of this insanity, where the hell do you find the time?
PV: I make the time. I live to train and compete so the rest of my life gets built around that. My wife is awesome and very supportive of my athletic endeavors. She also competes in powerlifting so we spend a lot of time in the gym together.
I firmly believe that if you don’t have the time to do something, you just don’t want to do it bad enough. Many things get neglected and take a back seat to training, competition, and the business. I love my job running the gym and training clients and athletes so it never feels like work. I don’t see my family very often, which I feel badly about, and I don’t have many friends outside the iron game. I forget where I heard the quote, but, “You can’t be great at anything without making sacrifices in all other aspects of your life.”
KB: What is your height (don’t lie) and weight?
PV: I’m pretty short as far as Strongmen are concerned. I’m about 5’11” and weigh 240 lbs most of the time.
KB: What does your weekly diet, or lack of, look like?
PV: Nutrition is paramount to not only performance but also to looking good. I always start every day with either eggs and toast or a giant shake. I prepare all my meals for the week on Sunday so I can always have good food at my fingertips. I eat a lot of extra lean ground beef. I make burgers, chili, and spaghetti. I love Mexican food so I make a lot of tacos and burritos. I also like fish so I eat fish and chips at least once a week.
Chicken breasts and steak are also staples. I get sick of eating things over and over so I’m always looking for new ways to cook my meats. I don’t eat low carb, but I definitely eat a reduced carb diet. I usually bump up my carb intake on training days, and I always drink a waxy maise/protein drink after training. I usually eat junk on Saturdays after training. I like just about everything, but I don’t get enough veggies so I’ve started drinking low sodium V-8. I’m not sure how much it’s going to help. I keep my supplements pretty simple—protein powder, creatine, glutamine, and waxymaise. I’ve also started using beta alanine, which seems to work pretty well.
KB: How much sleep do you get each day?
PV: Unfortunately, I only get about seven hours each night. I’ll squeeze in a nap whenever I can in the late afternoons, but my schedule is pretty hectic sometimes. I feel that sleep is the most important recovery modality. It’s easy to do and it works.
KB: What is your favorite implement/movement these days?
PV: I love doing Atlas stones. They are just fun, plain and simple. They also kick the crap out of your entire body. I’ve been working hard at bringing up my overhead shoulder strength lately.
KB: What does your current training split look like?
PV: I train four days per week using my own version of a Westside template. Sunday is DE upper and it’s always an overhead pressing movement. Supplementary work is usually heavy close grip benching off of various boards. Accessories are pretty standard and include rows, chins, dips, and triceps extensions.
Tuesday is DE lower. I usually do box squats and speed pulls followed by accessories like lunges, leg press, glute ham raises, Romanian deadlifts, weighted abs, hanging leg raises, and dumbbell side bends. (Of course, we just choose two or three per session). Thursday is ME upper. We rotate our main lift every three weeks. We use the same accessories as with DE upper, but we also throw in some dumbbell pressing. Saturday is events, and I classify it as ME lower. We usually hit three or four events in a session that last about three hours. This includes stones, Farmers walks, log press, axle press, tire flipping, and yoke walks. Our training group is pretty lucky to have just about every piece of equipment for Strongman training.
KB: What are the three most important movements for people trying to build strength?
PV: Squats, deadlifts, and any type of pressing.
KB: Strength training, hypertrophy, or both when starting out?
PV: I would have to say a combination of both. I like to start new guys on a 5 X 5 template with the main lifts. Then we do the accessory work bodybuilding style. Get that pump on. The 5 X 5 template allows guys to learn to lift properly and still handle some decent weight.
KB: What is the worst competitive experience you’ve had (injury, getting owned)?
PV: I traveled to the States to compete in a professional qualifier Strongman show back in 2006. I was halfway through a 16-week contest diet for bodybuilding, and I got my ass handed to me. I thought I was much better than I actually was. However, it was a very important learning experience for me. I got my shit together and became a better athlete.
A favorite quote of mine by Abe Lincoln is, “A smooth sea never produced a skilled mariner.” I take that as you’ve got to get your ass kicked a few times before you can reach greatness.
KB: Any advice for regular people trying to take their training to the competitive level?
PV: Find some guys in your area who compete and see if you can go train with them. Read as much as you can, talk to people who compete, and just get out there and start doing it.
KB: Training partners, yes or no?
PV: Absolutely. Very important.
KB: Great! Last question—kettlebells, do you use them? This is a kettlebell blog but answer honestly, the readers can take it!
PV: I don’t fake anything. I have a kettlebell. It’s a 53-lb one, and I use it for throws, swings, and snatches. I sometimes head over to the park near my house and do some GPP work. I also use it to train my athletes. I have them do swings and snatches. Often, I use it as part of a medley including a sled and sandbag.