One of the greatest things about powerlifting is that it is a sport of passion. There are not careers made or money of any significance for winning big meets. The athletes are in the sport and stay in the sport for purely personal reasons. This is what makes the community so strong and why people identify themselves as powerlifters. Success in the sport also generally takes a long time and so this level of commitment beyond extrinsic rewards is a requirement. The downside of all this is that the sport requires the ability to balance competing priorities for time in life.
This is a struggle we all face. For those that have either highly competitive lifting careers, professional careers, or other competing demands, it becomes an even greater struggle.
Sam Byrd is one of the lifters that fall into this category. Sam has dominated multi-ply lifting in the past and is today a huge force in the raw powerlifting world. Sam recently set the raw with wraps squat record with an unfathomable 915 pounds at 220 pounds bodyweight this last year. While competing, Sam worked his way through law school and has since started his own successful law office.
Listen to Sam discuss the challenges of balancing these demands, what keeps him motivated as a lifter and competitor, and talk shop with Chris Duffin
Chris Duffin's Coaching Log
