This episode is all about powerlifting, what it means, and how to get into it if you’re looking for a high impact form of exercise. My special guest Sam Diaz will be answering all of these questions for you! Stay tuned for the first Lifting Latinos mini-segment covering the Salvia Mi Tierra conservation event with North East Trees.
Bienvenidos a Lifting Latinos donde hablamos sobre all things gym, strength y salud con una perspectiva Latina. Today I have a very special guest, Sam Diaz.
What’s up, everybody? I’m Sam Diaz. Like she said, I’m a freshman here at the University of Southern California.
So today’s episode is going to be about powerlifting, what it means. How to get into it if you’re looking for a high impact form of exercise, so Sam is going to be answering all these questions for you all. Also, don’t forget to stay tuned until the end of our episode to hear Lifting Latinos first mini segment about how our Latinx community is staying fit outside this year.
So power lifting in its core is three exercises, and we’re trying to get as strong as we can in those three. We’ve got squat, bench press and deadlift. And basically power lifting surrounds those all, like all three of those. So we’re going to use lower reps, higher weight, compared and juxtaposed to bodybuilding, where we’re using a higher form, intensive exercise to sculpt the muscle instead of actually get stronger. So what we’re doing is we’re expanding it instead of making it denser.
Can you explain? Like, what squat, bench, deadlift, exactly looks like?
Yeah, so squat, you’re gonna be on a squat rack. You’re putting the bar on, kind of your upper traps. So what we have is we have a high bar and a low bar squat. Low bar squat is gonna be lower on your traps. It’s gonna be a lot easier to squat because there’s kind of less of an, less of a travel distance between the ground and up because it’s lower on your back. Like I said, a high bar squat is going to be a lot more --iIt’s going to be a lot heavier, because a lot higher on your back, you have a bigger travel distance. A bench press is you’re going to be on a bench, and what you’re doing is you’re lowering the weight on your chest and then pushing it as hard as you can up. And it’s actually a lot more, I guess, nuanced than that, because you’re using your feet as well to drive the bar up, even though a lot of people think it’s just your hands. And deadlift, I think deadlift is the most complicated and dangerous of the three. Watered down, it’s basically picking up the bar from the ground. We have sumo and conventional. Conventional is where you’re kind of standing feet or shoulder distance apart, and you’re picking up the bar like that. And then there’s Sumo, where you’re going to be kind of in a wider stance. Your feet, closer to the weights at the end of the bars. And then you’re going to pick it up like that. There’s going to be a shorter travel distance, but it is, in my opinion, equally as hard. It just depends on what your body type is. People with longer arms usually use deadlifts as a way to, I guess, get back into first place when you’re doing powerlifting competitions, because it’s easier for them to pick up the slack and pick up the bar. I do sumo because I have shorter arms and longer legs. So it’s definitely going to be a lot harder for me.
Because I’ve heard, especially for, like, deadlifts. I think I tried doing deadlifts a couple times, like in the gym, and the form is like, super tricky.
Yes, so those certain accessories, like belts, straps, wrist straps, all of those are used with all three of those. Some bodybuilders also use them. They definitely used straps for like back exercises, like rows and pull downs, etc, so that our forearms don’t give out. But with deadlift, they’re also used. Use a belt and wrist wrap so that your forearms don’t give out and you can actually pull the weight. And the belt is to keep your back and your core as tightly as getting engaged as possible, and so that you can minimize injury and risk of injury as well. And like I said, Because deadlift is so dangerous, people use those accessories to be able to pick up heavier weight.
Do you know, like anyone who’s gotten, like, really badly injured?
Um, I was one of those people, but there is one very famous person, Ronnie Coleman, who this was actually on the squat. But, yeah, so he slipped one of his disc in his vertebrae while doing an 800 pound squat for two.
800 pounds is crazy.
Yeah, it’s insane. He was definitely, he was definitely one of the best bodybuilders, but, and powerlifters, like one of those hybrids, but he loved powerlifting, and that kind of caused the downfall of his whole career.
Yeah, I’d imagine. I’ve seen, like some people do, they usually use spotters for these kinds of things, like people help them out, yeah? Because once you get that high up there, I feel like you would need onefor safety.
Especially in competition, you can’t risk getting injured at all, and people still get injured. But with squat, you have three spotters. You have two spotters, yeah, you have one behind you making sure that they can, like, pull you up. And then you have two on each side, one on the one on the one side of the bar, and one on the other. With bench, you have the same deal. You have one person behind you, one on the other side, one on the other. And then with deadlift, it’s more so just you -- because you’re picking up the bar, like, if you drop it, you drop it. You know what I mean?
That’s true. Okay. I did not know that. Can I ask, did you ever compete, like, um, with powerlifting, or did you ever think about it?
Yeah, I definitely thought about it. I wanted to compete in high school. Um, I’ve only been lifting for about a year and a half, two years, but a big thing with me is that I love pushing myself and going to do things that I’ve never done before,. And that’s why I do a lot of things. You know? I’ve done tumbling, I’ve done...
Oh, I didn’t know that’s super cool!
Yeah, and parkour and like that mix of tricking, and then I still do that, like...
I’ll have to get you on the other more episodes about those things.
Okay.I recently got back into it. And then also drumming, like I love music as well. Like I did that for a long time, and unfortunately I quit before covid, but being more disciplined now that I got older in high school, I feel like I’m able to actually pursue things for a lot longer time. One of them was powerlifting, and I really, really wanted to do a competition. But time was kind of surely coming to a halt because of college and leaving for college, and I wouldn’t have had time, because that was the thing that I wanted to do in junior year. But also I wouldn’t have time to prep. I was kind of at the midst of all those AP classes as well, and I wanted to prioritize my education over an actual competition. Mind you, I was still, I was still training. But also I wanted to prioritize my schooling and getting fives on AP exams.
Makes sense. Yeah, that’s important. Um, can I ask, like, what, I guess, inspired you to start powerlifting?
Ever since I was little, I was always, always into athletics. I mean, I was in soccer, like I said I was doing, I’m getting back into it, tumbling and a lot of these different things, especially track and also football.
Dang, you’re doing a lot.
Yeah, I was definitely doing a lot in high school, maybe a little too much.
No, that’s good.
Yeah, it was definitely worth it. But I didn’t necessarily work out or actually do any of those exercises, because I thought they were a waste of time for me, because I was already kind of, like a quote, unquote gifted kid, right?
And you were also doing so much too.
Yeah, and doing so much, you already, like, build a solid amount of, like, muscle, of muscle and endurance and, like, I guess explosion, especially with your fast twitch muscles and slow twitch. And, I mean, track helped with football. Football helped with track. And it’s all kind of circle, you know, the explosion translated tumbling, etc. But a big thing was having, like, I’m diagnosed with OCD, like, clinically diagnosed, and it took a toll on my life, and it was a big part of my life. Like, I like living with it is really hard, you know what I mean? My family, it was hard for them as well, but a big thing, I guess, like, really taking over my life. I wanted to find an outlet...
For that kind of get the frustration out.
Exactly. And I felt like working out and lifting heavy weights was ideal for me, especially being a being a kid who already was doing all these sports, and was already pretty athletic, you know what I mean. And I really wanted to get into that. I really wanted to get into powerlifting. It seemed so detailed to me. And although it seems like such a brute strength force, it’s still so beautiful and so pretty in its own way, and so an intricate way. People work hard to do it. And that’s what I wanted to do, to take my mind off of what’s going on inside of my mind basically.
I think the gym is such, like, a good distraction from, like, yeah, like, everyday problems. Same thing with, like, mental health, like, it does, like, aid in that so much. So that’s great that you’re able to use that as an outlet -- the art form to it. I’ve seen, obviously, I’m not a power lifter, but it’s almost like showmanship in a way. It is like you’re competing, and you’re lifting these huge, you know, weights, but then it’s also like, there’s something so cool when people are able to, like, perform a certain lift, the crowd goes wild, and it’s really cool
Exactly. It really brings people together in that community.
Can you discuss kind of what motivated you to, like, keep going?
Yeah, I guess this also accounts for, like, another challenge I faced, but I had a stress fracture in my lower back from doing deadlifts. Yeah, just a few months into actually, like, working out. It was December of my junior year. It was terrible. I was working out. I had deadlifts on program, and when I was dead lifting, it wasn’t even on the actual pole. This was like sort of a warm up, I think was 405 for five. And what had happened is that I think on the third rep, I dropped the bar. Instead of lowering it, like you do in competition, you’re supposed to lower it show that you still have control, show the judges that you still have control of the bar, but when I dropped it, I was also bringing my hands down. It almost seemed like I was lowering it, but I felt a pull in my lower back. I got so scared, but I was trying to think nothing of it, because I didn’t want to be injured. You know what I mean? I was trying to steer away from that mindset that I have to go through recovery now, I have to go through PT, etc. Or I felt a shooting pain down my back every time I took a step. And I was like, I can’t do this anymore. Like, yeah, it’s, it’s bad. And then I told my dad about it. My dad’s a family medicine physician. He was a sport physician before. This had happened a few years prior to this injury, he was working with the timbers, which wasthe Portland’s, because I’m from Portland, Oregon. He worked with them, which was pretty cool. He was trying to help me out with that as well. But then I was like, No, Dad, I’m fine. I’m fine. Like, I’ll be okay. I
Just, like, kind of dismissing it?
Yeah, I was I didn’t want to be injured, you know? I wanted to go back to working out. Working out was a passion, and it helped with a lot of mental health and etc, you know? Like, I was so stubborn at that point. I still am pretty stubborn when it comes to injuries. I feel like I can keep going.
You just wanna, like, power through it?
Exactly. And I think that’s what motivates me, is my stubbornness. But also, and I think a big thing is that I think patience also motivates me, because I wanted to go back to the gym, but I kept telling myself I can’t. After that happened, after I went to urgent care, I actually decided to mature a little bit and decided to be responsible and take care of myself.
And I feel like that’s so common for like, a lot of gym people in general, like people that are just motivated even, like, even getting sick. For me, I feel like, guilty taking a couple days off, or, like, not moving my body enough.
Yeah, because a lot of people think they’re gonna lose all their gains, lose their strength. And that’s not true. I think it’s, it’s evident through science and a lot of different tests that actually muscle atrophy happens after about a week of not working out about two weeks. Just enjoy yourself. Like, when they’re on vacation, they’re like, oh, I have to go to the gym. I was like that too. I still am kind of like that. But enjoy yourself, you know, if you don’t have a gym around you, like, if it’s inconvenient, don’t right? And just enjoy yourself or do some workouts at home. You know?
Can you tell us a little bit about... Like, what is, what is your approach to nutrition look like as someone who prioritizes the gym. I feel like everyone’s kind of different.
Yeah, sometimes people can be like, can be super stingy with nutrition, and they want to be on point with everything. Yeah, I’m definitely like that now, but at first, as an athlete, like, I didn’t really care about nutrition that much, like, I was getting Chick-fil-A or, like, like, Wendy’s after a football practice, like, a little like, four hour football practice, and I just needed the calories. You know what I mean?
Yeah, you were hungry.
Yeah, exactly. But a big thing is that nutrition is key. I think, in my opinion, nutrition is 90% of of your fitness journey, especially if you want to get better, get stronger, healthier. Also prioritize sleep. Sleep is a big thing as well. It’s like the silent killer of gains. If you don’t get sleep, you’re not going to make you’re not going to make muscle, you’re not going to build muscle or anything. A diet’s going to be a little bit different between a power lifter and a bodybuilder, though, right for me, since now, I’m more into, inclined into bodybuilding. It’s more so I guess, like chicken and rice, a lot of leaner foods and all that. But with powerlifting, there’s a big stereotype in the fitness community that powerlifters just like, eat candy during their sets and all that. And I have to say it’s true, like my friends--
You’re like, end those stereotypes!
Like my friends and I will bring like, bags of Sour Patch Kids while we’re working out.
Oh, my God, really?
Yeah, exactly.
And what is the reason? Like, it’s just give you energy?
Yeah, short forms of energy, carbs, etc. I mean Sour Patch are good. Yeah, they’re way too good.
The watermelon ones?
Oh, just the regular ones.
I like the watermelon ones.
Those are really good. Those are the silent killer of gains, I’m not gonna lie. We might have eaten a little too many. But with a power lifter, they eat healthy, they eat lean, but a lot of them look fairly different from bodybuilders. Like a lot of natural power lifters, don’t have physiques like bodybuilders, because although there’s the nutrition, it comes down to the way they’re also performing in the gym.
As a power lifter, I guess it’s more of, like, higher calorie foodor, like, there’s less rules, more dense. There’s less rules on, what you can and can eat.
Exactly, because in the end, it’s all about getting stronger, and you’re going to eat a lot of high calorie food. All the way around, eating is super, super important, and eating healthy is super important, especially to, like my coach, and to the higher tier power lifters who actually compete in worlds and compete in world championships and are world record holders. They are prioritizing their nutrition more than their exercises because it’s what makes them great.
Recovery as a power lifter, how would that look? Because I can’t imagine you like having to lift that crazy heavy every day. Or would you like alternate your days? Would you do like three days on...
Each coach is very different. My coach had me on kind of like a back down day sometimes, because you can’t lift that heavy, every single day. You’re going to fatigue your body and you’re going to go into atrophy and you’re not going to make any progress. So what my coach liked to do a few weeks, I think four to five were definitely very heavy. But there was also recovery phases in between, where some days were more so kind of... Since it’s all lower rep, there’s a thing called RPE, which is rate per exertion. There’s a percentage to how much you’re doing every single day. And since there was the heavy load some weeks, there was a build up to those, to those weeks. So it was like 50% of your one rep max on bench. Then we’re gonna go to like 80% 90%, we’re gonna do a back down. We’re gonna go back up. But it’s all dependent on what the client’s body responded. To me, I was a pretty, pretty good responder as well. Like, I could deal with a lot of, a lot of heavyweight and also deal with the back downs. At first, when he started me off, it was around the 60s to 80percents of my one rep max of the RPE. And the RPE is on a scale of like, I think one to ten. Ten being like 100% of your max, which is just your max. That’s 100% of what you can do. And then backing down, it’s like eight RPE is about 80%, 90% and it’s all ratioed as well. Like all of it is ratioed to what you can push. So, like, if you can do eight RPE of like, let’s say five sets of three, that’s not gonna be anywhere near your one rep max.
Can you also maybe go into your sense of community in the gym?
Yeah. So my background is a lot of things. I’m Ecuadorian and Colombian, but I’m also, I’m also white, and, like, a lot of my white background goes into, like Polish and, like, a bunch of like countries closer to Europe as well. And I’m also Nordic, so I’m also part Viking, which is crazy. Which is kind of cool. But, um, I’m also Kichwa, which is, like a Native American, like an indigenous tribe in in Ecuador. Yeah, a lot of my gym buddies were definitely completely different when it came to, like, traditions and cultural background. I think I do feel a sense of community among, like, Latino athletes, especially in the powerlifting space. It’s definitely supported me, especially since we have such a deep, like, deeply rooted connection with each other, not just based off of lifting, but also life, right? And like our traditions and everything else, it kind of pushes us to get even better together, because we have that bond. It’s almost like, like a familial bond, right? It’s definitely like family, like we are all like family, especially with my friend Simon, who is Ecuadorian. I used to go to the gym all the time with him, and we were able to bond on traditions and everything else like that. But apart from that, we mostly bonded on weightlifting and just getting better than each other, like we always competed. Yeah, we always competed with each other, always. There was never a day where we didn’t but that’s always what got us better. That’s what got us better: 1% every day and 365% every year. You know, it’s not just the Latinx, like a like, a Latinx sense of community. It’s everybody, like, I said, there’s, like, it’s a variety of people, and that’s what builds everybody up. It’s not just for one sort of people or another, or, like, a specific group of people, weightlifting and powerlifting, bodybuilding. It’s for everybody getting better and being an athlete is for everybody. Everybody is there to support you. You know, it’s not just like Ecuadorian supporting Ecuadorians, right? It’s everybody’s supporting everybody. And that’s what I love about the community, like the fitness community, is that we’re all there for each other. I still hold that sense of pride in my tradition and my cultural background with all my friends as well, because I haven’t seen many like Ecuadorian bodybuilders and power lifters in the scene. There is one that I know who’s Colombian. His name is Julian Tanaka. He’s definitely, like, a big, a big inspiration because of his background, but also because he’s a huge dude. He has a very, like, amazing physique. And like, a lot of people like, reach towards that goal. He’s also a Capoeira and a body building world champion. And since he’s that sort of hybrid athlete, he’s an inspiration. To me, because I want to be that hybrid athlete.
My goal this year has been to get outside more. I had the pleasure of attending Salvia Mi Tierra, a Latino conservation week celebration presented by North East Trees in Los Angeles. Not only did I learn the importance of protecting our natural environment, but I also had the wonderful opportunity to hike with other fellow Latinx individuals who loved spending their time working out in the great outdoors. Here’s what they said:
Using our bodies and being in the fitness space and a lot of what these green spaces, especially urban green spaces like Ascot Hills or on our side of town it’s the Baldwin Hills. It creates spaces for habitat restoration and nature walks, but also recreational space. We get a lot of folks exercising there for their own individual goals. It’s about being in community, whether you’re there to exercise or you’re there to do a bird walk, and the access to that is what’s really important and meaningful to our communities.
Bueno, a mí me gusta mucho salir hacer ejercicio, porque en primer lugar me desestresa y aparte, pues me mantengo fisicamente bien y sana para la salud, es muy importante.
Siempre venimos. Yo tengo como treinta años haciendo ejercicio. Caminando, hiking, si no es ir al YMCA. Pero siempre estamos haciendo algo. A mí me gustaría que toda la gente supiera la importancia en verdad de que el ejercicio es un beneficio para nosotros mismos y para la salud.
And now back to the episode.
So Sam, what advice would you give to fellow Latinx athletes looking to pursue powerlifting or any sport for that manner?
Chase your dreams, you know, and although it may be corny and a lot of people laugh at that, it’s true, and based on your background, sometimes you’re not going to have the facilities and the things that other people have, especially in the Latino background as well. We don’t really have like health equity, etc, and like knowledge behind all those things, and especially with powerlifting and bodybuilding and being healthy as well. And if you’re into that, don’t ever let it go. You need to pursue it. And if you want to be one of the greatest you need to work your butt off, and you should work your butt off, and you should be proud of your culture. You should never forget who you are. You should also try to implement your tradition, and like, I guess, recognition as well. A lot of those people don’t have much representation in powerlifting, bodybuilding.
What do you hope people or listeners kind of take away from what you’ve shared with us. Be careful. It’s dangerous. If you want to come start powerlifting,wear your belt.
It’s definitely dangerous, I guess. Don’t slip a disc while doing squats. Don’t get a stress fracture from doing deadlifts. That was so tedious, it made me so mad. But I guess this is something somebody said before, but it’s either day one or one day, and I’d rather it be day one than one day. You shouldn’t let yourself keep thinking that, Oh, you’re gonna do this one day. Go out and do something about it. Go out and chase your dreams. Go out and go to the gym for once. But if it was easy, everybody would be doing it, since it’s so hard, not everybody is doing it. It’s tedious, it hurts, it’s a long, long process to be able to see any results, and you need to be patient with yourself and patient with everything else. And I hope that you guys get into powerlifting. Get into bodybuilding. If you’ve never even heard of it, you know, or were even just thinking about it. Just go out there and have fun. Go out there and work hard.
Alright, guys. Well, we hope you enjoyed this segment of lifting Latinos. And thank you, Sam for all of your insight. Make sure to check out more dimalo content on Annenberg media’s website and follow Lifting Latinos new Instagram page. It’s gonna be @lifting_latinos. Also be sure to check out Sam and all of his content.
Yeah, it’s@samdiaz_30.
Let’s go get those gains. Y recuerda qué two L’s make a W.