Hunt Fitness
Q- For the readers who may not be familiar with the name Casey Williams, could you tell us a bit about yourself – what you do, your accomplishments and your competitive history?
I work in the oil and gas industry near my hometown in Pittsburgh, PA. I grew up a pretty typical high schooler in the area, playing football on Friday nights and baseball in the spring and summer. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to play football at the 1-AA level at Bucknell University. My lifting always centered around football until my last semester of college when a friend got me involved in a push-pull meet that he runs (the Pittsburgh Monster Meet). At the time I enjoyed competing, but I didn’t know how long I would stick with it. Well I got hooked and I’ve been competing for three years now (2-3 full meets per year and a push/pull or deadlift only meet thrown in there every once in awhile). At the IPA nationals in York PA 2012 I broke the all time drug tested squat and total with a 700 squat and 1770 total at 220. At EliteFTS’s most recent Learn to Train seminar I was awarded a sponsorship after Dave Tate challenged me and Brandon Smitley to a coefficient competition. We were both fortunate enough to become part of team EliteFTS. And recently at RUM7 I took first in the 242’s and second in the heavyweight super class, losing to Andrey Malinechev’s greatest powerlifting performance to date. Currently I’m ranked #2 in the 242 raw w/ wraps class. My best total was 2012 at RUM7. I’m looking to hit 2100 in my next meet, and 2200 the following year. Ultimately I’d like to get to 2300 at 242 in wraps- you have to dream big in this sport.
Q- How did you first become interested in training/powerlifting?
Like I said, I always trained for football, but I loved lifting. Nothing compared to the feeling of getting better and tracking my progress. A friend of mine, Mike Barravecchio was a top 3 bencher in the early 2000’s, and he took me to my first official full meet. He was a great coach in getting me prepped for what to expect and how to time my warm ups and what attempts to take. Since then I’ve been hooked.
Q- What does your current training schedule look like? What type of program do you feel has benefited you the most as a powerlifter?
I trained with a conjugate system for my first year and a half to two years. No doubt I got stronger and more confident under heavy weights, but my progress in training didn’t translate to the platform because of my inexperience and missing some of the nuances. As my progress stalled I decided to try a Russian peak cycle after a training partner suggested it. It took me back to some of the basics that I had practiced in high school and college, so it was almost a comforting transition. It only makes sense to me- as you get closer to a meet you want your strength levels to peak (decrease volume and increase intensity). So what would you want to do in the offseason? Decrease intensity and increase volume, along with bringing up perceived weak points. I think we’re all guilty of making things too complicated at some point in our lifting careers. I’m trying to keep it simple and rational going into this offseason, but it’s a learning process. I’m young and sometimes dumb.
Q- Besides the three powerlifts (bench, squat, deadlift) what are some of your other “go to” assistance lifts?
I love pause squats and box squats. DB bench and dips are my go to for bench. And GHR, stiff leg deadlifts, and block pulls are a staple in my deadlift training. Face pulls and rear delts are a big part of my shoulder health, as well.
Q- What does your diet look like throughout the year? Do you follow a specific type of nutritional approach or is it something you don’t pay much attention to?
This is something I could greatly benefit from. It’s always been a struggle for me to put on weight. I weigh 230-235 and compete in the 242’s. I could probably cut pretty easily but I avoid it like the plague. In a couple years I’d like to get to a solid 250 and cut to 242. We’ll see how that goes. I’m learning more and more about nutrition every day. With my metabolism it’s hard to eat enough calories to put on weight without throwing some junk in the mix. I’m following my teammates’ methodologies at EliteFTS. Brian Carroll is helping me with my diet and I like Brandon Smitley’s approach to carb back loading. I’ll play around with both of their philosophies, although they are similar, and try to come up with what works best for me.
Q- Going back on the last question, what are your generic guidelines of Pre/During/Post workout nutrition? Do you follow any specific protocol nutritionally or with supplements?
Pre workout I always grab some kind of fruit, usually an apple, with a protein bar or shake. Onnit makes an awesome hemp protein bar that is easy to digest. During a workout I try to drink a ton of water. When preparing for a meet I go with coconut water, BCAA’s, and creatine intra-workout. Post workout I go with the standard protein shake and then about 45 minutes later I’ll eat dinner.
Q- What Supplements do you consider “Staples” or those that should be utilized on a daily basis? Also what supplements do you feel have the greatest benefit to helping you as a powerlifter?
Fish oil and Onnit’s Primate Packs are year round supplements for me. I’ll add BCAA’s and Creatine about 8 weeks out from a competition. Creatine has always given me a big boost. I can tell immediately after starting it back into my diet because I can squeeze a few more reps out of my sets.
Q- What are your future goals in the sport of Powerlifting? Any specific things you want to accomplish?
I want to break the all time 242 wraps total and be #1 in my weight class. At some point in the future I’d like to bench 600 and total 2300 in wraps. There will be plenty of people along the way, on both sides, telling you can or you can’t. Surround yourself with the people that support you, but shoot you straight and you’ll get to where you want to be.
Q- If there was one thing you could go back and change so far in your powerlifting career what would it be and why?
I wouldn’t change anything about the path I took. I would tell my younger self to not be intimated about seeking advice from some of the veterans. After a year of squatting and deadlifting the way a football player would, I finally got some advice from Steve Goggins, and was fortunate enough to spend every weekend for about 4 months straight at Westside. And it made me better, much better. You know how I got that opportunity?…I asked. I called both of these guys, among others, and said I want to get better, can you help? And they did.
Q- Is there one tip you could give to those who are reading that may be interested in breaking into competitive powerlifting?
Just compete! If you’ve never competed then you will be able to break four PR’s on meet day. You don’t have any expectations going in so everything you do on meet day will be the best you’ve ever done in a meet. The one I hear all the time is, “I’ll see where I’m at when I get closer to the meet and decide whether or not I want to compete.” Take the good with the bad. You will become a better lifter just by competing. And reach out to others and ask questions to prepare yourself for meet day. Read articles. Do research. Enjoy the process.
Q- Lastly, how can people reach you if they want to contact or follow you?
You can follow my daily training log at Elitefts.com as well as ask me questions on the Q & A. I’m on facebook as Casey Williams, on twitter @caseywilliams46, and on instagram as THECASEYWILLIAMS. Also my supplement sponsor, Onnit, can be found at www.Onnit.com/casey – It’s tough having a common name, you have to fight for good usernames.
Thanks for the opportunity Kyle. Best wishes to you and good luck!
