Brad, thanks for taking time to talk to me. You have risen to the top of international powerlifting and have been a dominant force for well over a decade. How many US and World titles have you taken out? How many US and world records have you taken? What are you best lifts raw and equipped?

  • 8 time USAPL National Champion
  • 4 time USAPL Masters National Champion
  • 2 Time IPF Open World Champion
  • 4 Time IPF Silver Medalist
  • 1 Time IPF Bronze Medalist
  • 22 IPF Open Individual Medals
  • 3 time IPF/IWGA World Games Competitor
  • 14 Time IPF World Championship Competitor
  • 3 time IPF Masters World Champion
  • 5 time Arnold Classic Deadlift Champion
  • 5 time NAPF Champion
  • IPF World Record Deadlift 120+ Open Class-397.5
  • IPF World Record Deadlift 125+ Masters Class-400
  • IPF World Record Total 125+ IPF Masters Class-1057.5
  • IPF World Record Total 120+ IPF Masters Class-1032.5
  • USAPL Record Deadlift 125+ Masters Class-400
  • USAPL Record Total 125+ Masters Class-1057.5
  • USAPL Record RAW Deadlift 125+ Open Class-382.5
  • USAPL Record RAW Deadlift 125+ Masters Class-382.5
  • Personal Bests Equipped 395-287.5-400-1062.5
  • Personal Bests Raw I have to include lifts prior to RAW being a competing class: 340-272.5-397.5-937.5

What was your greatest moment as a lifter to date?

This is a tough question for me. It is hard to limit my greatest moment to one exact lift or meet, but I would have to say winning my first IPF World Championship at the 2000 Worlds in Akita City, Japan.

I am most proud of my longevity in the sport. I have been at it a long time, and I have been able to make a lot of friends through the sport all over the World.

How has your training changed over the years?

My training has stayed basically the same over the years, but I continue to change up assistance to work my weak areas. I think the only big difference is that I have to work around injuries more often these days. I have to know when it is time to take a day off. I typically train with weights three days a week, and do other cardio-based exercises on my off days. On Mondays, I alternate partial rack pulls and full deadlifts every other week. My assistance work may include front squats, box squats, pause squats. RDLSs, bent rows, power cleans, leg presses, GHR and ab work. On Wednesdays I train the bench heavy with progressive singles and a high volume of sets. My assistance work may include front raises, biceps, and triceps work, partial bench presses, and some rowing movements. On Fridays I primarily train a 5x5 squat approach in the 60%-80% range. I train at a fast pace and try to complete all 5 sets in 15-30 minutes. My assistance work may include shoulder presses, light bench press, bent rows, GHR, reverse hypers, partial squats, ab work, leg extensions, and leg curls. I will add in Olympic Lifting, Strongman movements, and Grip training to keep things interesting. I also continually add in extra exercises for rehab purposes as needed, and am always looking for new ways to torture myself.

I know your father has been a huge inspiration for you as a strength athlete. What influence did he have over you as you developed as a powerlifter and what did you learn from him?

My father is Gale Gillingham. He was a five time All Pro Offensive Guard with the Green Bay Packers. He played for 10 seasons in the NFL. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1982. He introduced my brothers Karl, Wade and I to weight training at a very early age. He passed away suddenly last year just before the 2011 IPF Worlds…… That trip to Pilsen, Czech Republic was a tough one for me. He had coached me at almost all of my major events over the years. He was my coach, mentor, motivator, Hero and biggest fan. Possibly; the greatest strength gift that he gave me was his mental toughness. He did not know the word quit and he tried to pass his mental toughness on to his sons. My brothers and I have competed against the biggest and the strongest in the world, but we still consider the Oldman to be one of the strongest to ever walk the planet.

Do you have any other athletes that you have been inspired by or learnt from?

I am inspired most by lifters like you that have been around a long time and keep fighting to get stronger. Some lifters that come to mind are Victor Naliekin, Shawn Cain, David Ricks, Dan Austin, Patrik Turreson, Wim Wamsteeker, Priscilla Ribic, Hideaki Inaba, and Hiroyuki Isagawa. I am also inspired by my brothers and their continued quest to stay strong and get stronger.

What advice can you offer to novice lifters wanting to get stronger?

It is very important to first learn how to lift properly, and then find a good program. Try to stay as educated as you can about strength training. Stay open minded and learn from others. The most important aspect is to stay Drug Free and enjoy the time it takes to get strong naturally.

Your training DVD and manual are great coaching resources, I have learnt a lot from them and refer back to them often, and do you coach many lifters?

Thank you, I am glad to hear that these were helpful. I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist; although I work in the Environmental Regulation Field. I enjoy trying to give back to the sport as much as possible by helping people get stronger. My passion is strength coaching and I train a number of lifters, and athletes at the gym. I also help out a number of athletes through email correspondence and strength seminars. We have a very small gym, in very rural Minnesota, and we have had 4 lifters compete at IPF Open Worlds, and a two time Junior World Champion. We will have several compete at the Classic Raw Worlds in both the Open and Junior Class next year. We have also developed some very good Strongmen, High School, Collegiate, and Amateur: wrestlers, football players, track and field athletes, hockey players, volleyball players, and basketball players. There is always a need for extra strength in all sports.

You recently put up some great numbers raw and you do a lot of training raw. What are your thoughts on raw lifting?

I have basically waited my entire powerlifting career for RAW lifting to arrive. I have trained RAW from the beginning, and have never been able to get much of a boost out of gear. When I won my first World Championship in 2000 I basically lifted RAW with knee wraps. I was at my strongest back then before old age and injuries started setting in. I used to have tremendous RAW bench strength and at one time could bench 272.5 Raw. I will mainly compete RAW in the future. I hope that the RAW movement will continue to grow.

What goals do you have for the future?

I am still hopeful, or at least have not given up yet, on my quest to pull over 410. That is a huge goal of mine. Other than that I would like to stay strong and healthy and compete as long as possible.

I have seen a video of you talking about supplementation. How important is supplementation to you and what supplements do you recommend? I have been fortunate to be sponsored by General Nutrition Center (GNC) for the past 11 years. Their support not only makes it possible for me to travel the world in pursuit of my strength goals, but their products have made me a better athlete. I feel that proper supplementation is critical to maintain and improve strength. Some supplements that come to mind are GNC Pro Performance Amped Creatine, HMB, Branch Chain Amino Acid 5000, 100% Whey, and Triple Strength Fish Oil.

It was a big moment in Australian lifting when you lifted at the Australian Nationals- any plans to come back?

Man, I would really like to come back and lift in Australia again! That was a great trip down under to Melbourne in 2011. It was a real honor, and one of the highlights of my lifting career.

Thanks for your time Stephen for this great opportunity to be interviewed by you!!! Stay Strong my Friend!!!

Thanks again Brad. I appreciate you sharing this with the Ironedge community.

By Steven Pritchard

Tags: weightlifting Stephen Pritchard