PL DEN | The Powerlifter's Den

In Episode 142 of The Powerlifter's Den , Cam sits down with Niko Chaprales —former IPL Raw 308 World Champion, professional strongman, and strength coach to some of the biggest names in the sport, including Evan Singleton , Inez Carrasquillo , and Katie Blunden . Niko shares his journey from retiring as a world champion powerlifter to building one of the top coaching teams in strength sports....

In Episode 141 of The Powerlifter's Den, Cam sits down with one of the most accomplished equipped powerlifters in history, Chris Della Fave . Since entering the sport in 2007 after his football career at the University of Rhode Island, Chris has built a resume that few lifters can match. Holding the all time records at 242 in single ply, multi ply, and unlimited , Chris has totaled as much as...

In Episode 140 of The Powerlifter's Den, Cam sits down with Ryan Kennelly, the first man to ever bench press 800 pounds and the former all time world record holder with a 1075 lb bench at 308.Ryan shares stories from his rise through the sport, meeting Louie Simmons in 2001, the evolution of bench shirts over the last 30 years, and the mindset it took to become one of the greatest bench presse...

In Episode 139 of The Powerlifter’s Den, Cam sits down with Duncan Hundley, director of strength and conditioning at Gray Collegiate Academy and a lifter with over 11 years of experience in both raw and equipped powerlifting. Duncan shares how watching World’s Strongest Man and WWE first sparked his love for strength sports, eventually leading him to winning Powerlifting America Bench Nationals an...

In Episode 138 of The Powerlifter’s Den, Cam sits down with one of the most respected coaches and thinkers in powerlifting, Mike Tuchscherer. As the founder of Reactive Training Systems and a coach with nearly 30 years in the sport, Mike has helped shape modern approaches to training through data driven decision making, individualized programming, and structured experimentation. We dive deep into...

In Episode 137 of The Powerlifter’s Den, Cam sits down with Alexander Freeman, someone he actually went to high school with, making this episode a little more personal than most. Since those days, Alex has transformed himself into a serious force in powerlifting, building a 2000 raw total and 500 DOTS while preparing to make the jump into multi ply competition. Alex opens up about how athletics sh...

In Episode 136 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with RJ Butcher — a lifter who’s been competing since 2009 and has built his career through experience, resilience, and time under the bar. RJ shares his journey from training in old-school gyms to stepping on the platform across multiple weight classes, totaling 2104 at 242 in wraps , and now setting his sights on multiply. We dive into the...

In Episode 135 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Sam Brown — a human performance expert for the United States Air Force, McGill Method Certified Practitioner, and multi-ply lifter with a 2100+ total . Sam shares his journey from training at elitefts and learning under Westside-influenced lifters to working with pilots and aircrew in high-stress environments. We dive into what actually...

This week on The Powerlifter’s Den , we sit down with Alejandro Wickham—a 40-year-old masters lifter proving that elite performance doesn’t have an expiration date. Alejandro has totaled over 2070 lbs in tested competition while balancing the discipline and mindset forged through his military background. We dive into what it takes to stay competitive at a high level into your 40s, how his time in...

In Episode 133 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Erin Murray — 4x World’s Strongest Woman and one of the only athletes in strength sports to hold world titles across multiple weight classes. Erin shares her journey from getting into lifting as part of recovery, to competing on the Arnold stage and becoming one of the most dominant athletes in strongman. We dive into what it takes to re...

In Episode 132 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Karl Wedel — an international lifter with his sights set on a 1080kg total at ABS Pro 8 , where he’ll face off against current title holder Nicolas Du Preez. Karl shares his journey from getting into powerlifting just to compete with a friend, to building elite strength while working full-time shift hours in a windmill factory. We dive i...

This week on The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Tony Carlino —elite equipped bencher, full power competitor, and one of the few lifters in history to bench over 1000 pounds in multiply , with a massive 1036 bench in 2024 . Tony talks about how he got hooked on powerlifting after watching Road to the Arnold , what it means to be in the tiny group of lifters to bench 1000+ in poly, and becom...

In Episode 130 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Connie to talk about her journey through the sport of powerlifting and what it takes to keep showing up when the work gets hard. We dive into how she found her way into lifting, the lessons learned through training and competition, and the mindset required to continue pushing forward in a sport that demands consistency, patience, and res...

In Episode 129 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with legendary bench presser Bill Gillespie — a world record holder, elite masters competitor, and former NFL and college strength coach . Bill shares stories from decades in the iron game, from coaching athletes at the highest levels of sport to building one of the most respected bench press legacies in powerlifting. We dive into what it tak...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , we sit down with Bob Merkh to talk about his new book Moderation for Cowards , now available on Amazon, and the mindset behind a lifetime under the bar. Bob breaks down the philosophy that drove the book, why embracing intensity matters in strength sports, and the lessons learned from decades of competing. We also dive into his final meet, Holy Wars III ,...

In Episode 127 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Lyndsay Bramble — Holy Wars competitor, WPO athlete, and a lifter who has put a 655 lb squat on the platform while climbing into the top ranks of the sport. With a 6th all-time squat and 8th all-time total, Lyndsay opens up about what it takes to compete at the highest level — and what happens when life forces you to reset. She talks abo...

In Episode 126 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Jake Seibert — a lifter who’s totaled over 2400 , squatted over 1000 pounds , and tested himself on the WPO stage . This episode is a deep dive into what it really takes to perform at the highest level of powerlifting without losing perspective along the way. Jake breaks down his journey through elite competition, the lessons learned cha...

In Episode 125 of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Carina Davis — former elite full power lifter, bench-only specialist, meet director, and one of the strongest women to ever compete in the sport. Once ranked among the best total, squat, and bench lifters in powerlifting, Carina opens up about what it truly took to reach that level — and the cost that came with it. Carina shares how near...

On Episode 124 of The Powerlifter’s Den , we’re joined by Delco Jesus — a lifter whose journey is built on struggle, discipline, and earned perspective. From losing over 100 pounds to grinding out a 705lb squat on one of the hardest days of his life, Delco opens up about what powerlifting has taken from him — and what it’s given back. We dive into mental health in the sport, the importance of real...

On Episode 124 of The Powerlifter’s Den , we’re joined by Shane Haller — former ATWR holder, decade-long competitor, and now full-time coach with an eye on the bigger picture of the sport. Shane dives into his journey from lifting for football and wrestling to totaling 2430 in wraps, squatting 925 raw at 308, and building real credibility both on and off the platform. We get into what competing fo...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Michael “MJ” Greeno , one of the most respected coaches in powerlifting with nearly 30 years in the sport . While MJ downplays his own lifting career, his coaching résumé speaks for itself — his athletes make up 20% of the top raw totals in the world , including 3 of the top 10 biggest raw squats of all time . We dive into the realities...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Jordan Wong — gym owner, meet director, and one of the greatest squatters of all time. A 2x All-Time World Record holder at 220 , Jordan is chasing one final run at the ATWR and a 2,000 lb total before hanging it up. Jordan opens up about surviving catastrophic spine injuries, nerve damage, pec surgery, and being told he’d never train a...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Kyle Shreve , a Detroit-based electrician and multi-ply / unlimited powerlifter whose path into the sport was shaped by Westside Barbell influence, hard work, and using the gym as a way out of depression. Kyle talks about starting his training in 2017, stepping on the platform for the first time in 2021, and building himself into a seri...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with JT Krivinskas — the University of New Haven football player who also happens to hold the heaviest teenage squat and total of all time . At just 19, JT already has a top-15 all-time total and top-12 squat in the 242 class… and he’s nowhere near done. We get into how he started lifting in his garage at 15, the moment a Facebook-Marketplac...

In this episode of The Powerlifter’s Den , Cam sits down with Tyler Williamson to break down his journey through the sport of powerlifting — from early training days to the mindset it takes to chase long-term success under the bar. Tyler opens up about the discipline, setbacks, and sacrifices required to keep progressing when motivation fades and pressure rises. Whether you’re a competitor or just...