LIFT THE WAY TO ARNOLD
CAIRNS STRONGMAN SETS HIS SIGHTS ON NATION’S MOST RESPECTED WEIGHTLIFTING COMPETITION
IT is one of, if not the, biggest powerlifting events in Australia at the country’s biggest strength sports festival.
ProRaw is the place to be if you’re passionate about powerlifting.
Thousands of like-minded people, men and women who strive to be strong, travel to Melbourne every year to compete at what is the pinnacle of Australian powerlifting, held at the Arnold Sports Festival.
Among the crowd will be at least one competitor from Cairns, a man who has dedicated his recent years to building as much strength as his growing body will allow.
Wesley Vick’s sports background – he was a high level field hockey player in his past life in New Zealand, where he grew up – helped when he arrived in Cairns four years ago.
Initially a CrossFit trainer, Vick followed the well-trodden path to powerlifting.
“I’ve always been really competitive,” Vick said. “Any sport I was really competitive.
“I became a CrossFit coach, did a bit of training with that. I started to get stronger, I loved squatting, it’s one of my favourite things, and it’s one of the key lifts. I just decided to get into that and it’s been a progression from there.”
Now he is just three weeks from his first competition at the Arnold Sports Festival.
He travelled to the annual event last year as Brooke Kowalczyk’s coach, and the duo were due to compete together next month before Kowalczyk suffered a serious leg injury.
Powerlifting consists of three exercises: squat, deadlift and bench press, and to qualify for the invite-only ProRaw Powerlifting competition, Vick lifted about 680kg to finish third in his class.
“I squatted 270, benched 140 and deadlifted 270, and that just got me qualification to get an invite which is awesome,” Vick said.
It was the culmination of almost one year’s training with the Arnold Sports Festival in mind.
Vick, 25, will compete in the 95kg class, and is aiming to lift more than a total of 700kgs across the three disciplines.
He will be well off the biggest lifters – some of his rivals are expecting to hit four figures – but that’s not what ProRaw, or the sport of powerlifting is about, according to Vick.
Powerlifting is an extension of oneself; a sport in which the only competitor is the limit you put on yourself.
While standing atop the podium is every lifter’s dream, Vick and his fellow competitors have individual weight goals they want to hit.
Vick’s target is between 5-15kg more than what he lifted to qualify, which would take him beyond the 700kg threshold.
“I’ve worked pretty hard to get up to that mark,” he said.
He has three weeks left before he goes to Melbourne, during which time he’ll complete one more week of heavy training at Earlville’s Five Star Fitness before he deloads ahead of competition.
“I’ll still do a bit of training but it’s minimal compared to normal, it’s just to keep moving,” Vick said.
“Everyone is at that top level so nobody is stuffing around. Everyone knows what they need to do. It’s so professional, the competition is run so smoothly.
“To be able to go and do it … this is what I’ve been working towards for the past 12 months.”
Vick will compete at ProRaw on March 16.