Anthony Faggiani is already a fierce competitor in the powerlifting world, and has only been involved for a year-and-a-half.
But weightlifting is something Faggiani has always made time for.
The sport of competitive powerlifting intrigued him when a coworker introduced him to a longtime competitor in Williams Lake. Faggiani’s interest was sparked and he quickly immersed himself in the culture.
High-impact, mass-muscle sport has always been his passion. Rugby was a favourite, and weightlifting was always a component he made a big part of his routine.
Strength and force is in his blood.
If you saw him, you would understand. At 270 pounds, Faggiani is clearly a man with brawn and has worked very hard for it. His biceps measure 18.5 inches around and his thighs are 32 inches.
Although powerlifting is a natural passion of his, it has come with its own challenges.
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Not many months prior to his first competition in November 2016, Faggiani herniated two discs in his lower spine moving equipment into his shop.
That didn’t discourage him. Instead, it gave him more drive to get back into it. Despite the severity of the injury and the lack of mobility it caused, he wasn’t going to allow it to stop him.
“There was no reason I couldn’t do something to get better,” Faggiani says with conviction.
He was determined to rise above his injury and focused on healing through water therapy exercise at the Quesnel & District Arts and Recreation Centre.
Apart from a small amount of physiotherapy, Faggiani rehabilitated on his own and out of sheer determination to get back into the sport.
Winning third in his weight class in the Northern Powerlifting Competition in Prince George earlier this month has given Faggiani the validation needed to prove his work paid off.
Faggiani says he also believes there’s no need to train for years or even months before you reach your weight goal. Coming in last at his first competition was merely an invaluable learning experience, and something he couldn’t have learned alone in a gym.
“A lot of people are fixated on winning, which is great, but I think the more important thing is to just be better than yourself the last time.”
That goal is what gets him out to his shop five days a week, during which he trains for between an hour and an hour and a half.
Faggiani’s goal going forward is to work toward qualifying for the World Championships. To do that, he has to achieve a three-lift total of 1,650 pounds.
At his last competition, he was able to squat 457.5 pounds, bench press 308.6 pounds and deadlift 435.4 pounds, giving him a three-lift-total of 1,201.5 pounds.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him achieve his goal.
Faggiani encourages anyone who has been interested in becoming involved to give it a shot. He says it has been a fantastic experience for him and he is open to any questions people may have.
He can be reached at a.rh.faggiani@gmail.com. His contact number is 250-255-7761.
