Interview-Paul Childress

Paul Childress

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Initial Interview, December 30th, 2004 - 1100lb+ squatting, top 308lb Westsider.





What are your age, bodyweight and occupation?



I will turn 34 on January 2, my body weight is normally around 320lb and I compete at 308lb. I work as a personal trainer and strength & conditioning consultant.



What are your best lifts?



Squat 1124lb WR @ 308lb

Bench 690lb WPO WR @ 308lb

Deadlift 782 @ 308lb

Total 2579 WR @ 308





How long have you been lifting and where?



I live and train in Buffalo, NY. I received my first weight set when I was 8 years old and have been training ever since. I started competitive powerlifting during high school and returned to powerlifting after college.





What style of training do you use?



I train using Westside Barbell principles. I have been using WSB for about 7 years.





What type of equipment do you use and how do you get the most out of it?



For the squat I use a Ginny Philips suit and Frantz briefs. For the bench I use an Inzer double denim. And for the deadlift I wear a pair of Frantz briefs. I also wear Chuck Taylors for all three lifts. As for getting the most out of my gear. I don't use it that much. I only wear my squat suit a couple if time a year (other than meet day). I feel very comfortable in it and don't really need to us it. The bench is a different story. I have been using my shirt more, because I don’t get much of a carry over out of my shirt. So I’m really trying to learn how to use a shirt better. As for the DL I only wear a pair of briefs and a singlet. I have tried different DL suit but have never found one that I really like.





Who are you?



I’m a self employed personal trainer and I’m on staff at elite fitness systems (elitefts.com). I have a Masters degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition. I started my business three years ago and now have about 20 clients and two employees with their own clients.



I’m single and my family (parents and two sisters) are my biggest fans.



I fell in love with lifting at a young age (8) when I saw my first World’s Strongest Man contest. As long as I can remember I have always been stronger than all my friends. I could do push-ups and sit-ups and pull-ups when I was 3-4 years old. The first time that I tried bench pressing when I was a freshmen in high school I benched 225.





Where do you train?



I train in Buffalo, NY at the Village Glen Tennis and Fitness Center. It’s not what I would call a hard core gym, but we have all the equipment you could ask for and we have about 20 guys and girls that train together.





Who do you admire in the sport?



I have met some a the best people from this sport and admire all of them, but I would have to say that the ones that have meant the most to me would have to be all the guys from WSB, Louie Simmons, and Dave Tate have done more for me than I could ever pay back. Others that I have huge respect for are Eddie Coan, Steve Goggins, Donnie Thompson,
Beau Moore and John Bott





How did you start lifting? Did anyone help you coming up?



As I mentioned earlier I received my first weight set from my parents when I was 8 and have been training ever since. I was lucky to have a high school football coach that was into lifting and spent the time to teach use proper form. When I got to college my strength coach pushed us hard and taught us what training hard really was. That set the ground work for powerlifting.





What lifting technique suits you best in each of the three lifts, and what do you concentrate on most during your lifts?



Squat: I could write a hold article on squat form, but basically I use a wide stance with a wide grip and medium bar height. Classic WSB style.



Bench: I’m a classic belly bencher. I bring the bar down very low with good speed. I keep my feet flat and elbows tucked. My bar path is straight than back slightly, elbows turning out at the top.



DL: sumo, I don't have real long arms so I tend to round my upper back at the start of the DL. I think of the DL as a squat off the floor with a pull back. By rounding my upper back it allows me better leverage and I can us my hips and back which are my strongest body parts.





Please list your training numbers in common movements.



Buffalo bar good-mornings, 755lbx1, 700lbx3, 675lbx5; deadlift off 2" platform, 750lbx1; 2 board press, 565lbx1; 3 board press, 580lbx1; floor press 555lbx1. All gym lifts are done raw. I also don't do a great job keeping track of PRs.





What is your training routine?



Sunday - speed bench

Tuesday - speed squat

Wednesday - max effort bench

Friday - max effort squat/deadlift

Most workouts last about 2 hours you can see my training log @ elitefts.com.





What specific exercises do you believe have been effective in increasing your bench squat and deadlift?



The best exercise for the squat and deadlift are good-mornings (all kinds). Assistance exercises, glute ham raises, 45° hypers, reverse hypers and abs lots of abs. bench press- floor press, board press (2,3,4) assistance exercises- straight bar ext. and a lot of dumbbell work.



With out a doubt the best advance in training in the past ten years has been chains and bands.





Have you ever “plateaued” on any of your lifts and how did you correct the issue(s) causing the halt in progress?



I have not hit any major plateaus yet. My bench has slowed down a little but I think that is because I have not mastered how to use a shirt. The reason I think my numbers keep going up is that I cycle my training, and I only compete twice a year. Only competing twice allows me time to work in weakness and not always be training for a meet.





What has gotten you to your current level?



I would have to say setting realist goals and hard work along with good training partners and a well thought out training program.





Have you ever had any injuries? How do you avoid them in training?



I have been very lucky so far and not had any real injuries. I did hurt my hip at the show of strength in Atlanta, and had to take some time to rehab it, but it has come around and it should be ready for the Arnold Classic.





How do you feel about what you've accomplished so far and what are your goals?



I have already far exceeded any thing that I could have ever dreamed of. My goal from here is to stay healthy and to keep making gains and we will see what happens.





How do you intend on continuing to progress?



To keep make progress I have to train smart keep working hard and keep learning and coming up with new training ideas. Also talk to the other top lifters and see what they are doing, and see if it works.





What do you recommend non-elite lifters should concentrate most on in training?



I see too many young lifters using gear that they are not ready for. I think they need to spend more time on improving their raw strength and not how much of a carry over they can get from gear. I’m afraid that we are going to see some major injuries in the next couple of years from lifters that are all gear and have no raw strength. As for training tips build up the core and posterior chain.





Describe your nutritional plan.



My nutrition plain is pretty simple. I stay away from fast food, I don't drink milk, and I keep pre-made food to a minimum. Otherwise I try to eat about 5000 calories a day and I try to get about 300+ grams of protein in a day.





When and where is your next meet?



My next meet is the WPO super open at the Arnold classic in Columbus March 4-6, 2005





Anyone you would like to thank?



I would like to thank irongame for this opportunity, my family for all they have done for me over the years. I would like to thank my training partners for all the help over the years especially, Bigski, and Joe D. I have learned so much from both of you. Lastly Louie Simmons, Dave Tate, WSB and everyone from Elite Fitness Systems.





Thanks Paul.