Erik Willis, powerlifter:
This Carleton Raven is one of the strongest powerlifters in Canada.
Willis once again stood out from the competition at the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) national championships April 2 at St. Catharines, Ont.
He became the strongest lifter in the history of Canadian lifting since the introduction of the 105- kilogram weight class.
His teammate, Philip Brougham, said he was impressed with Willis’ accomplishment, especially since he just entered the open division this year.
“There were some pretty ridiculously strong guys in that division, and Erik just coming out of junior and being able to beat guys who have been in the sport for quite a few years . . . is quite the accomplishment.”
Willis said he typically trains three days a week, three to four hours at a time, alternating between squats, deadlifts, and bench press. He stressed the importance of calorie intake to fuel his body, allowing him to put up heavy weight regardless of what the food is.
He said even though powerlifting is a sport based on individual output, he said the team mentality that exists among the rest of the Ravens power lifters helped him reach his goals.
“We actually all train together fairly frequently, so we’re always pushing each other,” Willis said. “We’re also never really easy on each other, because we’re always pushing each other to be better. I don’t want [my teammates] to tell me my squat looked great when it looked like a pile of crap.”
