Powerlifting USA Magazine

POWER INTERVIEW

 

October 2011 - Vol. 34 No. 12

PHILLIP WYLIE

by Ben Tatar | ben[at]criticalbench.com
www.criticalbench.com


Phillip Wylie has a very colorful past. He has been shot, wrestled a 750-pound black bear, has totaled in the elite class and competed at one of powerlifting's biggest stages, the 2011 Arnold! He is definitely someone that we should all watch.

Phillip, welcome to Powerlifting USA. Tell the readers about yourself!
My name is Phillip "Rockman" Wylie, I am a 46 year old drug free, elite, raw powerlifter from Carrollton, Texas. I work as an Information Security Consultant for a Fortune 100 company and specialize in application security. I started working out in 1980 and I competed in powerlifting from 1984 to 1988 and returned to competition in November 2003. I changed my focus from equipped powerlifting to raw in May 2008 due to losing interest in geared powerlifting.

Phillip, what federation do you compete in and what are your best lifts?
I have competed in several different feds over the years, but when I switched from competing in multi-ply gear to raw, I started competing exclusively in NASA and USAPL. The IPF is holding their first raw powerlifting world championships in 2012 and it is my goal to compete there one day.
Best Raw Lifts:
- USAPL (260.1 lb. bwt) - 573 lb. SQ - 407 lb. BP - 672 lb. - 1620 lb. TOT
- NASA (243.9 lb. bwt) - 551 lb. SQ - 402 lb. - 705 lb. DL (with deadlift bar) - 1658 lb. TOT
Best Equipped Lifts:
- APF/AAPF (242 lb. bwt) - 848 lb. SQ - 523 lb. BP - 711 lb. DL
- WABDL (242 lb. bwt) - 722 lb. DL (DL only)

 

What are your short term and long term goals?
My short term goals are to squat 600 pounds, bench press 418 pounds, deadlift 711 pounds, and total 1700-plus pounds. I hope to accomplish those goals in December at the 2011 USAPL Holiday Classic. My long term goals are to win in the open division at USAPL Raw Nationals, win the open division at the USAPL/NAPF Raw Challenge at the Arnold and compete in the IPF Raw World Championship.

Tell us about your powerlifting routine and some of your thoughts on how one can get the most out of their training.

I follow a modified Sheiko template with a few modifications of my own. Days that I feel strong, I reverse the set and rep scheme, I switch from 5 sets of 3 reps to 3 sets of 5 reps. The other days I just follow the normal set and rep scheme. Mondays I squat and bench, Wednesdays I bench and deadlift, and Fridays I squat and bench. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do accessory exercises, one day I will do some type of overhead press and both days I do chin-ups or pull-ups.


I made another tweak to my program during my last two weeks of training for the Arnold. I switched to squatting heavier and only squatting once a week. The Arnold was my third training cycle using this program and the heavier squatting the last two weeks of training made a difference. Two weeks out from the meet I go up to a weight that would be my last warm-up at the meet for 3 to 5 reps and in my last week I work up to my meet opener for 3 reps. The deadlift portion of the routine is totally different from the original template. I do three weeks of deficit deadlifts, I deload on the fourth week, and then I switch to regular deadlifts for the remainder of the training cycle and work up to a top set of 5 reps. The weight used the first week is 70% of your 1 rep max and the weight the last week is between 77% to 80%. Training for the Arnold I worked up to 495 pounds for 5 reps and deadlifted 672 pounds at the meet.


To get the most out of a program, start a training log if you don't already have one. Keep it updated and detailed. It's also a good idea to track your body weight in your log. Also keep a separate page for your PRs (personal records), so it's consolidated and easy to find. You can also take this a step further and keep a training log online in a blog, or on a message board. This makes it easier to get advice and feedback. Video your lifts, especially if you train alone and don't have someone there to coach and critique your form. Be consistent and don't miss workouts. It's okay to take scheduled breaks after a meet, but missing workouts too often will hinder your progress. Find someone or a group of other lifters to train with. Even if you can't train with someone consistently, find someone you can train with periodically. Training with others is a good motivator. Work hard to improve your technique. Pick exercises to address your weaknesses.

Your routine looks great. Powerlifters, take notes. Give us 10 tips for a bigger squat, bench press and deadlift.
1. Strive for perfect technique:
One way to improve in this area is to use the competition lifts in training. Practice the way you play by making sure to perform the lift in training the way you should perform the lift on meet day. You can take it a step further and use all of the commands you would receive on the platform at a meet.
2. Accessory exercises: Use accessory exercises to strengthen your weaknesses.
3. Have a plan: Pick a program to follow. Like the saying goes, "Failing to plan, is planning to fail."
4. Pre-workout modalities: Warm-up, stretching, mobility, myofascial release (ie. foam rolling, lacrosse ball or other self massage techniques), and activation. This can help you minimize or reduce your chances of injury. It will also prepare you for a better workout. Remember: roll, stretch, and activate.
5. Prehab/rehab: Make sure to do preventive exercises like rotator cuff exercises and pre workout modalities as mentioned above, they can be performed between and after workouts.
6. Recovery workouts: You can perform these workouts between workouts to help you recover faster. Pick some light accessory exercises, including body weight exercises and combine them in circuits. Do a couple sets, keeping the reps to where you have plenty more left in the tank. This will help you recover by getting blood and nutrients into the muscles to speed recovery.
7. Conditioning: Make sure to do conditioning work. The better shape you are in, the harder you can train and recover. Also the better you will be on meet day. Make sure to taper it down as you get closer to a meet and do more in the off season.
8. Upper back: A stronger upper back will help all three lifts. A benefit of strengthening this area is that it will help you stay upright on the squat. I recently started a circuit to strengthen my upper back for the squat. The circuit is made up of power good mornings (this is a good morning with a short range of motion in the 6 to 8 inch range), upper back good mornings (you let your upper back round over then straighten back up, best performed with a safety squat bar), and Hise shrugs (bar rests on your traps and you shrug the bar up).
9. Nutrition: Make sure you get adequate nutrition including protein to help with recovery, adding even more if you are trying to gain weight. Include fat in your diet. Fat and cholesterol are needed to make vitamin D and hormones such as testosterone. Avoid trans fats, some saturated fat is actually needed. Fish oil and vitamin D are good to supplement your diet with. Eat carbs from good sources such as veggies and potatoes. Cut out sugar and processed foods.
10. Sleep: Make sure to get good quality sleep. The more hours before 12:00 a.m. the better. Your body produces growth hormone while you sleep, which helps your body repair. The better rested you are the harder you can train and the better you control your cortisol levels.

Great tips. Put these on your refrigerator, powerlifters. Phillip, how are you going to remember your powerlifting journey?
I am going to remember my journey as one of self discovery, education, and friendship. Through powerlifting I have learned more about myself and discovered how hard I could push myself. I have a better understanding of my true limits. In the heat of battle I have done things that I wouldn't have thought possible. I am a very competitive person and competition pushes me. I have learned more about myself through powerlifting that I probably otherwise would have never known.


My powerlifting journey has been educational. I read a lot about training and nutrition. My reading is not limited to just strength training, powerlifting and sports nutrition. I am constantly learning about things that can prevent injury such as stretching, mobility, myofascial release and methods to enhance recovery. My nutritional interests go beyond sports nutrition. I have an interest in how nutrition can improve my health. Being a type 2 diabetic and having hepatitis C, I am constantly reading about natural ways to treat these conditions.


I have met a lot of people and have made a lot of friends through powerlifting. Before returning to powerlifting, I didn't socialize much. My friends were mostly family and coworkers. I spent my evenings expanding my knowledge of information technology—I would either be on my computer or reading. I learned a lot and it paid off career-wise, but socialization is important. I have made some really good friends through powerlifting and some of them are my best friends—friends for life.

 

How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as a good person, a good lifter and one of the best master lifters of my time. I try to give more than I take and I like helping others, and I hope to be remembered that way.

 

We know you wrestled a bear. What takes more guts, benching a maximum weight or wrestling a bear?
The bear I wrestled was tame and trained, so it really didn't take a lot of guts. If it had been a wild bear, then that would have been a different story and might not be as much guts as stupidity. I would say it definitely takes more guts benching a max weight—especially in a bench shirt.

 

Everyone has to face adversities. However, you faced an adversity that is one of most people's biggest fears—you were shot. Tell us about the time you got shot.
When I was 15 years old, my brother accidentally shot me with a .22 caliber pistol. After getting shot I panicked and ran out of the house to a neighbor's house. I fell in our neighbor's yard and I could not get up. My brother found me lying in the neighbor's yard and went to get help from our neighbors. Shortly after I was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and was later transported 37 miles to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. I started lifting consistently the summer prior to this and I had the biggest bench press in school. While I was lying on the ground not sure whether I would live or not, my only concern was being passed up on the bench press by my fellow classmates.


The bullet went through my left arm into my side, where it collapsed my left lung and pumped out of the lung through my heart and lodged into a vein in my groin. The chief surgeon at Parkland Hospital decided to not remove the bullet due to the risk of bleeding to death. The chief surgeon said it was the first time in medical history that someone had a bullet pump through their heart and live to tell about it. I was released from the hospital five days later. Twenty-four years later I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which I got from a blood transfusion. It's a constant reminder of my near fatal experience, but it beats the alternative. I am very fortunate and thank God that I am alive to tell about it.

 

How did getting shot change you as a person? Did it change you as a powerlifter at all?
It changed my perspective on life. It taught me how valuable life was and how quickly it could be lost. It taught me the power of prayer and that miracles do exist. My family and church prayed for me and I believe that helped me survive. From a powerlifting point of view, I know I don't have forever to accomplish my goals.

 

When you wrestled a bear, were you scared? What went through your mind?
I was 22 years old, the age some people do stupid things. I wasn't scared and didn't really think of much other than wanting to beat the bear. But of course I did not beat "Samson" the 750 lb. black bear and he remained undefeated. I am probably lucky I wasn't able to take the bear down, who knows how he would have reacted since it was something he had not experienced.

 

What was harder: wrestling the bear or setting your records?
That's easy, I would say definitely setting records were harder. Years of hard work went into setting those records.

 

Awesome. Powerlifting is more hardcore than bear wrestling! Tell us about your diet and what supplements you take.
I follow a low carb Paleo diet. I believe that a Paleo approach is the way to go. This type of diet has helped a lot of people overcome health problems and obtain optimal health. This is a similar type of diet my holistic doctor, Dr. David Brown, recommends. A Paleo diet is one that is free of processed foods, and is made up of meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, roots and tubers. The carb content can be adjusted to your needs and doesn't have to be low carb, but since I have type 2 diabetes, I keep my carb intake low. A great book on this diet is The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. I have become more of a minimalist as far as supplements are concerned. I take vitamin D, fermented cod liver oil, creatine, and whey protein.

 

Awesome stuff. Tell us about the gym where you train.
I train at Bad Attitude Gym and at Authentic Strength Fitness and Performance Center, in Carrollton, Texas. I am one of the original members of Bad Attitude Gym.


Bad Attitude Gym (BAG) has any piece of equipment you need in order to train for any type of powerlifting. The environment is great for powerlifters. Sean Donegan and BAG have helped me attain my current level of success. Their years of coaching have helped me improve my technique and strength on all three lifts. I wouldn't be at the level I am without the help of Sean and BAG. BAG has produced an impressive number of elite lifters since 2004.


Authentic Strength Fitness and Performance Center has combo racks similar to the ER Racks used in the USAPL and IPF. They have everything needed for a powerlifter who competes in feds where you walk the weight out. They have kettlebells, various strongman implements and conditioning equipment. Authentic Strength's primary business is personal training, but they allow a few powerlifters to train there.


I started training at Authentic Strength in August 2010. I train in the morning since it's only two miles from my house. The owners and trainers are very knowledgeable. Johnny May, one of the owners, helped me with some stretching and warm-up drills after I tweaked my lower back training for the 2011 USAPL Raw Challenge. This allowed me to continue training and I believe the pre workout routine Johnny designed helped me PR my squat and deadlift at the Raw Challenge. Afterwards, Nate Wylie did a functional movement screening and discovered some mobility issues. He designed a program to help address them. I have truly benefited from the knowledge and experience of Johnny and Nate. They are valuable assets to me, for injury prevention and improving my performance.

 

The strong get scary strong at the gyms you train at. Great stuff. What was it like competing at the Arnold?
Competing at the Arnold Sports Festival was like a dream come true. I started working out in the summer of 1980. Interestingly enough, the movie Pumping Iron, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, motivated me to start working out. I have always been a big fan of Arnold and his movies. In 2004, I went to the Arnold for the first time to watch the WPO pro powerlifting. I was very impressed and motivated. From that moment my goal was to compete at the Arnold. So in 2010 I competed there for the first time and a second time in 2011. The venue at the Arnold is the best I have competed at by far. The atmosphere there is very motivating and full of energy. Just being a part of the Arnold is a great feeling and I look forward to competing there again.

 

We all will be looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us next. Phillip, although it would take pages to write all your achievements, tell us five lifts that you have achieved in the past two years that you are very proud of.
- 705 lb. raw DL (deadlift bar) - January 2009 at NASA Natural Nationals
- 672 lb. raw DL (power bar) - March 2011 at USAPL Raw Challenge at the Arnold
- 407 lb. raw BP - December 2010 at USAPL Holiday Classic
- 402 lb. raw BP - January 2009 at NASA Natural Nationals
- 573 lb. raw SQ - March 2011 at USAPL Raw Challenge at the Arnold

 

Excellent lifts. For others who want a more competitive bench, what would be your top five tips for a raw bencher? What about the shirted bencher?
Raw benchers:
- Strive for perfect technique.
- Pause benching: If you pause your reps in training, it won't be a big deal in a meet. Touch and go benching also has a place in your training since it can help build your speed. Pause your benches at least once a week, unless you are weak off the chest.
- Train your back, lats and traps.
- Train your shoulders. Overhead pressing and incline bench presses will give you the most bang for you buck. Don't overdo these. I wouldn't do less than 5 reps. I usually do 8 to 10 reps. Make sure to work your rear delts to prevent imbalances and injury.
- Train your triceps. Make sure to pick exercises that will give you carry over to the bench, such as close grip bench, board presses, JM presses, triceps extensions. Triceps push downs are good a recovery exercise.
- Prehab/recovery work: Rotator cuff exercises, external rotation exercises, Y, W, T, L's, etc. Working your back will go a long way in preventing injury.

Shirted benchers:
- Strive for perfect technique. This is even more important for shirted lifters. Work to shorten your bench stroke. The bigger your arch the less distance you have to press.
- Touch your chest with the bar in training. This is the biggest mistake I see in shirted benchers. You need to practice this in the gym. One of the best tips is one that came from the Metal Militia. In training, work on touching with lighter weights. If you can touch with a lighter weight, you will never have a problem touching in a meet.
- Train your lockout. One thing the best shirted benchers have in common is training their lockout. The shirt is going to help you off the chest and at lockout to an extent, so the stronger your lockout is the more you will bench.
- Train your back, lats and traps.
- Prehab/recovery work: Rotator cuff exercises, external rotation exercises, Y, W, T, L's, etc. Same as raw, working your back will go a long way in preventing injury.

 

Your tips are great! Do you have a message for the future generation of powerlifters?
Life is short, so enjoy life to the fullest. Powerlifting takes a lot of time and dedication. It's a marathon and not a sprint. With that in mind, make sure to have fun and enjoy the sport. Make time to have fun outside the sport. You can't get time back, so don't neglect your personal relationships. Taking time to go on vacation or do something fun outside the sport will keep you from getting burnt out and it will help you avoid regret later down the road.
Make sure to stretch, foam roll, warm up, do mobility drills and prehab exercises. Avoiding injury will help you avoid set backs and early retirement.


Stay healthy—a healthy lifter is a strong lifter. Try to eat clean most of the time and do some cardio or conditioning work. Cardio and conditioning can help you recover faster as long as you don't overdo it.

 

I'm going to name a powerlifting topic. I want you let me know what comes to mind...
- 135 lb. raw bench presser: A good raw bench for a female lifter.
- 225 lb. raw bench presser: A good raw bench for a teen lifter.
- 315 lb. raw bench presser: A good raw bench for a lifter under 200 pounds.
- 405 lb. raw bench presser: A good raw bench for a lifter over 200 pounds and an awesome bench for someone under 200 pounds.
- 500 lb. raw bench presser: A world class raw bench.
- 600 lb. raw bench presser: An awesome raw bench.
- 700 lb. raw bench presser: A phenomenal raw bench.
- People who fear you: People who own buffets.
- People who look up to you: People shorter than me.
- Your fans: Family and friends.

 

What makes Phillip happy?
In the world of powerlifting, it would be competing and setting PRs. Also, helping others achieve their goals. Off the platform, it would be spending time with my family and friends, watching movies, snow skiing, and traveling and vacationing.

 

What makes Phillip different from everyone else?
My strange sense of humor and the bad jokes I come up with.

 

Give us a random fact about yourself.
I was a pro wrestler in the late 1980s.

 

Ahh, no wonder you were the only person the bear couldn't take down! How would you characterize the people you have met through powerlifting?
Most of the people I have met in powerlifting have been really nice people.

 

What is the hardest thing that you have ever done?
That was completing a 677-pound deadlift on the 4th attempt at the 2008 NASA Unequipped Nationals. The bar moved slowly and the lift seemed to take forever, but I stayed with it and finished the lift.

 

Tell us about your family and how they support you.
I am married to an awesome woman named Tiffany. She is very encouraging, supportive and goes to all of my meets. She videos my meets and makes sure I have everything I need on meet day. She listens to me talk about my powerlifting obsession and schedules vacation time around my competitions. My 19 year old daughter Jordan is supportive and encouraging. They both are very understanding and never complain about the time I spend in the gym. I am a very fortunate guy and couldn't have a family more conducive to my powerlifting. Even my in-laws are supportive of me and my powerlifting career.

 

I'm glad you have a great family to support you. Phillip, it has been great interviewing you today. In closing who would you like to thank?
Thanks for the opportunity to interview with you, Ben. First off, I want to thank God for allowing me to compete and compete at this level. I am fortunate to lift at my level, especially with my health issues and after a close call with death from a gunshot at the age of 15. I want to thank my wife Tiffany for her love, support and understanding. I appreciate her and all she does for me. I also want to thank my daughter Jordan for her support and encouragement. I would like to thank my friend and the owner/founder of Bad Attitude Gym, Sean Donegan, and give him some long overdue credit. When I got back into powerlifting in 2003, Sean coached me and let me train with him. He is more than just a teammate and coach, he is a great friend. Sean has given a lot to the sport and has had a big impact on the sport in the North Texas area. He has hosted seminars and has helped numerous lifters. A lot of us in this area would not be at the level we are, or even powerlifting at all without Sean or Bad Attitude Gym. He has even helped lifters with travel expenses to meets and donated money to meets for prize money. I would like to thank my alternative medicine team, Dr. Jason Venn (Venn Chiropractic and Wellness) and Dr. David Brown (North Dallas Alternative Medicine Clinic). They help me stay healthy and they are the providers for all my chiropractic holistic medicine needs.

 

*photographs are courtesy of Phillip Wylie