10 Tips from Powerlifting Legend Tony Conyers

Appeared August 17, 2006

If you read our earlier newsletter this week entitled "Big Lifting Weekend,: you know that I got a chance to hang around with some perennial powerlifting legends and pick their brain about training. That is how the upper echelon of strength shares information. Just like scientists or politicians or whoever. Top minds meet and learn from each other. When they talk you should listen.

One of the gentleman I spoke with this weekend was Tony Conyers. He is literally the most dominant light weight powerlifter of all time. The only 165 to ever total 2,000 pounds. Ridiculously strong and consistent in his strength. Here are a few fast things in skimming over our conversation that he said which just shows the tip of the iceberg of the wealth of strength wisdom that he possesses.

1. Most important thing for increasing your competitive squat - raw training on the squat itself to refine technique and build a solid strength base.

2. Up your raw max to increase your geared max. Tony has an over 600 raw max at 165, and hits a new max at every stage of powerlifting gear he puts on. For instance a true raw max belt-only, a rep max with belt and kneewraps, a rep max with belt, kneewraps and groove briefs, and competitive max with full equipment.

3. When Tony made his biggest competitive squat of all time 854 at 165, he only trained twice a week for an hour or so each time.

4. He rarely ever trains more than three one-hour sessions per week. Often two of those sessions are at home in his garage gym and one is at a regular gym with the powerlifting team.

5. He mixes high and low reps in his training and uses a very short peaking period spending only four weeks in equipment prior to a meet.

6. He told me about a very unique off season bench training cycle that he and a partner did that led them both to new maxes. We'll cover that in another newsletter.

7. Believes in not necessarily starting the bar touching the shins for the deadlift, but having it a couple of inches away so that as you pull past the knees the bar lines up more easily with the quads.

8. Mental intensity and psyching are great, but don't get mad about missing a lift. There's nothing you can do about it if you miss, that attempt is gone and in the past. Focus on having fun and getting to your next lift, competition or training session.

9. Tony turned 48 years old last Saturday. Living proof that consistent training and mental outlook direct your age, not the number. Drug free training that consistently makes you stronger without over working into an area of lasting damage will preserve your health and keep you kicking butt.

10. Above all your spiritual life is the most important thing, because it is the only thing that lasts. Taking care of your family, praying, ministering to others and your belief in and relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing.


It's amazing that when you boil it all down, the guys who are the strongest almost uniformly follow the same pattern of training. It does flesh out in absolutely different ways, but we all cover the same bases. Low and high rep training, good form, whole body exercises, taking care of your health, consistency as well as variety in training, unconquerable belief in yourself and the realization for the need of God in your life. It's the formula for super human strength and super human ability. Even if you're not a powerlifter there's extremely intelligent things you can learn from this. Strength is strength. No matter how you build it, it applies. Follow the formula and you get the results.