Former Afton athlete continues success with powerlifting championship
AFTON – After starting to lift for fun in college while aiding in his lacrosse training at Cazenovia College, Derek Winans found he was more into bodybuilding. But by the end of the day Friday – about a decade after his college days – Winans came home as the Arnold Classic Grand Champion.
Standing around 4-foot-11 and weighing-in at about 115 pounds, Winans competed the 114-pound weight class at the Arnold Classic on Friday, March 2. In the three lifting events – squat, bench press and deadlift – Winans totalled 1,040 pounds.
“My goal for many years was to compete in the Arnold Classic and my dream came true,” said Winans. “Some may think it may be a small dream, but to me, it was huge.”
At the age of 16, Winans competed at his first bench press competition in Cooperstown. After that Winans saw the Arnold Classic in his future. But he had faced many obstacles – both good and bad – throughout his journey before Friday’s competition.
In his junior year of college, Winans found out he had back problems. “I was lifting with some buddies when I had a sharp pain run through my lower back into my leg, which dropped me to the bench,” said Winans. “After a doctor’s appointment, I found out I had the spine of a 65 year old at the age of 21 and a disease called ‘Scheuermann’s.
“Basically, my spine was aging more than my age and could cause an arch in my upper back.”
Winans was told that day if he kept lifting, he would be physically disabled by the age of 26.
“I am not a person to let things affect me, nor do I quit at things I love. I decided to take care of my body but be very smart about it. I strengthen my body and primary my back and core.
“Once I reached that age of 26 years old, I decided to celebrate by doing the bench press competition in Cooperstown. From there I fell in love with competing, so decided to take up powerlifting.”
Running a business and having two kids, Winans had his hands full. So he happily put the Arnold Classic on hold.
In 2017, Winans had the opportunity to qualify for the Arnold Classic at a competition in Albany. In order to qualify, his total for the three events had to total over 1,000 pounds. Winans surpassed that total. Even though he did qualify with his weight total, Winans had to be selected to compete in Columbus, OH.
Once receiving the word that he was headed to the Classic, Winans began his training regiment. In his own studio gym – the Winans Elite Training in Afton – Winans could be found there lifting four to five times a week, often doing his heavy lifting for three of those days.
Winans Elite Training has grown from him using other gyms in the local area to opening his own studio about three years ago. “We have such an amazing atmosphere at our gym and I couldn’t be happier with the growth,” said Winans. “Everyone is there to push each other and it really has helped my training having such a big support group.”
Winans commented that the gym continues to grow every day.
His training led him to Friday in Columbus, OH. Hitting his total of 1,040 pounds on his lifts was a personal record for any competition Winans has competed in, who holds state records at other competitions he used as a tool to prepare.
On Friday, Winans weighed in at 111 pounds. In each of the events, he performed a 350-pound squat, 215-pound bench press and a 475-pound deadlift, all coming with clean lifts. “I was extremely happy with my lifts and couldn’t be more proud of hitting my goals,” said Winans.
“It was an honor to compete and meet a lot of my role models at the Arnold,” Winans said about his experience. “I really enjoyed competing and having a few of the local powerlifters I look up to, such as Rich Putnam from Gorilla Pack in Fonda, NY, be present.”
When asked about what’s next, Winans said he wanted to be back at the Arnold Classic next year, but adding a few other events like the Deadlift Salute or the Animal Pak Cage. He would like to still compete in the same weight class but bump up the weight in his individual events. “I want to hit a 380-pound squat, a 240-pound bench and a 500-pound deadlift,” said Winans.
“One quote I live by is, ‘It’s me against myself.’ No matter what dreams a person may have, it’s only you holding yourself back. It’s not the doctors or the negative people in this world. If you have a dream go after it.”
Winans’ results this past weekend show that dreams can be made true.
Standing around 4-foot-11 and weighing-in at about 115 pounds, Winans competed the 114-pound weight class at the Arnold Classic on Friday, March 2. In the three lifting events – squat, bench press and deadlift – Winans totalled 1,040 pounds.
“My goal for many years was to compete in the Arnold Classic and my dream came true,” said Winans. “Some may think it may be a small dream, but to me, it was huge.”
At the age of 16, Winans competed at his first bench press competition in Cooperstown. After that Winans saw the Arnold Classic in his future. But he had faced many obstacles – both good and bad – throughout his journey before Friday’s competition.
In his junior year of college, Winans found out he had back problems. “I was lifting with some buddies when I had a sharp pain run through my lower back into my leg, which dropped me to the bench,” said Winans. “After a doctor’s appointment, I found out I had the spine of a 65 year old at the age of 21 and a disease called ‘Scheuermann’s.
“Basically, my spine was aging more than my age and could cause an arch in my upper back.”
Winans was told that day if he kept lifting, he would be physically disabled by the age of 26.
“I am not a person to let things affect me, nor do I quit at things I love. I decided to take care of my body but be very smart about it. I strengthen my body and primary my back and core.
“Once I reached that age of 26 years old, I decided to celebrate by doing the bench press competition in Cooperstown. From there I fell in love with competing, so decided to take up powerlifting.”
Running a business and having two kids, Winans had his hands full. So he happily put the Arnold Classic on hold.
In 2017, Winans had the opportunity to qualify for the Arnold Classic at a competition in Albany. In order to qualify, his total for the three events had to total over 1,000 pounds. Winans surpassed that total. Even though he did qualify with his weight total, Winans had to be selected to compete in Columbus, OH.
Once receiving the word that he was headed to the Classic, Winans began his training regiment. In his own studio gym – the Winans Elite Training in Afton – Winans could be found there lifting four to five times a week, often doing his heavy lifting for three of those days.
Winans Elite Training has grown from him using other gyms in the local area to opening his own studio about three years ago. “We have such an amazing atmosphere at our gym and I couldn’t be happier with the growth,” said Winans. “Everyone is there to push each other and it really has helped my training having such a big support group.”
Winans commented that the gym continues to grow every day.
His training led him to Friday in Columbus, OH. Hitting his total of 1,040 pounds on his lifts was a personal record for any competition Winans has competed in, who holds state records at other competitions he used as a tool to prepare.
On Friday, Winans weighed in at 111 pounds. In each of the events, he performed a 350-pound squat, 215-pound bench press and a 475-pound deadlift, all coming with clean lifts. “I was extremely happy with my lifts and couldn’t be more proud of hitting my goals,” said Winans.
“It was an honor to compete and meet a lot of my role models at the Arnold,” Winans said about his experience. “I really enjoyed competing and having a few of the local powerlifters I look up to, such as Rich Putnam from Gorilla Pack in Fonda, NY, be present.”
When asked about what’s next, Winans said he wanted to be back at the Arnold Classic next year, but adding a few other events like the Deadlift Salute or the Animal Pak Cage. He would like to still compete in the same weight class but bump up the weight in his individual events. “I want to hit a 380-pound squat, a 240-pound bench and a 500-pound deadlift,” said Winans.
“One quote I live by is, ‘It’s me against myself.’ No matter what dreams a person may have, it’s only you holding yourself back. It’s not the doctors or the negative people in this world. If you have a dream go after it.”
Winans’ results this past weekend show that dreams can be made true.
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