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Donnie Thompson is inarguably one of the world’s strongest men. A lofty claim, yes, but eminently true if one considers lifting the heaviest load for a single repetition through a full range of motion while minimizing the skill component to be the true test of strength. By this definition, powerlifting as a sport is the only true competitive test of strength. Ergo, the strongest powerlifter is the competition proven strongest man or woman on the planet in his or her respective weight class.

Donnie set the all-time highest powerlifting total January the 20^th at the LexenXtreme IPA Columbus Pro-Am in Columbus, Ohio. His lifts and total:

• Squat: 1,155 lbs
• Bench: 900 lbs
• Deadlift: 795 lbs
• Total: 2,850 lbs!!!

The following is a brief Q&A session I had with Donnie following his record setting performance:

Chris: Donnie, how does it feel to be the strongest powerlifter on the planet?

Donnie: Thank you for the compliment, but I don’t feel I am the strongest, just one of the strongest. Today’s top lifters are pushing the bar to the freaking limit! There are a number of us capable of upping the record at any given meet. It seems now that the top lifter whose body holds up best through training and meets is the one who sets the new record. These guys all have one thing in common, no fear of weights and no limitations!

Chris: You had narrowly missed setting the record in recent meets. To what do you attribute your recent assault on the record books?

Donnie: I attribute it somewhat to luck. The strength has been there for some time, I just needed to put it all together in one meet. For instance, I came close two times before with a 2,770 lbs and 2,775 lbs total. The difference in those meets was just missing a few 3^rd attempts.

At the risk of seeming like captain obvious, my training also played a huge role. Everyone at my level trains heavy, but not everyone trains for recovery like I do. I do a tremendous amount of recovery work with bands and kettlebells. A unique twist I use is training the same body part the day after a heavy session. The following day I work the same area for about an hour and a half using recovery promoting exercises. I truly believe this method makes a HUGE difference and that it is the glue which holds me together. Sitting idle is not in my repertoire.

Chris: Donnie, there was some chat online about your total and the fact you had a relatively low pull. Can you tell us what happened? Were you fried from the monster squats and benching?

Donnie: My record almost didn’t happen. My back was tweaked prior to the meet and I literally had trouble putting on my shoes and socks in the warm-up area. The bed I was sleeping on at my hotel didn’t help matters and it really killed my L-4 and L-5 vertebrae. The back pain definitely hampered my deadlift. I am still having trouble walking today 6 days after the meet!

By the way, I don’t care about what negative things people have to say on the net (I do appreciate the well wishes). When they are online gossiping, I am in my compound training 4-5 hours at a click. I would have a lot more competition if the strong would stick to training and not keyboard warfare...

Chris: I understand, the anonymity of the net definitely allows people to do and say things they would never even consider in real life encounters.

Donnie, I know you are not a supplement junkie and you are very selective about what you use. Your AtLarge supplement of choice is MAXIMUS™. What, if anything, do you feel supplementing with MAXIMUS™ has done for your training?

Donnie: I weigh around 375lbs all year long. I simply can’t eat the quantity of food that I need to maintain my body weight and promote optimal recovery. You may find it hard to believe from a 375 lbs man, but I get full with just one average size plate of food. It is a heck of a lot easier to drink calories than it is to eat them. MAXIMUS™ lets me hit my target daily caloric intake with quality protein and carbs. In addition, I feel its unique ingredients like Microlactin® and inulin provides an ergogenic benefit. Bottom line, I really like the stuff and when I ran out over the holidays my training stamina was way off and I felt like I was on a diet!

Chris: Yep, consuming sufficient calories to fuel increased size and strength can be a real problem. There are a lot of young men out there who think they are “hard gainers” when they are really under-eaters. Drinking a high calorie MAXIMUS™ shake packed with quality protein and carbs as well as the ergogenic ingredients you mentioned can really be the ticket to new growth and success in the gym.

Donnie, let’s switch gears and move back to training. You demonstrate your prodigious strength both equipped and raw. What are your feelings on each form of training and competing? Do you feel one helps the other?

Donnie: I think my longevity in the sport gives me a unique perspective on geared vs. raw training. I have been training since 1979 and never even knew what gear was until 1998. To clarify, raw to me is training with just a belt. Single ply lifting is not raw.

I feel gear helps raw lifting tremendously. I think that is a misunderstood fact. If I squat over 1,150 lbs with gear, how in the world would squatting 900 pounds raw scare me? The overloads afforded by geared lifting make raw lifting seem easier psychologically and aid physically. Much like training with partials, the massive loads from geared training strengthens your body in such a way as to carry over to raw lifting. Geared lifting is also a form of conjugate variation in that it has a whole different feel to it.

An interesting fact about me is that I only wear gear for the squat and bench. I ALWAYS deadlift raw. To my knowledge, I am the only one doing that in multi-ply meets.

Chris: I agree completely that gear aids raw lifting. I have never used a squat suit or bench shirt, but when I was younger I used a belt and knee wraps for squatting. I can remember that my squat really jumped with or without the knee wraps once I started incorporating them regularly into my training. The knee wraps helped me in the hole when squatting and allowed me to use much heavier loads which then translated to a big increase in my squat even without the wraps.

I said this was a brief Q&A so let’s wrap it up with a little look into the future. What is your next goal in powerlifting? How much longer do you plan to compete?

Donnie: I feel that I am in my prime, and I don’t have any definitive plans relative to my retirement from the sport as of now. I can tell you that my career thus far has been very satisfying. I have met or exceeded every goal I have ever set in the sport. I think very few people in any discipline can say that.

When I do retire, I want to be remembered for my will and determination. I truly don’t feel I am an all-time or even a current great. I hope that people will (and do) respect my work ethic and the fact I was willing to go to almost any length to realize and maximize my strength potential. Powerlifting for me is more than a sport or hobby; it is my life and my obsession. I live and work in a training facility. Some people find Jesus in a wooden church. I find him in a steel weight room. I do a lot of praying when I am about to get crushed by 1,000+ lbs. There are no atheists in a foxhole as the saying goes. That is what separates me and people like me from the rest of the pack!

Chris: Donnie, I appreciate your humility, but I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. I truly believe you are one of the all-time greats and that has and will continue to be proven out in the years to come. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me!