Vince Anello is a living powerlifting legend. He was the first man in history to pull over 800 lbs at a body weight of less than 200 lbs!
Vince competed over the coarse of 3 decades and during what might be considered a golden age in the sport when mastodons like Casey, Reinhoudt, Kuc, Williams, Cole and many others ruled the platform. A tremendous all-around lifter, Vince’s legacy as one of the all-time great deadlifters is etched in the annals of powerlifting history.
Chris: Vince, first, I want to thank you for agreeing to this interview. From the first time I read about you in Fred Hatfield’s The Complete Guide to Power Training I have always been in awe of your deadlifting prowess. My goal with this interview is to pay homage to your tremendous accomplishments in the sport of powerlifting and to deadlifting in particular. I want to introduce you to a whole new generation of powerlifters and to remind those who know of you just how great you were.
To that end I would like to start this interview with you providing a brief highlight of your powerlifting career to include some of your amazing accomplishments.
Vince: Thank you Chris. My competitive powerlifting career spanned 3 decades. Below is a list of some of the highlights (in reverse order):
1998 Inducted into the Strength Hall of Fame (York, Pa.)
- 1988 Drug Free N.A.S.A. National Champion, Open Division
- 1987 National and World Champion, Masters Division
- 1980 Senior National Champion and World Champion
- 1979 Third Place World Championship (Dayton, Ohio)
- 1978 Hawaii Invitational Champion, Senior National Champion and World Champion (Turku, Finland)
- 1977 Senior National Champion and World Champion (Perth, Australia)
- 1976 Senior National Champion, 2nd Place World Championship, Pan American Champion
- 1975 National YMCA Champion, Pan American Champion Became First man under 200 to pull over 800lb
- 1974 National YMCA Champion
- 1973 National YMCA Champion
- 1972 World Champion, Light Heavyweight Division (York, PA)
- 1971 National YMCA Champion
- 1970 Broke World Deadlift Record - National Champion
- 1970 National Collegiate Champion
Above: Vince looking THICK!
My best unofficial pull was 880 lbs at 200 lbs body weight. In competition, my best pulls were:
- 821. 2 lbs in the 198 class
- 811. 3 lbs in the 220 class
- 750. 5 lbs in the 181 class
Chris: You had a very unique deadlifting style. Tell us a bit about that and how you developed your technique.
Vince: You know, I was never one to over-analyze my training technique. My particular style was something that came naturally and felt best and strongest for me. I always felt the KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) principle was best. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had a training partner who was very methodical is his approach. He studied and analyzed every nuance of his form. This guy truly had the potential to be one of the strongest men in the world, but I felt he cheated himself out of that chance with paralysis by analysis.
Above: Vince pulling BIG!!!
Chris: Vince, everything about powerlifting training was different when you were at your peak. The gear (bench shirts, suits etc.) were either non-existent or dramatically different than the gear of today. The training equipment was different as well; chains and bands were not part of the repertoire back then. With that said, yourself and the best of your generation were able to build absolutely awe-inspiring strength and set some records which still stand today.
Tell us a bit about your training. What methods did you find worked best? Do you have any “secrets” that can help the strength trainees of today?
Vince: Chris, I have always kept my training fairly simple. There are many different training methodologies these days and there have been champions from each camp. In the end, heavy progressive resistance training coupled with recovery is what makes you bigger and stronger. The “secret”, if there is one, is the bulldog mindset! You set a goal and you don’t let go of it until you have achieved it. The best of the best in any endeavor all share that common trait, dogged determination!
Chris: Vince, your point is well taken. I definitely think there is a place for the conjugate method and various other training modalities and apparatus, but the end-game is heavy and hard. A current strength freak that comes to mind who exemplifies this is Jeremy Hoornstra. To my knowledge, his training routine is much like that of a bodybuilder, yet the guy is probably the strongest bencher ever having done well over 600 lbs raw at only 242 lbs.
Vince, this talk about hard and heavy training has me curious, was your training influenced at all by the great Bob Peoples?
Above: A young Vince showing his tremendous potential!
Vince: Well, I did not pattern my training after that of Bob’s per se, but I had and have a tremendous amount of respect for the man. When I first was coming to prominence he was a living strength legend. In fact, I had read about him in junior high and to this day have a book he wrote. Actually, I have an interesting Bob Peoples story. I was the first man to pull over 800 lbs at under 200 lbs of body weight. The first time I did it in competition was at the 1975 Senior Nationals. After the pull, this older gentleman approached me to congratulate me. Surprise, surprise, it was Bob Peoples! I wanted so badly to get a picture taken with him, but as things go I got sidetracked speaking with other lifters and by the time I tried to find him for the picture he was gone.
Chris: I have that same book Vince! It is titled Developing Physical Strength, no? Bob was an absolutely amazing strength athlete. For our uninformed readers, Bob was a powerlifter before the term existed. In fact, he pulled 725 lbs at roughly 185 lbs body weight using a hook grip and no other supportive apparatus in 1949!!!
Vince, I think you and Bob were cut from the same cloth when it comes to being master deadlifters. To me, you are the living deadlift legend that Bob was to you.
Vince: Thank you Chris. I don’t think of myself in those terms, but if you or anyone else feels that way I am truly flattered.
Chris: Please provide us the specific deadlifting routine you followed prior to your all-time best pull.
Vince: I worked my way up to heavy singles. I would warm-up with sets of 10, 8, and 6 reps. I would then start my singles with 80% of my estimated or tested 1 rep maximum (1RM). Next, I would do a single with 90% and then a final one with 95%.
The readers may find it interesting that I almost never pulled from the floor. I did what I call “negative accentuated” pulls. I would take the bar from the rack and emphasize the eccentric portion of the movement by slowly lowering it to the ground. I would allow the bar to come to a dead stop. I would then perform an explosive positive.
Partials from varying heights were also regularly included in my training. I was able to move some pretty crazy weight with the partials. I once got 1050 lbs from mid-knee level.
Chris: There is a saying that great men stand on the shoulders of giants. If we want to be great, we must build on the foundation laid by the giants of the past. Thus, I am always excited to pick the brain of someone who has done something I aspire to do (in your case pull over 800 lbs at less than 220 lbs). I firmly believe in learning from the experience (sometimes the mistakes) of others. What, if anything, would you do differently relative to your strength training if you could do it all over again?
Vince: I wouldn’t really change the way I trained per se. As I mentioned above, I once pulled 880 lbs at 200 lbs body weight in training. About my only regret is that I did not cycle my training to hit that peak in a meet!
Chris: You competed with and against some of the greatest powerlifters in the history of the sport. In your opinion, who was the greatest powerlifter you ever encountered?
Vince: I hate these questions because I don’t want to leave anyone out. If I do, please forgive me. The names that jump into my head are Don Reinhoudt, Larry Pacifico, Roger Estep, Jerry Jones, and Ricky Dale Crain.
Above: A ripped Vince!
Chris: Did you adhere to any special dietary practices?
Vince: When trying to make weight I would use a low carbohydrate diet. It is funny, my former dietary practices are a case of I wish I knew then what I know now. Actually, your question brings to mind a story. I was in Perth (Australia) in 1977 for the Senior Nationals. I used my low carbohydrate approach to make weight. I was under weight the night before the weigh-in and had a terrible craving for some candy. Needless to say I went out at 3 A. M. and bought some candy bars. I ate them, but drank nothing. Later that morning I made weight. I then went and drank a bunch of water. Wow! In short order the sugar drove the water into my muscles and they just blew up! My strength went through the roof! I had inadvertently carb-loaded. I had no idea what carb-loading was, but man, I knew what it did! Lol, like I said, I wish I knew then what I know now.
Chris: Vince, tell us another story. I am sure you have a ton of them.
Vince: Ok, I think this is a good one. Back in 1977 I roomed with my buddy Lamar Gant [editor’s note: Lamar was an incredible lifter in his own right, still holding the record for the deadlift in the 123 lbs class with 639. 3 lbs! ] while competing at the World’s in Perth (Australia). Lamar had won his class the day before and had gone out to celebrate. Lamar and I both liked to chase the ladies back in those days.
I had gone to bed and was awakened in the middle of the night by a knock at my door. I opened the door and was surprised to see Lamar with 5 women! Needless to say, he brought them to party and they came in and instantly started getting amorous with me. Lol, I have to tell you that at that point I did the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. I had to throw them all out of my room to get my rest as I was competing the next day. I hadn’t come half way around the world just to fool around with some women. How’s that for dedication?
In the end it was worth it as I won my class and pulled a new world record of 810 lbs in the 198s. All was not lost on the female front either as Lamar rewarded me by bringing one of the women back to go out and celebrate my victory. Lamar, his woman, me and my woman all proceeded to have one heck of a wild 3 days! !! Things were so crazy we almost missed our flight back to the US. We literally arrived at the airport 2 minutes prior to takeoff!
Our teammates had their tour of Australia and we had ours. You guess which was better!
Chris: Vince, that is GREAT stuff! Lol, I can imagine your thoughts as you tossed 5 women out of your room!
I want to say thank you again for taking the time to do this interview with me. I am sure the readers of Powerlifting USA will find it a compelling read and I am very happy be a part of introducing you to a whole new generation of strength athletes. I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors!
Above: Vince as he looks now with his dog Betsy.
