Cessnock’s Reece Vella has been in the fitness industry for about 15 years. Not just any fitness industry, he has competed in strongman and powerlifting, lifting hundreds of kilograms of weight off the ground for fun.
His love for strongman came after a friend started a strength gym in Port Macquarie and once he realised he had a knack for it, Reece entered a competition and qualified for the Australasian titles.
Reece came third and learnt a lot including that he should get into powerlifting to improve his strongman game.
“I fell in love with it. I love the versatility of strength training – you can apply it to many things and being strong feels good,” Reece explained.
Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at a maximal weight for a bench, a back squat and a deadlift. At some insane weights!
It’s a juggling act for Reece between his full time job as an ED nurse, being a personal trainer and running remedial therapy from his studio at home called Strength Medix.
Thankfully it all goes hand-in-hand with training and competing.
In August Reece competed in the Static Monsters event in Dublin, a world championship competition. Competitors have to complete a maximum weight log press and a maximum axle bar deadlift.
Not only were the weights heart stopping, so was the process of getting there.
“The qualifiers are run over a weekend internationally. The top 10 go over to Static Monsters. I nearly missed out; I came 11th and the guy who came 10th knocked me out of the running by just 800 grams. I was so upset, but thankfully a couple of people pulled out of going so I got the call up!
“While I was there I decided to go for a world record attempt… The person who was winning was 30 kilograms ahead of me. On my second deadlift I pulled 400kg and he pulled 420kg. He said he wasn’t going for a third attempt so I thought I’d try 430kg.
“Now, the world record was only 10 kilograms more so I figured you only live once I might as well try! It ended up being very silly, I had a macular bleed… I lost my vision for about two hours afterwards and I didn’t even get the lift!”
Despite the macular bleed, Reece has been invited to head overseas again and compete at the Static Monsters event in Texas.
Reece said one of the best things about his training and competing is the example he hopes he’s setting for his kids.
“I like to think I’m setting a good example for my two kids, I bring them down to the gym when I’m training sometimes and they’re menaces but exposing them to what I do from a young age is pretty cool.
“Part of my wife’s motivation to exercise is so the boys can see how important being fit and healthy is.
“It is a balancing act, my wife is studying at university, so I am working a bit over full time. I train when I can, usually when the kids are asleep. My training and mental health go hand in hand so when I start getting grumpy my wife often pushes me out the door,” Reece laughed.
“Strength training and powerlifting is you verses you. My best advice for people thinking about doing it is that you should never go comparing yourself to other people, you have to do things because you want to do them. That’s why I do it.”
