Brad Vinyard
Athlete
Title(s)/Records:
Powerlifting
WABDL Records:
Bench Press – Single Ply:
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 220 lbs class // 336 lbs*
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 242 lbs class // 402 lbs*
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 259 lbs class // 424 lbs*
Bench Press – Raw:
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 242 lbs class // 407 lbs*
Deadlift – Raw:
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 242 lbs class // 363 lbs*
Push/Pull – Single Ply:
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 242 lbs class // 727 lbs*
Push/Pull – Raw:
Disabled 1 Men // Age 20-39 // 242 lbs class // 771 lbs*
Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) Records:
Bench Press – Raw:
Disabled Division // Submasters (20-39) // 259 lbs class // 450 lbs**
* World Record **National Record
Strongman
2nd Place // America’s Strongest Athlete With Disabilities 2018 // Columbus, OH
3rd Place // World’s Strongest Disabled Man 2018 // Bodø, Norway
How did you start competing in your sport and how long have you been competing?
My first powerlifting meet was September 2014, a little over two years after my right leg was amputated. After my amputation, I began researching Paralympic sports. Paralympic weightlifting is bench press. I began training more for strength and power, whereas before I trained more like a bodybuilder. I called a buddy after I was able to begin training again about 9 months after my amputation, and he helped me learn the difference between training to look strong and training to actually be strong.
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What is your favorite type of training right now? I have recently found the sport of disabled strongman, where all the events are done from a seated position, so as to not damage my prosthetic leg. I have grown to love training strongman events, especially the log press, or any kind of pulling event.
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What is your supplement routine? I have never been a huge supplement guy, but I almost always have BCAA's in my shaker cup while I'm training. I will occasionally use protein and creatine, but I wouldn't say that I have a routine when it comes to supplements.
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What is your favorite exercise in gym or in competition? Bench press. I love to bench...except when my shoulders and elbows are mad at me!
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What's in your gym bag? Weight belt, wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, lifting straps, trigger point foam roller, squat shoes, bench shirt, notebook, Rock Tape®, Tiger Balm®, BenchBlockz, Titan Ram (similar to a Sling Shot), chalk...it's a pretty big bag.
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What do you like to do outside of the gym? I like to spend time at home with my family. My wife, Holly, and I have three kids...Preston (15), Lydia (13), and Silas (6). We play a lot of board games, go swimming, spend time with extended family...basically anything that allows us time together.
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​What is your biggest gym pet peeve? Hard to pick my biggest...ego lifters would have to up there. But there's also those people who don't pick up after themselves. Sometimes those two go together!
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Do you have any heroes/mentors in the sport? I started lifting weights in high school but I started taking it seriously because of watching Arnold Schwarzenegger. To me, Arnold has always been the man. As far as powerlifting and strongman, I have been influenced by watching guys like Dan Green, Ed Coan, Brian Shaw, and Tommy Harrison Jr.
What are your goals for the future? I have two goals right now; in powerlifting my goal is to bench 500 lbs raw in competition and in strongman my goal is to win the Seated Division at the Disabled Strongman Competition at the Arnold Classic in March 2019.
Brad's Socials:
