brad gillingham squat and deadlift program

It was a casual display of raw power that ran in this family of Ice Giants. Despite Brad weighing 300 + pounds, his dad would grab his squat suit straps from behind and in an effort to make the tight squat suit fit better, Gale, dark and bearded and ominous, would lift Brad clean off his feet and shake him like a rag doll. I remember watching Brad warm-up backstage for the squat. Gale was Brad’s coach at the 1997 nationals. His dad was Gale Gillingham, the NFL all-star lineman. Yet Gillingham quickly became one of the world’s best bench pressers and deadlfters. His long legs made squats problematic: the man built all wrong for barbell squatting eventually squatted 880-pounds. Brad was built all wrong for powerlifting, a sport that favors short, squat men with short arms and legs. At 300+ pounds he appeared trim and athletic. Brad is 6’5” with wide shoulders, narrow hips and long legs. I was initially struck by his sheer size. I thought he was the most exciting superheavyweight lifter I had seen since Shane Hamman. I had watched him lift and win his first national title and had been extremely impressed. He entered his first powerlifting competition in 1990 and won his first national championship in 1997, just seven short years later. He began weighing a super-lean 225 pounds, spread over a 6’5” inch frame. Brad Gillingham took up powerlifting after an injury derailed his basketball career. Usually topflight athletes are drawn to other more lucrative sports, or sports with higher profiles.

Powerlifting was very lucky to get Brad Gillingham.

This multi-time world champion has made more 800-pound deadlifts than any man in history

Brad gillingham squat and deadlift program