SAIPAN-BORN Roman Reyes Jr. took third place at the 2020 USA Powerlifting Mecca’s Holiday Hoist event on Dec. 5, 2020 in Meridian, Idaho.
Roman Reyes preps for the lift during the 2020 USA Powerlifting Mecca’s Holiday Hoist event in Meridian, Idaho on Dec. 5, 2020.
Contributed photo
Despite a late notice, Reyes, 20, took on the challenge and prepared for the event five weeks before it started.
“I had developed a strength program specifically for me,” he told Variety. “I also had the help of my training partners and fellow powerlifters Enrique Rabauliman and Kyle Fabia. They helped correct my form and made sure I was lifting safely.”
He added, “I feel like I prepared very well and during the week of the competition, I went to the gym just to maintain the technical side of lifting but doing about 50-60% of my one rep max to let my central nervous system recover from all the heavy lifting I had been doing.”
On show day Reyes said he was “completely nervous” because he did not have a team with him. It was also his very first competition.
But he made sure to be hydrated as much as possible and to warm up his body properly.
“My competition handler Enrique Rabauliman made sure everything went perfect. He chose the correct weights for me to lift and hyped me up when I needed it. He even fed me by hand a few times because I was covered in chalk,” Reyes said.
Roman Reyes, right, takes third place at the 2020 USA Powerlifting Mecca’s Holiday Hoist event in Meridian, Idaho on Dec. 5, 2020.
Contributed photo
He made sure his mind, as well as his body, was competition-ready and it showed as he outmuscled most of the 93kg class competitors, recording 210 kg in squat, 127.5 kg in bench press, and 230 kg in deadlift for a total of 567.5 kg to finish third overall.
“To be completely honest, I did not even expect to stand on the podium that day. But it felt great to place third and I know I performed to the best of my ability,” he said.
Despite the pandemic, Reyes still continues to train and is pushing forward.
“Everyone had a tough year and I am glad we are all fighting through it. I want that Idaho state record. I have three more years to take it and I am going to work as hard as I can!” Reyes said.
At the same time, he said he would like to thank “my mom, dad, and my better half — they provided me with some of the best gear on the market and most importantly they have supported me throughout my journey and will always continue to give me the strength I need. Thank you also to my family and friends for giving me the continued support.”
Reyes trained under Enrico Valdez at the age of 16. Reyes learned the basics of lifting weights properly including squats, bench press and deadlifts. Reyes excelled at all three. Since then, he has been honing his skills and has been going to the gym consistently since Aug. 1, 2017. He started to focus on powerlifting in April 2020.
As a child Reyes played for the Ol’ Aces baseball team as a pitcher and first baseman. In middle school he was a middle linebacker and center lineman for the Vikings youth football team.
