Sacramento-based powerlifter overcomes injury to break national record
Professional bodybuilder and powerlifter Nick Squires set new records and took home a “best lifter” title during a competition at this month’s USA FitFest in Tampa, Florida, a year after suffering a ruptured bicep tendon playing recreational hockey.
Squires, 39, represented the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Team and competed in squats, deadlift and bench press where he lifted a total of 1,967.4 pounds between the three categories at the U.S. Powerlifting Association’s Florida State Championships on Aug. 16 and 17.
He broke one national record deadlifting 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds), five additional California state records and took home six medals, including best submaster lifter. He squatted 665 pounds and benched 385 pounds.
Although he walked away with records and medals, Squires said his performance fell short of his personal goals: squatting and deadlifting 700 pounds, and bench pressing 400.
“I didn’t hit the numbers that I wanted to but I ended up taking first overall,” Squires said. “I mean that felt really good, despite not reaching my personal goals. It felt really good to win those.”
Squires, a Los Angeles native who moved to Sacramento in 2018, built his powerlifting career on self-motivation and a drive to meet the his ambitious goals.
“I’ll never be satisfied,” he said. “I’ve never once had a competition where I walked away saying that was exactly what I wanted. As soon as you’re satisfied, you get comfortable. When you get complacent, you stop trying as hard.”
“Satisfaction is the death of desire, as soon as you’re happy with what you’ve done, you’re not going to come back in here and push harder. Every time I go to a meet, I feel like I didn’t hit what I was capable of, it just motivates me to come back here and hit the gas a little harder.”
Squires began powerlifting in 2013, the same year his daughter was born. He started with mud runs but shifted to weightlifting after realizing, he said, he didn’t enjoy running.
He made the change to a healthy lifestyle that included his power workouts and switching to a plant-based diet, which he said contributed to improvement in his cardiovascular ability and muscle recovery time.
“I realized the way that I had been living my life at that point, I needed to make some changes to be around for her for a lot longer than my current trajectory was,” Squires said.
Three years later, Squires entered his first powerlifting competition and placed second — a result that gave him the reassurance he needed. From that point on, he was hooked. His first competition win came the following year during the Conejo Valley Open in Southern California.
Since then, he’s climbed steadily through the ranks. After setting new records, Squires is now aiming for his next goal: a win on the world stage.
“My numbers right now are pretty competitive internationally for the International Powerlifting Federation, so my real goal is to get onto the world stage and try and place or win at the world championships.”
Squires’ next competition will be February at Third Street Barbell gym, 2010 Third St., in Sacramento.