For all the Powerlifting Fanatics in the world, the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, is seen as a pillar for showcasing Amateur and Professional Athletes across all platforms. This past weekend, two of our own Club Powerlifting Athletes competed in the separate events, with impressive results for both.
Logan Bieganowski, a sophomore, shared this anecdote on his experience:
"I was very excited to compete in the USAPL's Arnold Sports Festival Bench Bash as this was an opportunity to earn a pro card and compete on one of the largest stages in Powerlifting. In years past, I was always drawn to the USAPL's area in the Arnold Convention as they have stands filled with Powerlifting fans and a really great set-up. This was my first ever Bench Only competition, where I would be competing against people of all ages and weight classes, with the goal of winning based on a bench to body weight DOTS calculation. I was very worried going into this meet, as I had suffered a potential pec strain and tendonitis during prep. This took my bench down from a very fast 385 lbs to a slow painful 308 in my last week of training. I was able to get my nutrition, sleep, and training all in order to bring my best to the platform. I had realized going into this meet that a majority of my competitors had already gained their pro-cards and I would have to make top 3 for the qualification and cash prize. I finished at 13th place with a 364 lb. Bench press. Being able to compete with the greatest bench pressers in the world was very humbling but also gave me a lot of confidence seeing how much progress I had made since my first Powerlifting competition one year ago.
Being able to send athletes to meets as large as the WPPL and USAPL Arnold is a huge accomplishment for our club and I'm very proud to see how much we've grown over the past few years. The Arnold Sports Festival does a great job of highlighting the strongest people in the world and being able to meet and connect with them is an amazing experience. Going to events like the Animal Cage and seeing John Haack deadlift more than 900 pounds is a great way to draw attention to the sport as well as motivating the young athletes watching these feats of strength."
As the current president, Logan also prepares for his next upcoming event, the USPA Junior Nationals from Apr. 24 - Apr. 26.
Our next competing Athlete was
James Peugeot, who competed in the Arnold Sports Festival events well, having this to say:
"It was an amazing experience to compete in Columbus at the Arnold. This was on of the best venues I have competed at. I met some amazing people and was awesome to go out there and compete for the BGSU Powerlifting club. It was awesome to compete and get to watch the Pro show at the end of the night and see a world record squat. I competed at the 125kg weight class and placed third while weighing 112.5 kgs."
"It was a really great experience and James and I were proud to represent BGSU in Columbus. We have some really exciting stories to present for this weekend, as both of us faced some adversity in prep. James competed in the WPPL's Arnold Competition held at King of The Clubs where he competed as a last-minute entrant. He's a member of the Landers Strength Syndicate, a Powerlifting community based out of Northwest Ohio. One of his teammates had to drop out and he was presented the opportunity to compete this past weekend. Despite not having a traditional peak and taper, James was able to place 3rd in the Men's Open 125 kg weight class. He was also dealing with a shoulder injury but gave his best effort and put up an impressive 1339 lb. total. James, if you could just please send in some pictures on a reply to this email along with any other information I have missed.", shares
Logan Bieganowski, discussing how
James Peugeot stepping up for a injured teammate showed his toughness and resilience.
Next on the docket for Powerlifting's schedule, Simon Born and
Jay Wehunt will be competing in the USPA Shamrock Showdown this Saturday, at Renegade Strength and Performance, in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
"We are very excited to see them compete as they have been working very hard in training and their progress has been amazing. ... Jay and Simon have been training together these past couple months and have been on a mission to deadlift more than one another. "
This will be Jay's second meet and Simon's first.
As Club Sports wraps their spring break, be sure to follow along with BGSU Club Sports Instagram this Saturday, as we will be livestreaming during Jay and Simon's events for the first time!
For everything surround BGSU Powerlifting, be sure to follow along on all of their social medias listed below!
- Instagram: @bgsu_powerlifting
