Phil Beniston began weight training and martial arts over 30 years ago and took part in his first powerlifting competition in 1987. Here's his story:
After running my own gym for a couple of years, I persuaded a lad in the gym to enter the Mr Tameside bodybuilding competition. He was so nervous I agreed to enter myself into the strongman competition running alongside it- Ironman of Tameside.
I weighed 12 and a half stone, squatted 230kg, benched 150kg and dead-lifted 220kg and placed 3rd. Unlike the usual power-lifting event where you are given 3 attempts at each lift, in this competition we lifted until we missed a chosen weight twice on each discipline, the winner was British Bodybuilding champion Phil Louise.
The next few years I spent doing odd competitions and training in Martial Arts and in 1996, I won the BWLA North Midlands Powerlifting Championships and Notts & Derby semi-contact Kickboxing Championships. It was at this point I decided to give Powerlifting a break and by concentrating fully on the martial arts, I began running classes all over Nottinghamshire.
In 2005 I started competing with the British Powerlifting Oraganisation and by the end of that year I won my first world title in the WPF World Bench Press Championships with a new World record (190kg in 90kg M40 class). Since then I have won 3 world titles in Powerlifting, 5 World titles in Bench Press (in 3 different federations) and I have competed in 2 different weight divisions breaking 46 British, European and World records. My best lifts to date in competitions are Squat 315kg, Bench 205kg, deadlift 252.5kg total 770kg (90kg M45 class).
I am also now a 7th Dan Black belt in Kickboxing and Combat Jujutsu, and I have formed the World Martial Arts Federation producing 4 world champions in Kickboxing and Taekwondo. Over this time I have trained with some of the giants of the Martial arts world including 5x World Kickboxing Champion Alfie 'the Animal' Lewis, (Who I graded under in Kickboxing). I have also taught at international seminars, featured on the cover of a National Martial Arts magazine and been inducted in to the International Black Belt hall of Fame. I'm currently coaching my son and I hope for him to win a world title in Semi Contact Kickboxing, he finished 3rd in last years ISKA World Champions in Czech Republic, where he won Gold in the Korean patterns.
My training schedule doesn't involve a lot of cardio training or big workloads as I train in kickboxing 8 times a week, my typical schedule is:
MONDAY- Squats
Squats -2 sets of warm ups, then 4 sets of 5
Box Squats/Resistance Band Squats -3 sets of 5
Calves - 2 sets x 15 reps
WEDNESDAY - Bench Press & Back
Warm ups followed by typically 1 set 8/10 @145kg, 1x4/6-160kg
Board Press or Resistance bands- 3 sets
Incline or Decline Press- 3 sets
Close Grip Bench -3 sets
Base Pulley Rows- 4 sets
Lat Pulldowns- 4 sets
FRIDAY- Deadlift, Shoulders & Arms
Deadlift -Warm Up then 4 sets of 5
Deadlifts from rack -4 sets
Barbell Shoulder Press - 3 or 4 sets
Dumbell raises - 2 or 3 sets
Cable Curls- 4 sets
Tricep Pushdowns -4 sets
SATURDAY - 6 weeks out from comp only, 2nd Bench in equipment, bench shirt extra tricep work
I am blessed with a fast metabolism and also do an awful lot of cardio for a living so don't really have to watch what I eat, I just try to stick to plenty of protein and carbs, supplemented with LA Whey, Explosive Creatine, Multi Protector, LA Flapjack energy bars, Glucosamine for joints. If I'm dieting to a weight class for a competition I use Fatstripper to decrease body fat.
Find out more about Phil Beniston on www.lamuscle.com or watch exclusive footage of bodybuilding champions training by visiting www.lamuscle.tv
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