Donnie Thompson aka super d has a 3000lbs powerlifting total – an achievement only a few can legitly dream of. His words of advice are timelessly sound. Which is why I chose to share them here:

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Powerlifter- You want to be successful? Do you want to be the best, your best?
Let me help-
1st- TAKE CARE OF YOUR FAMILY first & foremost. Set them up financially so your quest in no way hurts them. You ELECT to compete in powerlifting. So dont elect to make your children and wife suffer. I groan in the spirit when I see a man abandon his family to go chase his powerlifting dream. If you are alone and no responsibility that is fine for your broke ass! At least make sure your dog gets fed!
2nd- THERE IS NO MORAL ISSUE for a grown man to take testosterone. Jesus will not send you to hell & you are not a cheater. But, like any pharmaceutical, be wise & use in moderation. Take what you need, not what you want. Blood work done constantly. Bathroom brews are not a wise choice. Again, you elect to compete! Be wise. PEDs are for older lifters. If you haven’t exhausted all training methods & nutrition, you have no biz using.
3rd- DO NOT GO INTO A MEET INJURED! Dummy! Another one will come around.
4th- Prepare your body for heavy weight loads. Walking into the gym & getting under the bar with zero prep is for the young. As you get older, unwise lifting practices end your career. When you rupture your pec, your quest for an all time TOTAL is DONE! It will never happen for you. Training is training. No one cares about your gym lifts. Do every training method you can to get strong. DO NOT DRAG YOUR PLATFORM CONVICTIONS TO THE WEIGHT ROOM! If you compete raw, you do NOT have to train raw! HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY IS RISING IN EPIC PROPORTION. You do what you want.
5th- BE YOUR OWN COACH! Get all advice you can from the greats and other lifters but, this is your journey, figure it out. When you get to a level where no man has been, you have to coach yourself. The best decision I ever made was getting mentored by Louie Simmons. The best move I ever made is I quit listening to Louie Simmons! He couldnt lift the weight for me. Hold my hand. I had to figure it out. He gave me the tools to get started. At some point you have to quit following and be a leader. Quit sucking the proverbial tit. Happens in every sport, powerlifting is no different.
6th- Lastly, DO NOT HIDE BEHIND THE APRON OF YOUR CAUSE! Whatever Fed or genre you choose, does not make you any better or more righteous than other powerlifters elsewhere. The barbell could care less who & how its lifted. Its not a religion! Its a choice you elect to do. Wipe your ass with your squat knee sleeve only bullshit! No one cares!

Powerlifting is an instrument that a man/woman can use to push the human body and mentality, mans will, to the limits. This lifting discipline is a self made journey, most never complete. Pushing your own aggregate up is all that matters.
Remember, your special ass is only one injury away from being a no one! So prepare wisely. Know your powerlifting history. Respect the sport. Respect powerliftings past…if it wasnt for them, you would have nothing. They have been training longer than most of you have been alive!
Honor the journey. Live & let Lift!
Love SuperD

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Curated by Pushkaraj S Shirke
Director, Project Battlefit