It was worth the wait and definitely worth the weight for Steven Reade to get back into the gym to train for powerlifting competition.

Reade, 52, a Chemainus resident since 2015, had a long hiatus from the time he first took up the sport between 1992 and 1996 and returning to it in 2015. ItB次元官网网址檚 clearly been a triumphant return, culminating in national supremacy for him in the Masters 2 category at the Canadian Powerlifting Union Championships in his old stomping grounds of Ottawa.

Reade started doing research again in 2014 about powerlifting options and found a lot had changed during his time out of the sport.

B次元官网网址淚 initially tried to find the old Federation I competed in and they were gone,B次元官网网址� he indicated.

The CPU is currently one of many of the International Powerlifing FederationB次元官网网址檚 national affiliate organizations around the world.

Powerlifting has three component lifts - bench press, squat and dead lift - and differs from Olympic weightlifting that consists of the snatch and clean-and-jerk lifts and might be more familiar to most people.

Reade grew up in Dorval, Quebec and spent 24 years in the military before retiring from service in 2012. He moved around a lot during that time - from Calgary to Edmonton to Kingston, Ont. and then Ottawa.

Reade was deployed four times to Afghanistan, twice to Bosnia and once to Kosovo during those years.

B次元官网网址淥nce I left Ottawa, I was retired,B次元官网网址� Reade noted.

HeB次元官网网址檚 now employed with Island Health in Nanaimo and married to ChemainusB次元官网网址� famous postmaster, Lavona Reade.

When Reade met Lavona and they were married in 2015, thatB次元官网网址檚 what led him to relocate to Chemainus.

Reade said he played a bit of soccer and the normal high school sports while growing up. A geography teacher got him interested in lifting, but the training regimen was totally different than today.

B次元官网网址淵ou didnB次元官网网址檛 have mainstream gyms like you do now,B次元官网网址� Reade pointed out.

B次元官网网址淟ifting weights was something I liked to do for recreation and to stay in shape.B次元官网网址�

He caught the bug to compete in powerlifting, partly from his military experiences during that four-year period in the 1990s in Alberta.

B次元官网网址淎fter 1996, just too many lower back injuries - like muscle spasms and stuff like that,B次元官网网址� Reade said resulted in his exit from the sport.

He continued to do strength training over the years and found you can go back to something from long ago again despite advancing age.

Reade began with B.C. Powerlifting Association competitions just for the bench press.

B次元官网网址淚 wanted to get my other lifts up to par better,B次元官网网址� he said.

Reade found out the sport had really taken off again and was anxious to get more serious about it again. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a ton of people,B次元官网网址� he noted.

Registrations for BCPA events were selling out in a matter of 30 minutes.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a huge uprising in the sport which I think is awesome,B次元官网网址� said Reade.

He first utilized ChemainusB次元官网网址� Anytime Fitness as his training base but now has a gym in his home, perfectly set up for his needs.

ReadeB次元官网网址檚 trek to the national Masters 2 93-kilogram title began during the 2018 Provincials at SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Clayton Heights Secondary School in June. He went on to compete in the Westerns in Edmonton in September before heading to Ottawa.

Reade made a first-place sweep, but didnB次元官网网址檛 go into the three events worrying about the competition.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going for my goals and itB次元官网网址檚 me against the bar,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to grab that bar and grab that weight and be able to do it.B次元官网网址�

Reade said he enjoys B次元官网网址渢he challenges of taking on goals that you set for yourself and see if you can achieve them.B次元官网网址�

During the nationals, he attained a personal best of 202.5 kilograms in the squat, had a top bench press of 170 kg but missed a shot at a possible Canadian record and set a B.C. record of 255 kg in the dead lift for his class.

Reade is cautiously optimistic of continuing to push the bar just slightly higher, with the ongoing help of a chiropractor and massage therapy to keep the body going.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 one injury away from retirement,B次元官网网址� he grinned.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to plan on going to provincials in June and play it by ear from there.B次元官网网址�