In just the third meet of his career, Nick Mendizabal set a
state record in powerlifting
Seeking an ideal body weight of 165 pounds, Nick Mendizabal’s
goal, he said, will be to bench press about 305 to 310 pounds at
the world championships in November, or roughly 190 percent of his
body weight.
On the surface, it’s perhaps a surprising percentage to most,
especially considering Mendizabal recently started his junior year
at San Benito High School, and had his very first powerlifting
competition in April.
In just the third meet of his career, Nick Mendizabal set a state record in powerlifting
Seeking an ideal body weight of 165 pounds, Nick Mendizabal’s goal, he said, will be to bench press about 305 to 310 pounds at the world championships in November, or roughly 190 percent of his body weight.
On the surface, it’s perhaps a surprising percentage to most, especially considering Mendizabal recently started his junior year at San Benito High School, and had his very first powerlifting competition in April.
But the 16-year-old feels the 300-plus pound press is entirely realistic, and his meteoric-like rise in the sport shows little evidence of him not being able to reach that goal.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s that big of a jump,” Mendizabal said. “With all the technique and effort I can put in these next couple of months, I think I’ll blow it out of the water.”
Earlier this month, Mendizabal became the state record holder in the 16- to 17-year-old age division at 165 pounds when he bench pressed 270 pounds at the Capital City Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Sacramento — just the third meet of his young career.
The Hollister resident also deadlifted 319 pounds, which wasn’t his best but enough to take first place in the category, nevertheless.
“I was surprised. I’ve been training for all these meets, but I was a little surprised,” said Mendizabal, who qualifies to November’s WABDL World Championships as a result. “I was also confident going in there. I benched 260 two or three days before the meet, so I kind of had a feeling of what I was going in with.”
What makes Mendizabal’s lofty goals for the world championships a very real possibility, though, is his weight — or lack thereof. Despite competing in the 165-pound weight class, Mendizabal weighed just 150 pounds when he competed in Sacramento, yet still managed to lift more than anyone else in the weight class.
Considering he’s also at the bottom of the age division as well, the 16-year-old believes that with a little added heft, anything is possible.
“I was actually trying to go 148 (weight division) the last meet, but I just couldn’t cut it,” Mendizabal said.
“I thought I’d do better at 48, but this time out I did really well at 65s.”
Although his father, Rey, has been lifting ever since he was in high school, Mendizabal didn’t pick up the sport until the summer before his freshman year at San Benito High. He was simply trying to better prepare himself for the wrestling team, and not necessarily trying to set state records in the process.
“In the past couple of years, he’s gotten really interested in powerlifting,” Rey said. “With all the guys in here, he’s gotten pretty interested in that. It’s been a real steady increase.”
Working out at Gold’s Gym in Hollister, where local lifters Al Tortorelli, Joe Martinez and Steve Munoz all train — all three took first place in their respective category at Sacramento as well, and will each compete at the world championships in November — Mendizabal took a liking to his training. He started out lifting somewhat casually with his father when he realized how quickly the strength came to him, and he started finding an interest in powerlifting as a result.
“With me working out, I just kept getting stronger and stronger,” said Mendizabal, whose interest in powerlifting piqued when he glanced at the state records for his age division in the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters association.
“I thought, ‘Why not just try powerlifting for, like, a place, or maybe a state record or national (record).'”
And for Mendizabal, the records were very much attainable.
He set a state record in both bench press and deadlift for the 148-pound weight division at his very first meet in April — a “raw” meet where lifters compete without supportive equipment. He then qualified to the Capital City meet in Sacramento after bench pressing 248 pounds at a competition in Santa Cruz.
Mendizabal’s state record of 270 pounds set in Sacramento earlier this month was another impressive lift. Not only did he shatter the previous record of 225 pounds, but he defeated the record holder himself, Hugo Pina of Vacaville, in the very same competition.
With November’s WABDL World Championships on the horizon, the local lifter will try to raise the bar once again.
“My dad recommended to go into powerlifting,” Mendizabal said. “And now I’m doing pretty well.”
The Goodson-Honda WABDL World Championships will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., from Nov. 16-21. For more information, log on to: www.wabdl.org
