Skip to content

Williams sets national records

Power Lifting
Power lifting
Pete Williams, left, with Curtis Munson.

The Sunshine Coast is home to a national power lifting record holder.

Pete Williams, who coaches and trains fellow athletes alongside coach, trainer and competitor Curtis Munson at Valhalla Gym in Sechelt, set national records in the squat, bench press and dead lift at a recent competition in Vancouver.

“I knew I was going for provincial records, but I didn’t actually know I was about to break national records when I stepped up,” Williams recalled. “I’d prepared and trained well, so when I’d found out that I’d beaten national records, it was just added confirmation that all those hard-fought reps over the last 12 months and quality training programs had paid off.”

And Williams wasn’t the only success story.

Jaxon Vignal set his own personal records in all three lifts, and Lukas Miles holds the B.C. junior dead lift record in the 74 kg weight class with a 374-pound pull. He was only 16 when he set that record.

Munson also set a record with a 424.4 bench press.

Williams pointed out that all the records that have been set by the Valhalla group were done “raw” (i.e. no assistive equipment like a bench shirt, only a belt).

His numbers have qualified him for the nationals next spring.

“In addition to raw strength, we do a lot of volume [higher sets and reps] so our muscles can handle the training, and we also do speed work so we can be fast and explosive,” Williams said. “Power lifting is only a part of what we do at Valhalla. Curtis is taking a small group to an Olympic weight-lifting meet in November. They have been training very hard three nights a week for this. Curtis is competing himself, as we always want to lead and set an example by entering events.

“Even though Sechelt is small, I know that we have something very special going on here at Valhalla and I definitely believe that this is becoming a “destination gym” for those who want to set and achieve goals and challenge themselves physically and mentally. We are looking to grow our team of lifters for power lifting and Olympic lifting, so if anyone is interested in learning how to lift properly in a safe and supportive atmosphere, they can give us a call at 604-789-2879.”