66-year-old Lance Baylis from Hawkes Bay holding up a weight after a clean and jerk motion, in good form for competition. Photo / Supplied
66-year-old Lance Baylis from Hawkes Bay holding up a weight after a clean and jerk motion, in good form for competition. Photo / Supplied
It took 40 years of training for Lance Baylis to achieve what no other had done before in the Australasian powerlifting and weightlifting circuits.
The 66-year-old, born in Napier and currently working in Western Australia,has just started competing nationally at powerlifting and weightlifting competitions.
He won his first national podium finish and gold medal during his first year of competing nationally, at the 2020 Australian Masters powerlifting competition.
"It was very special to win my first gold medal as there was many years of training that went into it," Baylis said.
His success has continued to grow across disciplines after the first title, setting an Australian deadlift record and winning a Commonwealth gold medal and Oceania gold medal and an Australian Masters weightlifting gold medal in September this year.
"An Australasian national title in both powerlifting and weightlifting has not been done before by one person young, or old. Apart from the obvious need for strength the two disciplines do not feed naturally into one another," he said.
He said powerlifting is a test of basic strength which he estimates is 90 per cent strength and 10 per cent technique, with lifts like squats, bench press and deadlift. In contrast, he said weightlifting or Olympic lifting involves the snatch and the clean and jerk motions, and estimates it is 60 per cent strength and 40 per cent technique.
"Obviously weightlifting requires considerable strength but it also requires a lot of technique and it's the technique that takes a lot of learning. A powerlifter has a lot of strength but generally lacks the agility to do a full squat under the bar on its way up. In training I fell over many times."
Lance Baylis with all of his weightlifting and powerlifting competition medals. Photo / Supplied
His competitions have all been online during the pandemic, using specially calibrated weights and livestreamed from recognised gyms with a referee present through multiple cameras to a national venue and panel of referees.
"I have yet to meet my main competitors as competitions these days are done online [due to Covid] so they could be anywhere, Australia wide, NZ, etc."
He said he trains at his own gym in his workshop and coaches himself.
"I have been training for 40 years on and off, so I am my own coach."
He said his beginnings were in the early 80s when he and two training partners opened Napier's first commercial gym, His and Hers, on Taradale Rd where the Mobil station is now.
He said he is motivated to keep training as a way to combat age and stay healthy.
"I have noticed as people get older, they generally turn away from weight training and do other forms of exercise which is fine ... but why not keep doing weights regardless of age?"
When he is not training, Baylis said he enjoys house boating with his partner.