He also runs an organization where he spreads the message, "No Limits Drug Free." He spreads his message to young lifters and I thought it would be great opportunity to spread his message once again here. Read about him. His website is at: www.gregstott.com.
As usual, if you have any questions, email me at extrmpowerlifter@aol.com. Thanks and enjoy!!
Curtis Dennis: Thanks for a chance to interview you, Greg. Please give the readers a description of yourself?
Greg Stott: I'm a 40 year old Powerlifter & Strength Athlete, A former Airborne Ranger, Combat Veteran who stands 5' 9" tall and weighs 270 lb. I have 21" arms, 21" Neck and a 55" chest. My occupation is that of an Entrepreneur and Evangelist. I've been married for 20 years to my lovely wife Cindy and have two great kids. My son Nick is 18 and my daughter Danielle is 15. I have two dogs Teddy & Maximus.
CD: How long have you been into Powerlifting and Strongman?
GS: I have been Powerlifting since 1986 and competed in my first Strongman in 2002.
CD: Have you always been strong?
GS: I would have to say my genetic potential was great and at the age of 14 when only a freshman in High School, I could Bench 275 lb. at a body weight of 128 lb. I entered my first Bench contest in '86 and pressed 370 lb. at a body weight if 181 lb. I credit my Mother for the foundation on which my strength was built. My Mom provided me with a great diet growing up. She also supported me at age 13 financially. This enabled me to have a membership at my first mentors gym, Bob Ottmer. To get to Bob's Gym, I would take a bus 40 miles round trip, three to four days per week.
CD: Tell us about your childhood and how you got into Powerlifting and Strongman?
GS: I come from a divorced family and was raised by a single mom. My mother was ahead of her time as far as nutrition and the understanding of the positive effects of strength training. I hope the readers understand that you can work out every day and break your body down every which way ... but if you don't have a proper diet, you're just wasting your time. I began lifting 28 years ago and started using weights to help me in wrestling and football. I was a bodybuilder as a youth and competed from age 16 to age 23. In 1986 while in the service, (1981 - 1988) I met a new training partner by the name of Frank Langhorst and he was a die hard 100% Powerlifter.
I enjoyed training heavy with him and soon got bitten by the bug of showing off my strength rather than my body. I trained as a Powerlifter for years but never competed much. I used my strength training to develop my body and aid me in my Professional Fighting career from 1993 - 1997. What I found out was my real gift was in Strength and particularly the Power Lifts, (Squat, Bench & Deadlift). In 1997 I turned my focus from fighting to Powerlifting and won my first Powerlifting Meet.
In 2000 I won the 100% RAW World Powerlifting Championships and was a National Champion in 2000 and 2001. When you compete RAW, it means you compete without the use of any support equipment. 100% RAW meant that I competed without even the use of a weight belt and totaled over 1800 lb. At the 2001 RAW Nationals, at a body weight of 275 lb., I deadlifted 705 lb. My current RAW deadlift is 800 lb.
Strongman seemed like a natural transition for me after pushing myself as far as I had in RAW Powerlifting. A friend of mine by the name of Graham Bartholomew, a Powerlifter and Strongman Competitor, recommended that I give it a try. He thought it was a natural fit. I did and it was. I love the many challenges Strongman Competitions offer and the training and conditioning needed for this sport, has me in the best shape of my life.
CD: How did it feel to be hanging with the professional strongman at your age?
GS: If you're referring to my 1045 lb. deadlift at age 38, it felt great. I have not yet won my pro card and currently compete as an amateur in NASS (North American Strongman Society) and have a goal for this year to win the NASS Masters National Championship, in Columbus, Ohio this August. One of my goals for 2004 is to win my pro card.
CD: What does it feel like being as strong as you are and doing your lifting RAW?
GS: I always like to say that "RAW Means Power." Because of the many years of lifting 100% Drug Free and RAW. I have built some very strong tendons and ligaments. This helps me to move the kind of heavy weights required in Strongman, for the most part, injury free. RAW has also helped me to develop a muscle thickness, which has become an asset in both Powerlifting and Strongman.
CD: Name some of your other feats of strength?
GS: I am very proud of my 2000 lb. RAW Powerlifting Total, 700 Squat, 500 Bench and 800 Deadlift. I have also clean & jerked 365 lb. One Arm Snatched a 150-lb. dumbbell and am currently holding 300lbs. in each hand for 40 seconds. The National Record being 47 seconds.
CD: How do you think you stack up against other strongman?
GS: In the sport of Strongman, a sport which I have so much respect for the athletes and what they do, it will take me competing many more times before I can make such a definitive comment. My only comment now having competed in (3) Strongman competitions is this ... I am strong enough to be a real competitor and even a champion. I now have a training center, with all the equipment that we use in our sport, I believe in the next year I will be able to make a real presence on the national & world stage in this great sport called Strongman.
CD: Do you believe with the arrival of professional Powerlifting, that Powerlifting is moving in the right direction? 
GS: I think what the WPO has done for Powerlifting is awesome. Kieran Kidder, the President of the WPO has done a wonderful job in not only promoting the sport, but also getting these fine Strength Athletes a real payday. Powerlifting as a whole has been moving in the right direction with many federations working together and recognizing other federation's totals as qualifying totals for their events.
Many Judges are now judging events in more than one federation. This kind of mutual respect will only help a sport that is truly fragmented from an over abundance of lifting organizations and governing bodies, that inadvertently have kept Powerlifitng away from the majority of the worlds attention.
I can only hope that over time there can be some mergers in our sport, similar to boxing. It would be great to have a unified, well promoted championship. Of course I feel an equal amount of attention should be given to the Powerlifter that chooses to lift RAW. The popularity of RAW Powerlifting since 1997 has in my opinion been responsible for the most new lifters & return of old lifters, coming back to the sport in recent history.
CD: I've always preached about having training partners. Do you have any training partners?
GS: I also believe that a training partner can be a great asset to a lifter. The best part of having a lifting partner is that when you want to go into a cruise mode ... in regards to your training, they can push you and keep you on track. At present I am training alone, but receive a lot of support from members of the gym I train at, Olympic Fitness. I am also opening the iXL Training Center at the end of the summer. I figure if you build it, they will come. This Strongman Playground will have all the equipment used in Strongman Competition and will be one of the most complete Strongman training sites on the East Coast.
CD: Who did you look up to when you were coming up as a Powerlifter/Strongman?
GS: Paul Anderson's lifting and ministry, Mike MacDonald's bench and the overall power of Bill Kazmaier.
CD: What was one of the challenges of coming up as a Powerlifter/Strongman?
GS: I think the biggest challenge for any strength athlete is having a balance in their training which allows them to push themselves to new strength levels without over training. Training heavy and avoiding injury is another challenge. I have found that if you utilize the "Less is More" philosophy when designing your training routine, you will avoid, for the most part, the above challenges. More on this subject at my web site: www.GregStott.com.
CD: Tell us about your training and how you prepare for competitions?
GS: The key to Strongman is event training. I was lucky and understood this right away and have been acquiring all the needed tools for competition over the last six months. I add one to two pieces of equipment each month and train events two times per week and lift weights three times per week. I don't regiment my days and find listening to my body the best method for determining my workload each day.
CD: Does your training differ from in-season to off-season?
GS: Yes it does change. I consider November - February my off-season and will work on my weaknesses both in strength and technique during this period. I actually use the off season to build up and heal my body completely. My goal is to be in great shape going into a season due to the wear and tear I know I will be putting my body through in competition. I conduct myself off-season much like a top NFL player would do. They show up to camp, not out of shape, but in great shape!
CD: Tell us about iXL Productions.
GS: iXL Productions is my parent company. It is the Marketing and PR machine for my many ventures. I have iXL Video, iXL Training Systems and TEAM iXL to name a few. We have produced a TV Show and are working on developing the iXL Training Center, so that we can begin production of both Powerlifting, Strength Training and Strongman Event Training videos by the end of the summer. The iXL credo is "True Strength comes from God."
CD: Explain your powerful message to young lifters?
GS: How can you say no to drugs if you don't know why? This is the question that we ask young lifters and athletes.
I have found that the easiest way to say NO to steroids and other drugs is to have a vision, set goals, and be disciplined. It is best summed up this way: Your Vision is the Journey, Goals are Your road map to Success and Discipline is Your Vehicle that must be fueled by Focus & Determination.
My goal at a TEAM iXL Presentation entitled "A Powerful Message" is to illustrate through my own life that ... "There are No Limits Drug Free."
CD: What other things are you into other than strongman?
GS: I'm really into developing my personal relationship with Christ. I love reading the word of God, the Bible. I enjoy my family and love music. I play the piano and trumpet and find playing music a great stress reliever. Business is a challenge and when done right allows you to utilize the money earned for many things. I keep balance in my life with what I call "PFS". Standing for Physical, Financial & Spiritual Development. I write at least one hour each day and my first book is due out by Christmas entitled: "A Powerful Message" There are No Limits Drug Free.
CD: What supplements do you take?
GS: Let me start off by saying I eat very well. I believe that most lifters and the general public are not getting enough minerals. If your mineral intake is not sufficient you will not be able to process the vitamins. I make sure that my mineral intake is sufficient by taking colloidal minerals & take a multivitamin. My water consumption is at least one gallon per day. I take in an average of 220 -250 grams of protein each day. I use Effervescent Creatine when I am training for a competition and make sure that I take 1,000 MG of Vitamin C three times per day.
CD: What do you think of Powerlifters today? Any that stick out in your mind?
GS: The Powerlifter today is setting new standards at all levels of competition. I must say I am not a big fan of the crazy, rather over compensating, support equipment that is showing up at competitions. I mean when ten of the best bench specialists in the world show up at the Arnold Classic and seven of them, can not make a single lift due to the fact the weight could not come down to their chest…we have a problem.
Great Powerlifters like Ed Coan and Gary Frank have given similar views in articles regarding the equipment issue. The purity of the sport needs to be looked at in regards to the development of this kind of equipment and the Drug issue is always a concern. As far as lifters that stick out in my mind? Both Gary Frank and Ed Coan have set a very high mark for the sport. The total amount of weight that can be lifted in the three events, Squat, Bench & Deadlift…is simply out of this world.
CD: What would you say to a novice lifter or to a lifter whose just starting out in Powerlifting?
GS: Again remember that "Less is More". Stick to the basic three lifts, don't be afraid to train with less weight and increase your speed. The formula for strength goes like this, Speed + Power = Strength. If you never work out at the 50-60% range of your one repetition maximum lift…you will never be able to develop the speed necessary when lifting truly heavy weight. What is 50% today will not be the same next year.
CD: What do you think of the sport of Powerlifting and its lifters in general?
GS: The sport of Powerlifting is awesome for all athletes male or female to be involved in at some point of there lives. The sport allows you to not only compete in a weight classes, but is also set up to offer many other categories of competition from Teen to Master, Military, Fireman & Police. 
You can also specialize in the Bench or Deadlift or compete in the Equipped or RAW divisions. Powerlifters by their very makeup are confident friendly people and are very open to providing advice or giving a hand. When you compete in Powerlifting, the common denominator we all have to conquer is our steel opponent that has no fear and shows very little respect.
CD: What would you suggest to someone wanting to get stronger?
GS: Do the basic lifts. Military, Bench, Deadlift and make sure you squat, squat and squat. By developing the largest muscles in your body you will unleash needed hormones that will enable all of your lifts to improve and you will get stronger. Also be sure to take in enough protein, and rest. Diet & Rest will be the key to your strength gains.
CD: What's next for you?
GS: I have a National Qualifier in July and then the Masters National Championships in August. In between my training I am finishing my first book, funding the iXL training center and developing a new TV Show.
CD: Is there anything else you would like to mention to our readers here at bodybuilding.com?
GS: Your health is one of the greatest gifts God has given you. What you put into your body is what you get out. Don't set false expectations for yourself and enjoy the journey, you don't have to get there by next year. Live each day with a presence of praise and remember that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a Gift…that is why it is called the PRESENT!
CD: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
GS: My pleasure thanks for the opportunity.
Check out my website @ http://zap.to/maxfusion