Written by Team Juggernaut
Blaine Sumner is without a doubt one of the World’s best squatters. With a World Record 400kg (881 pound) squat in the IPF, wearing just a belt and knee sleeves, Sumner is certain to go down in history as one of the best to ever get under the bar. In addition to his powerlifting prowess, Blaine was also an excellent college football player. For more info on Blaine check out this audio interview we did with him after his IPF Raw World Championship! Learn more about Team Juggernaut’s newest member, Blaine Sumner…
Name: Blaine Sumner “The Vanilla Gorilla” 
Age: 25
Height/Weight: 6′ 2″ 350 lbs
Hometown: Conifer, CO
Current City: Oklahoma City, OK
Years Training: 10
Years Competing: 2
PRs: Raw: Squat (belt and sleeves)-881-World Recod, Bench-474, Deadlift-733…… Single Ply: Squat-1,003 Bench-689 Deadlift-717
Where you Train: HATE Barbell located inside of Tirey’s Training
Day Job: Petroleum Engineer
What would be your personal theme song?: Destroy Everything – Hatebreed
What got you into training/competing? What is your athletic background?
I first began lifting as a freshman in high school to become a bigger, stronger, more explosive athlete. I was 6′ 0″ 145 lbs as a high school freshman. I wrestled year round, as well as playing football and lacrosse from the 3rd grade all the way through high school. I continued playing football at the Colorado School of Mines (D2) for 5 years. I was a 4 year starter at Nose Tackle and short yardage Fullback. I had a decorated career and a great pro day breaking the NFL Testing Record in the bench press (225 lbs. X 52 reps) and the KEI Explosive Index (equation using bench, vertical (33.5″) and long jump (9′ 4″)). I never got an NFL shot so now I just lift and work.
Who have been influential people in your life in regards to training, or just in general?
My parents first taught me proper barbell technique when I was in middle school in our garage. My dad was a successful powerlifter and first got me interested in the sport. Dan and Jen Gaudreau at Rocky Mountain Lifting Club in Aurora, CO helped me build a solid foundation of training and proper technique. They really got me into the sport and taught me how to be a powerlifter and got me connected to people. I really respect Brad Gillingham as a lifter because of his lifelong accomplishments, longevity, and the fact he continues to make gains as a life time natural lifter at his age. I’d love to share the platform with him again.
What are the greatest challenges you have faced from a training/competing standpoint?
My worst injury was in July 2008 when I ruptured my L5-S1 disc squatting too soon after a knee injury. It was a major set back and I thought football and lifting were over. It took a long time to get back to heavy weights but taught me a lot. Now I just have a lot of lingering injuries from football (torn labrums/meniscus in both knees that were never repaired). It’s taught me a lot about working around injuries and I’ve made it work so far.
How do you structure you training going into a competition?
I lift maximal weights the majority of the time. I go heavy in training. Going into a competition – I begin my taper 3 weeks out. 3 weeks out I hit openers and little assistance. 2 weeks out I train at 50% and very little assistance. 1 week out is totally off. I’ve found this super compensation phase to work great for me.
How do you feel your football background helps you as a powerlifter?
I think football was very helpful to developing me as a powerlifter. If my goal was just to powerlift and be strong I would have been better off not playing ball. But I wouldn’t trade my football days for anything. College ball was hard because it is a year-round, full time job and tears the body up playing in the trenches. On the flip side, it gave me great GPP that has carried over into powerlifting as well as great explosiveness. And something I think all high level athletes carry over to lifting is overall body awareness and the ability to perform movements technically correct. The biggest carryover from football is aggression and adrenaline. I take this with me when I squat and it is why I approach the bar the way I do. I attack the bar and hit it with my back and it gets my adrenaline going and desensitizes my entire body.
What is your typical diet like?
I eat pretty clean but will eat a burger or ice cream if the opportunity presents itself. I take in 7-8 meals a day and try to get 60 grams of protein each meal. I thrive on shakes – I thrive on making super caloric dense shakes with nasty ingredients. I will make a combo chicken + tuna shake 1-2 times a day. I take in a lot of carbs post-workout. And try to get a good bloat before squats and benches.
What upcoming competitions do you have? What are your competitive goals for the next year?
I have the IPF World Championships on November 4th. Next will be the Arnold – both 3 Lift American Pro meet and Pro Bench Meet. I was invited to the Super Cup of Titans in Russia but not sure if I will compete in that.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in competing in powerlifting? What advice you would give to a younger version of yourself?
For someone first getting into Powerlifting, I would say to be patient and keep the ego in check. For anyone doing resistance training for the first time, nearly any program will produce gains as long as they stick to it and don’t try a new program every few weeks. Find a good coach or mentor and listen to them, but form your own opinions. The best person to grow yourself as a lifter is you. I would tell my younger self to NEVER miss a weight in training. I believe it is very detrimental to a training cycle.
Any general thank yous or products to look out for or anything else you want to say:
Absolutely. I have been very fortunate to get sponsored by Titan Support Systems and Con-Cret. Pete and Derek at Titan are amazing and are some of the most honest, caring, genuine people I’ve ever met. Not to mention there is no other company who produces close to the same quality supportive gear as them. Con-Cret’s name speaks for itself and their creatine product has won the bodybuilding.com creatine of the year award. They also make a pre-workout, Beta-Cret and glutamine, Gluta-Tren. Straight up amazing products.
Where can we learn more about you:
Currently building a website to promote my training and sponsors.
