Written by Team Juggernaut
Read Brad’s Training Log Here
Name: Bradley Douglas Little
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 5’6 / 195
Hometown: Beaver, Kentucky
Current City: Richmond, Kentucky
Years Training: 4-5
Years Competing in Powerlifting: 2
PRs: 680 squat/450 bench/730 deadlift/ 1835 total (all @ 181lbs)
Where you Train: Berea Barbell (Berea, Kentucky)
Day Job: Biology Pre-Med Student
What would be your personal theme song?
That’s pretty tough for me because I like a wide variety of music, but “Mojo So Dope” by Kid CuDi or “Prison Sex” by Tool would have to be high on my list. Although any filthy Dubstep with a mean drop would do.
What got you into training/competing?
What is your athletic background? I have always been a competitive person; growing up I had to have some way to be competitive in my life in order to be happy. Life simply isn’t life to me without competition. I was, and always will be a baseball player at heart; I was a pitcher with an okay fastball and a pretty mean set of breaking balls. After it was made clear that not many 5’6 pitchers get to play in the Majors I began BJJ and MMA. After a brief career there I began Powerlifting, and found an out for my competitive attitude. I Now love powerlifting and have no idea how I lived without it!
Who have been influential people in your life in regards to training, or just in general?
First and foremost my father, he is a coal truck driver and is by far the hardest working most kind hearted man I have ever met. He always stood up for what he thought was right and never allowed himself to be a pushover in any situation. In the sport of Powerlifting I would have to say Ed Coan is the most influential person to me. No one can ever deny any of his lifts, he is truly a legend and holds the world record I will chase until I absolutely can’t anymore (901 deadlift @ 220lbs).
What are the greatest challenges you have faced from a training/competing standpoint?
My greatest challenge in all situations is myself. I feel this is true for most people because mentally we tend to hold ourselves back more than we realize. In any situation, especially powerlifting, people’s main goal should be to be better and work harder every day than they did the day before. This turns into trouble when we start comparing ourselves to people who don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things because at the end of the day you are you and a better you means you are victorious.
How do you structure you training going into a competition?
All of my training is based around weak points. I am a firm believer in training what you suck at in order to better yourself. I can’t stand the Youtube warriors who seem to hit crazy numbers in the gym, yet can never pull it together in competition. This always means one thing to me, these people are ego lifters! They train things they are great at because their ego feeds off of it. I would rather look like a joke in training because I am doing movements I struggle with, and impress everyone (including myself) come meet day!
What makes someone a good sumo puller vs a good conventional puller?
It all comes down to leverages and strengths vs. weaknesses. As strengths change a person may need to switch at times. Chuck Vogelpohl is a great example of this, he would change his stance meet to meet for a long time because his strength were always changing.
Where do you see powerlifting in 5 years?
With me still involved, that’s all I’m completely sure of. Powerlifting has the potential to turn into something great, but it has for years. I don’t want to be one of these people involved in building up the sport with false claims only to never see them realized. I can promise everyone only one thing, I have no favorites. If a federation hosts a good meet with a cool atmosphere and a lot of prize money, you will probably see me there!
What is your typical diet like?
My typical diet at the moment isn’t anything special. For the past 3 years I have basically tried to maintain a weight that made my cut to 181 possible so I couldn’t stuff food in my mouth all day. I never eat super clean and with my school schedule I basically just try to get what I need throughout the day. I have recently decided to try to add a little muscle and possibly go to the 198lb weight class so I have upped my calories and protein intake.
What upcoming competitions do you have? What are your competitive goals for the next year?
I plan to do the RPS meet Dec. 8, in Columbus OH. My goals are simply to beat my old PR’s. I would love to get that 800lb deadlift soon, but I’m not promising anything. I may also do a raw meet in the near future if I feel froggy.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in competing in powerlifting?
Keep a level head, take easy openers, and know your gear front and back.
Any general thank you’s or products to look out for or anything else you want to say…
I would like to say thank you to my awesome girlfriend Hillary Kelley. She has always been behind me and this hobby even when I seemed to have no hope of ever been a real competitor. I can remember not having a monolift or training partners and hanging industrial hooks off axle jacks in the power rack of the gym I started training in. She would come to pull the hooks so I could do my max effort and dynamic effort squats. So all of you guys out there who complain about being motivated or training partners, harden up. People have gotten stronger than you in worst conditions.
If you have a personal website/fan page/etc, list that here…
Everyone check out my and subscribe to my youtube! http://www.youtube.com/user/bighickdogg426
Read Brad’s Training Log Here
