BP Sponsored Athletes

Name:  David Briguglio

Gender:  Male

Marital Status:   Single

Nationality:   Australian

Age:   21

Height: 166cm

Weight:   73Kg competition / 80kg training

Business: N/A

Profession:  Ex Navy, currently student

Qualifications:   Bachelor of Science

Overview (A little about me)

I’m David Briguglio, 21 years old from Melbourne, currently one of the top junior power lifters in Australia in the under 75kg bodyweight category for the Bench Press discipline. Iv been training at the gym since I was about 17 but only became involved with Powerlifting in late 2008, my brother Justin and I compete together in the sport and offer each other direct competition as we lift in the exact same category.

Interests:

Powerlifting, gym, bodybuilding, boxingSpear Fishing SwimmingBoatingDivingMotorcycle Riding

Favourites (Food, Body parts, People)

My favourite food is seafood or lean meat in the eveningMy favourite body part is definitely the chest (couldn’t bench press anything without it!)My favourite people and those I also look up to are Arnold Schwarzenegger (of course), Sylvester Stallone, Franco Columbo and Angelo Galati (world record holder for bench press).  

Motivations (What Motivates Me)

I get my main motivation from the desire to beat myself every time I compete, I feel as though if I can beat my previous result then the hard work at training has paid off.

I also do most of my training sessions with my brother which also helps to motivate me as we are both able to push each other at times where we may not feel like working as hard as usual.

Training History (Years, Location, Trainer)

I began training as a Powerlifter in about October of 2008 with my younger brother, Melbourne.

Previously we had been training to become bodybuilders since the age of about 17 however had a change of heart when we were approached by Malcolm Slinger (Australian Bench Press Champion and World number two in the ‘Masters 3’ category) who suggested that we give powerlifting a try. We began training with Malcolm and Yuval Bar (Australian Bench Press Champion, Australian record holder and World number three in the Open under 82.5kg category) and our coach Gerrard Gaud (lifter of 12 years and former national champion) on a Tuesday night every week.

 

Since we began we have attended four competitions including national level title events with good results.  

Training Schedule (Training Style and Tips)

Our training schedule is slightly different to most Powerlifters, traditionally a lifter will train only about three times a week (one day for bench press/chest, another day for squat/legs and a whole other day dedicated to heavy deadlifts). However my brother and I still like to maintain a well rounded physique and therefore will train once a week for bench press, dedicate a whole training session to deadlift and spend the rest of the week following a classic bodybuilding style program with one day for arms, one day for legs, one day for back and another day for abdominals and core, we also like to make sure we get at least 2 or 3 light Cardio sessions a week (about 30minutes of running or equivalent). This program works perfectly for us because we currently compete only for bench press and deadlift and therefore do not need to dedicate a whole training session to squat as yet.

I find that the classic bodybuilding style of training where one muscle group (arms, back, chest or legs) is targeted once a week is perfect for muscle building. This allows for intense isolation of that muscle group and adequate rest (about 6 days) between workouts. Typically 3 sets of between 8 and 12 reps per exercise is ideal, and exercises should be changed regularly to prevent the muscles from getting used to the same movements, this way you will never hit the ‘wall’ or ‘plateau’ as many people often complain about.  

Training for powerlfiting is a little bit different; for bench press a session may take between 2 and 2 and a half hours with most of that spent on the bench. The workout will depend on how far away the next competition is, for example if a competition is more then 10 weeks away then we will normally warm up on the bar and increase by 20kg every set, until we hit about a medium weight and rep out (more then 12 reps) for about 3 sets before reducing the weight and moving on to another chest exercise such as flys or incline bench press. If a competition is 10 or less weeks away we will warm up from the bar and increase by 20kg each set as before except we will do only minimal reps in order to save energy, we will build up to a heavy weight and only do a couple of reps over 3 sets, as the weeks go by and competition gets closer the reps should be decreased and weight increased, after competition the cycle starts over.  

Nutrition (Examples of My Diet)

Normally a powerlifter will not try and regulate nutrition as strictly as a bodybuilder does; this is because we need to consume an extremely high amount of Carbohydrates and Proteins in order to push the heavy weights at training and in competition. For this reason we normally tend not to worry about fat content and excess energy while in training however this soon becomes more important in the 10 weeks leading up to a competition as a lifter begins to slightly limit excess energy intake and increase the regularity of cardio sessions in order to make it into their desired weight category on competition day (however it is important not to over do this as dropping too much weight will negatively affect your strength).

For my diet I like to have a breakfast rich in carboydrates such a Nutrigrain with full cream milk. For lunch I also like to have a few more carbs especially on a training day our coach likes us to have a big bowl of pasta or rice for a boost in energy, for dinner I try to cut out all carbs and stick with lean meat like steak or chicken with veggies or salad, any excess carbs here will only store as unused energy or fat while you sleep and is more or less useless to you.

Any Createnes should be taken within 15 minutes after you finish training and preferably on an empty stomach in order to give your gut a chance to digest it by itself, any proteins should be consumed after your createne and within 30minutes of training. When trying to rip up and lose weight try and go for a protein powder with low carb/protein ratio whereas if you’re trying to really bulk up and you’ve got a very fast metabolism try and find a protein powder with a higher level of carbs.  

Competition History

Over my first year of competition I have attended four events in the Melbourne Metro area.29 NOV 2008 – Victorian Extraveganva, Colac – 120kg bench press04 APR 2009 – Australian Junior Championship, Melbourne University – 140kg bench press, silver medal.13 JUN 2009 – Global One Challenge, Campbellfield VIC – 150kg bench press, silver medal.19 SEP 2009 - Global One Battler's Open - Campbellfield, VIC – 155kg bench press, 190kg deadlift, silver medal for bench press and gold medal for deadlift.28 NOV 2009 - Global One Victorian Extravaganza - Campbellfield, VIC – 160kg bench press, 1st place.09 MAY 2010 – Junior Australian Bench Press Championships – Mannum, SA – 165kg bench press, Gold Medal25 JUL 2010 – Open Australian Bench Press Championships –Melbourne, VIC – 170kg bench press, Gold Medal.

Events Calendar 2010

17 October – North Sydney Bench Press Competition.

Goals (Future Plans and Career Expectations)

To qualify for the Junior World Bench Press Championships and the 2011 Oceana Championships.

Best Advice (Fitness, Health and Training)

My best advice for people starting out in the gym is to understand that results take time. Most people start using the gym and quickly lose motivation because they don’t wake up looking like the Terminator overnight. The best way to motivate yourself is to set weekly goals, such as increasing the weight on a certain exercise or running a distance in a specified time (make sure these goals are actually realistic). It is equally important to ensure that you follow your program and that you make sure you do all the work you need to do for the week without cutting out exercises or skipping days, best way to do this is to train with somebody else or a group of people, that way you can motivate one another.

 

Another key piece of advice is not to over train, many people don’t realise that rest is just as important as work when training hard. Give the muscles time to repair and grow after an intense arms session for example, don’t try and do the same workout the day after or while your arms are still sore, this will only increase recovery time and probably cause an injury. A powerlifter has ten days off before a competition to give the body a chance to recover energy levels and allow the muscles to rest so that they can perform at their best in competition.  

Supplements Used / Recommendation

Createne – Iv used plenty of different kinds of createnes, in my opinion the ones that work are those that are the most pure and most basic. Supplement companies often try to increase sales by claiming that their createnes are packed full of other things or by making them effervescent to improve taste, none of these ever make a difference. The best createnes are the standard unflavoured pure powders that taste more or less like sand. A good createne should give you more strength at the end of a set where you would normally fail and will often increase your weight due to their main side effect which is retention of water by the muscles (be sure to drink plenty of water while using createnes). 

Protein Powder – Again protein powders are often packed with ingredients in order to pack out the powder and make it seem like your getting more then you actually are. My recommendation would be to pay attention to the ingredients to make sure it actually contains only protein and to help make a decision on which powder to take based on what you actually want to achieve. A good protein powder should help boost recovery and in the long term help to put on a bit of weight depending on what sort of powder you are taking.

Pre Workout energy boosters – Pre workout formulas containing ingredients such as Nitric Oxide and caffeine are a good short term energy boost, which is perfect for a heavy session on the bench press. Nitric oxide is also a vasodilator causing increased blood flow through the blood vessels allowing more Oxygen flow to the main muscle groups which in turn may inflate the muscles to a degree.

Tribulus – Tribulus contains a herbal extract that can be extremely effective at inducing the production of testosterone in the body which will in turn increase strength and muscle growth. Tribulus is definitely effective but probably not in people younger then about 18 years as the process of puberty is already producing elevated levels of testosterone in the body at this age.

I also always try to cycle my supplements (4 or 5 week cycles) so that my body does not become used to the supplement thereby reducing the effects.