HOUSTON – Memorial High School sophomore Warren Dooley said he started lifting heavy weights to improve in football.
“Then, I found out that I liked lifting more than football, funny enough,” said Dooley.
Dooley felt comfortable enough with his powerlifting prowess that he entered a competition -- the USPA Goliath Showdown in El Paso.
“It was my first (contest),” said Dooley.
His lifts of 463 pounds in the squad, 463 pounds in the deadlift and 281 pounds in the bench press added up to more than 1,200 pounds of weight.
Not only did he win his 16-17 age group, Dooley set a Texas age group record in all three lifts and total weight.
“That was if everything goes perfect, but I didn’t know that would happen,” said Dooley. “I did better than I thought.”
His lifts qualified him for the USPA national competition in Las Vegas in July, which he is now training for.
“I have to work as hard as I can every day, make sure my diet is good, my recovery (is good), make sure I’m getting good sleep every day,” said Dooley. “Every day not wishing that I went harder in the gym.”