Siberian Strongman Benches 560 kg After Cupcake Diet

Nikita Starostin from Barnaul has been powerlifting professionally since age 16. Now 24, he has become Russia«s No. 1 in equipped bench press and has set a personal record of 560 kilograms (about 1,235 lb).

Read about how Nikita got into the sport, why pressing weight with equipment is harder than without it, and what further plans the Altai strongman has for himself in the material on NGS22.RU.

«Just Dreamed of Lifting Weights»

Nikita«s love for sports is, one might say, innate. Before finding his direction, he tried many activities: he learned to swim, went to judo and gymnastics, and only in 10th grade realized that he was drawn to iron.

— I didn«t even know why I was going, what results I could achieve. I just dreamed of lifting weights because as a kid I saw cool big guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger on TV and thought I wanted to be like them. Plus, looking intimidating is the best defense, since no one will even try to approach you unnecessarily, — says the Siberian.

The guy started training in a small gym at the flight boarding school where he was studying. Nikita didn«t dream of the sky, but he wanted to be a military man. He quickly realized that lifestyle wasn»t for him, but it was then that he became aware that he was stronger than his peers, meaning he could become not a bodybuilder but a powerlifter who would achieve significant results. And so it happened: Nikita came to the gym at 16 on friends« advice, and by 20 he was benching 500 kilograms (about 1,102 lb) from his chest.

Now the maximum weight the athlete lifts reaches 560 kilograms (about 1,235 lb). That«s how much a very large Kamchatka bear weighs, for example. It»s hard to even imagine, but in the gym, no one is surprised by Nikita«s results anymore. And he barely has the psychological barrier that often plagues athletes working with heavy weights:

— I look at this weight and think: why should I be afraid I can«t do it? Other record-holders can, and they have the same ligaments, same bones, and same body as me.

The strongman decided to focus specifically on the bench press only because he doesn«t like working out his legs. And by pulling the barbell, he realized he felt like a real strongman, as he once dreamed.

— I really did have a dream to become the strongest of all. Thoughts kept popping into my head that I wanted to learn to pull big weights. But if you spread yourself thin over several movements, you remain average in your field. Of course, it«s possible to be strong everywhere, but unlikely, so I chose to bench press with equipment, — Nikita explains.

Cupcakes for Mass Gain

The path to the Russian record turned out to be thorny. At the very least, Nikita had to gain good mass, since in powerlifting, body weight is directly proportional to how much weight you can lift.

At the start of his journey, Nikita weighed 65 kilograms (143 lb). After six months, his weight rose to 75 kg (165 lb), then the scale tipped over a hundred. The athlete admits — the first attempts at gaining were far from ideal:

— I only had calories in my head. I completely overlooked that the body needs protein, fats, water so that the gained mass would be of better quality. A student«s wallet also made its adjustments — in stores, I bought the cheapest and most calorie-dense stuff. I could eat three packs of cupcakes, wash them down with juice, and there you go, the 5,000 calories I needed. True, what kind of calories — that»s another question. The goal was one — to get bigger to lift more.

Gaining weight up to 137 kilograms (302 lb) on healthy food would have been much harder, as Nikita admits, but he is firmly convinced that to achieve results, it was simply necessary. Now the Altai strongman«s weight reaches 117 kilograms (258 lb).

— By nature, I eat little, so I had to force myself to literally shove all this in. Recently, I decided again that I need to gain more, but more quality mass, so as not to be a bloated balloon but a healthy guy, — he smiles.

In the gym, Nikita spends five times a week, training for 2–4 hours, depending on the difficulty of the exercises and the weight he takes.

«The Equipment Tries to Break You»

One area of powerlifting is the equipped bench press, which the Barnaul strongman practices. However, contrary to many opinions that equipment is a way to ease the load, the athlete clarifies that it«s just a technology that makes the body work differently. A special rubber band, or sling, is stretched over the arms so that the fabric literally cuts into the skin, and when the athlete lowers the heavy barbell, the material resists, stretches, and holds the arms.

Nikita himself trains exclusively in a tight, stiff shirt, so-called soft equipment, which is impossible to put on without teammates.

— The equipment literally tries to break you, buckle you, twist your arms, so you need to exert increased resistance. Without that, it can simply collapse under such weight, so with it, of course, it«s harder. More effort is required, especially tensing the back. And it»s also much more injury-prone. But I won«t hide it: without it, lifting half a ton would undoubtedly be much harder.

The athlete has had failures too. Several years ago, already performing with equipment, Nikita failed to hold a barbell weighing 460 kilograms (about 1,014 lb). It fell on the safety racks, but even so, the athlete bruised a rib and dislocated his wrist. However, after that, he still didn«t develop a fear of heavy weight.

Comparing raw bench press and equipped bench press, as the athlete points out, is like asking a cyclist and a sprinter to swap roles — both will have strong, trained legs, but their tasks are still different, something the brain gets used to.

— People who have never tried it are sure that the equipment does everything. Of course, the soft gear helps, but it doesn«t lift all half a ton for you, and there are so many technical nuances that without practice you can»t approach it.

By the way, sports gear is not the cheapest pleasure, since its price can reach 150,000 rubles (about $1,500 at current rates). The Altai strongman«s arsenal has eight equipment sets, but almost all are gifted by a sponsor from Moscow. He, like Nikita, is in love with powerlifting and follows the Barnaul athlete»s results.

Now the athlete«s plans are to overcome himself and gradually reach a result of 600 kilograms (about 1,323 lb), then try to take all 700 kg (about 1,543 lb). And for those who dream of becoming just as strong, Nikita advises not to be afraid and to believe that everything will work out, despite the haters. Their opinion, he says, shouldn»t stop those who really want to grow.

— A person wouldn«t be human if they didn»t set new goals every time. In my head, there«s no final goal, only the awareness that I need to keep moving forward, — the athlete concluded.

By the way, in his passion, Nikita is not alone: thanks to his love for sports, he found the love of his life, his wife Eva. At one time, when the athlete worked as a coach, the girl attended his classes, and after a while they realized they had fallen in love with each other.

Eva even got seriously into powerlifting and plans to achieve the master of sports standard soon. She reacts to her husband«s fans with understanding: she says it»s part of his job and lifestyle. Nikita just smiles in response: «Those who love will understand.»