Raising the bar _{by Madelaine Empson}

At 20 years old, Petone local Tiaki Freeman (Ngāi Tahu, Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) has been selected to represent New Zealand at the World Classic & Equipped Sub-Junior & Junior Powerlifting Championships in Malta at the end of this month. He qualified for the prestigious event at the New Zealand Powerlifting Federation (NZPF) Wellington & Central Powerlifting Association (WCPA) Regionals in May this year, achieving a back squat of 280 kilograms, a bench press of 145kg, and a deadlift of 317.5kg, which is an unofficial New Zealand record. His combined total was 742kg.

We caught up with Tiaki, who works full time in civil construction and has been training under coach Jannaia Fuimaono at local gym BuildaBody in Lower Hutt for the past year, about the road to the world champs and beyond.

You’ve got an extensive background in rugby and rugby league. Did that passion lead you to powerlifting?

As most rugby players do, you try to get strong for your sport. One of my rugby mates and I were trying to get strong at the gym for rugby, and then he saw a powerlifting competition at a high school, our local one. He was like, ‘Oh, you keen to have a go?’ We had a go and I loved it. I kind of just kept going – slowly dropped off rugby, and that’s how I fell into the sport.

What did you love about it and what gave you the bug to keep going?

I know the thing that got me into it was the fact that it was a solo sport. I like the fact that my success was determined by how hard I wanted to work for myself. Obviously, you can be successful in all sports by working harder, but it just felt a little bit more motivating knowing that it was all on me, and if I fail at a competition, I know that it’s my fault.

And equally, if you succeed, it’s thanks to you as well.

[Laughs.] I guess so, yeah!

You’re relatively new to powerlifting. How did it feel to just smash everything at the NZPF WCPA Regionals?

It was pretty cool! Obviously, I didn’t really know how well I could do starting off.

If you were to lift what you lifted at the regionals at the worlds, would that then set the official New Zealand record?

It would, yes. So, you can’t set national records at a competition that’s regional or below level, which is why it’s unofficial. You can set a New Zealand record at a national or higher level, and this comp’s international. But there is a possibility of it being beaten as well. I’m in the junior men’s under-105 division, age 18-24. There is one other athlete who’s at the end of the age grade, who’s probably a bit stronger than me. The bro’s 24, so four years older than me; he probably could beat it.

Is it important to you to place, or are you just happy to be there?

All my mates are like, you better win [laughs]. But my age grade is probably the biggest limiting factor for someone like me making the podium, because if you think about it, I’m 20 coming up against seasoned athletes who are 24. So yeah, it’s unlikely – it’s possible for some, but I’m there for the experience. I’m just grateful to be able to compete for my country.

If you have any free time while you’re in Malta, is there anything else you want to check out?

I’m keen to get a tattoo of maybe the coordinates just to remember my first-ever world champs. That’s one of my ideas.

What sort of training regimen do you need to get strong enough to lift a total of 742kg?

I find it a little bit tougher than most people in my sport probably would, just because of the type of work that I do. It’s quite fatiguing. But most of my time is spent eating and recovering – they are the most important things you can do other than training. But what got me here, I would definitely have to say, is my coach Jannaia. He’s been the biggest help to me. Probably the best thing that any athlete could have in the sport would be a coach, because they assess how you’re feeling on each training day, and they’ll adjust the programme every week based on how you feel. If you really want to reach the next level, 100 percent you need a good coach.

What goes into recovering properly and building muscle? I’m guessing you have to eat a crazy amount...

I have to eat around 4500 to 5000 calories a day to maintain my weight.

[Exhales.]

[Laughs.] That’s just to maintain. Currently I’m trying to put on a bit more weight, so I’d probably sit more near the 5000.

What’s your training schedule like from now until Malta? Are you ramping it up?

In terms of the days that I train, no – it’s always going to be four days a week. Most people think it’s a lot more, like every day of the week, but I obviously want to prioritise recovery. It’s supposed to stay the same; you just slightly lower the volume of training, but increase the weight. You’re essentially lifting heavier, but lifting that heavy weight less, which gives you more time to recover. The way that you train for these competitions is called peaking. Essentially, your body is at its peak strength, and you can’t stay at that peak for long. I think the range is a few days to just under a week. That’s why you have a coach. They assess all this, and they aim so that I peak on the day of the competition.

Who would you say your biggest inspiration is?

My biggest inspiration is Mum, always. Whenever I’m at a competition, sometimes I’ll pull up a photo and just be like, ‘This is for you, Mum’.

Are there any words that you live by or that really inspire you?

‘Vision without execution is just hallucinations’. I always think about that. If I’ve got a heavy lift in the gym, I’ll sit by myself in the corner and just look at that quote. It’s pretty much just a fancy way of saying you got to work hard for your dreams.