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JR Provs 2026. Lets recap this shit ->

@yasmin._.pwrlifts - bronze medalist in the 63kg class (+7.5kg total PR) going 7/9, securing NATs QT

172.5kg deadlift shown (+5kg PR) from her 8 weeks prep after Centrals.

Unfortunately she missed her last heavy pull and bench session of prep so we keep intensity a tad higher the week of the meet and this paid off fantastic. We know exactly the numbers she needed to hit going in for Nationals QT. The goal was to secure pacing on squat and bench second attempts for the 370kg QT which we did. taking small jumps to both thirds were missed however anything extra at that point was to take extra tonnage of the final pull. We ended up needing 172.5kg, 5kg less than what she grinded out at Centrals (which got overturned) so I was very confident she would be able to execute. She did exactly that. Excellent work from such an astute young woman. Shes earned everything shes worked for!

@nikaz_lifts -5kg on her best total going 8/9

Her first ever 90kg bench (+2.5kg PR) from the 8 week prep post Centrals shown

We started working together 14 weeks ago after almost a year off powerlifting training and managed to chip away at PRs, secure nats QT and stay healthy from pesky injury that deterred her from training for a year. All goals we initially set since we started. Overall, the day was not exactly what we wanted as she came in feeling a little flat, but she effectively put up a 9/9 total just missing third squat on an early rack command miss. I have no doubt Nika will continue to progress off the back of this meet, shes an absolute stone cold killer and her lifting does the talking.

@mychaelalifts GOLD medalist in the 76kg class (+20kg total PR) going 8/9, securing NATS QT

95kg bench (+2.5kg PR) with room in the tank, 102.5kg is very close

Another 8 week prep off the back of Centrals went fantastic. Coming off Centrals I was unsure how we would be able to pop an additional 20kg onto the total in 8 weeks but we changed a couple things on her squat technique, kept bench and deadlift progress ticking along and managed to rather comfortably achieve our goal even after missing her squat opener on depth.

Working with Mychaela is so re

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TPC ATHLETE Meet Recap: Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide (@tolu.lifts)

Tolu competed at NAPFs in August and put up a valiant performance, earning himself a silver medal in the 120+kg Jr class and a gold medal in the bench press.

The numbers were not what we wanted nor expected on the day seeing as this was easily the strongest prep Tolu has put together. He went 6/9 resulting in a 750kg total (-2.5kg off his best) also 5kg lighter BW than his best performance.

He hit a 265kg squat (-7.5kg), 202.5kg bench (-2.5kg) and 282.5kg deadlift (+2.5kg).

All things said I am insanely proud of Tolu for all the work that he put in, not just this prep but for all the grueling work he’s been through since we started working together February 2024.

Prep was nothing short of fantastic. This was objectively his best ever prep. Numbers included 250/200/260, and we know he gets an absolutely massive % boost off our normal peaking strategy, however this go around we learned his top end in training will not get as big a benefit. In my opinion this gap we typically identify is getting smaller so this was pretty valuable data for his next competition where we will likely taper him a bit harder. Regardless we learned from our shortcomings and his next meet will be undeniable.

Going forward we are implementing a slightly lower bar position on squat. Tolu is a fairly mid bar squatter which forces him to stay pretty deep in his quads, so adjusting this position will ideally allow for more of his body to get involved in the movement. Pairing that with work to improve his shoulder mobility to actually get into that position has been key. Straying from some specificity on bench to stay healthy is the key for his bench going forward, however continuing our normal progression once we decided to compete again is the plan. For deadlifts honestly just hammering the hinge is our main plan, involving a pretty heavily load managed stiff leg secondary and carrying the technique gains into the primary has been paying off since NAPFs.

Uber proud of this dude, cannot wait to see him tear up the 120s and eventually 105s, I’m quivering ngl.

@theplatformcrew
#PLTRM

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TPC ATHLETE RECAP ⇩

@gabbyslifts competed at the 2026 NAPF Regional Powerlifting Championships, having her first opportunity to represent team Canada on the international stage. Gabby ended the day going 3/3 on squats with 227.5kg (+5kg), 3/3 on bench with 125.5kg (+5.5kg), and 3/3 on deadlifts with 240kg (+5kg), totalling 593kg (+20.5kg), placing first in the open 84+kg class on what was simply a perfect day.

I truly don’t think this day could have gone any better. Coming into this meet Gabby was projected first by a comfortable margin so the goal on the day was more or less to go out there, see what we can total, and just have a blast being able to represent Canada.

With this being my 8th meet working with Gabby where she’s managed to PR her total every single meet, we’ve truly learned what it takes to continue to make progress in training and show up strong on the platform. The one lift that truly blew my expectations on the day was bench. Coming into the meet, Gabby missed her last heavy single of 127.5 which would have been a 5kg ATPR. While on the day 125 would have been the safer bet, missing this left a bit in the air of what she’d be able to hit on the platform, but on the day, knowing 125kg was the current NAPF bench record, we decided to cap her out at 125.5kg to hopefully secure that record. With all that being said, the 125.5kg NAPF bench record was secured and it absolutely flew on the day with at least 2.5-5kg left in the tank. Outside of bench it was just the perfect day for squat and deadlift, unlocking that 500lbs/227.5kg squat for the first time and finally getting an attempt at 240 making it move comfortably.

Each meet Gabby continues to close the gap on the 600kg total and I’m damn confident come Nationals 2027 we’ll blow the 600kg out of the water.

@theplatformcrew
#PLTFRM

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TPC Athlete Meet Recap:

@ldunbarhamilton had a fantastic day at OPA Provs - matching her best total while navigating some major road bumps on the day.

She went (6/9), totaling 285kg (=). Squats were the best, hitting a smooth 105kg with a bit left in the tank, a 5kg PR which I was super happy to see considering we’ve been dealing with chronic knee pain ever since starting together earlier this year. This was probably one of our biggest wins as Lisa reported absolutely ZERO knee pain on the day, allowing her to not only lift comfortably but also enjoy day to day activities without discomfort!!

We had huge hopes for bench going in, however the plan quickly shifted as Lisa benched 67.5kg for her opener, she got called for her shoes lifting off the ground (even after consulting w/ other refs in the warmup room). So we quickly switched to her flats on her second which she missed on a tiny speed wobble at the top. SO, we had to scrap our hopes of an unofficial national bench record (70.5kg) and retake 67.5kg on her third to secure a bench attempt. Ofc, she smoked it.

Deads went decent, she hit 112.5kg on her 2nd attempt, (-2.5kg) from her best pull. We made a strong 7.5kg jump to 120kg and she locked it out but it got called a no-lift due to ramping (see last slide).

Regardless of all the unconventional calls Im very proud of Lisa for putting on a performance to be proud of. Next time I’m more than confident she will put up a bigger, cleaner performance and snatch that bench record. Always a pleasure to spend time at meets with you Lisa!

@theplatformcrew
#TPC

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TPC ATHLETE Meet Recap:

@domingonmore cooked up a sweet performance at NAPFs last month placing second as well as picking up a squat gold!

Daniel totaled 770kg (-2.5kg) in the 120kg JR class going 8/9. He squatted 315kg (+5kg PR), benched 170kg (-10kg), and deadlifted 285kg (+2.5kg PR).

I am insanely proud of the work Daniel has put in since we started February 2023, back when his starting numbers were 435lbs/235lbs/400lbs. The past 3.5 years working with him have been very fulfilling and i’m more than excited to see what he does as an open lifter now.

Going forward we are looking to continue to build on the total and continuously refine his movement. Currently we are cutting back down to the 105kg class and harping on the minimal effective dose while he hobbymaxxes outside the gym. Post NAPFs all three lifts are maintaining momentum very nicely. We are experimenting with training 3x/week while Daniels schedule is very busy but i’m more than confident we will be able to continue to progress as normal.

Well done Daniel!!

@theplatformcrew
#PLTFRM

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OPEN PROVS 26

Certainly was a day. Had lots of fun, saw some folks who I just love to see, and put up the performance I had on the day🙂‍↕️

Squat - 3/3 235kg - Kept the perfect squat streak alive and first meet PR in almost 3 years
Bench - 2/3 157.5kg - I’ve talked enough about this🥱
Deadlift - 1/3 250kg - Ran out of skill

Thank you to my loving girlfriend @caitlyn.mak for everything you do and your constant support❤️

Thank you to @sumoslippers for just being the absolute best homie to have on the day and making the right calls🫰

Thank you to all my friends and family for the constant support. @bandofbarbells for a beautiful meet, all the volunteers, refs, media team and everyone in between.

Onto the next🤝

@theplatformcrew
#PLTFTM

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New Podcast Alert
Coach’s Ramble #23 is out now with Kiyaan Chavoshi.

Topics covered:
Kiyaan’s lifting and Toronto Summer Cup
Transition from soccer to powerlifting
Coaching systems and athlete communication
Managing burnout and long-term development
Building The Platform Crew
Social media and the powerlifting community

Listen to Coach’s Ramble on Spotify and YouTube.

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CPU Centrals Highlight Splurge

Centrals was an insane meet I wanted to recap a bunch of exceptional lifts from my amazing athletes.

Highlighting some excellent lifts, as well as important lessons learned as a coach throughout this 4-day powerlifting bender, scroll to read!

@theplatformcrew
#PLTFRM

@nikaz_lifts with an amazing 9/9 day, securing Nats QT in our first meet together. Highlighting a perfect 140kg squat to set the tone for the rest of the meet. This was literally Nika’s sixth week of consistent training after stopping specific powerlifting training for the better half of a year due to chronic knee pain. She reached out for coaching quite deep into Centrals prep and we managed to put up her best ever total after 1 extended mesocycle. Perfect first meet together, huge props to Nika for her amazing intial bout of training!

@yasmin._.pwrlifts had a very tricky day, which ultimately, I was extremely proud of her mindset and fortitude in response to some of the tough calls we had to face. Missing a third squat set us 5kg behind the pace we wanted for Nats QT so we eventually knew a HUGE pull was needed. This was a clean 82.5kg bench which she hit on her second attempt but got called for scrapping the rack on the ascent. Proud of her effort to retake and make the necessary adjustments to make the lift.

@yasmin._.pwrlifts HUGE pull in question, 177.5kg. this one still haunts me to this day, a would’ve been 10kg PR ultimately OVERTURNED for conflicting opinions on the jury. Still probably one of my favorite lifts in the moment, will never forget the feeling of when someone told me they overturned it. I know this adds fuel to the fire for Yasmin as she looks to smother this weight come Jr. Provs.

@ismailtariqsheikh bonus points for the teammate s&l boost

pardon the cropping…

@david.sonfitness had an extremely hard prep ultimately having to sacrifice a lot of training progress and energy due to school. We sat on a call the day before meet day and agreed to have as much fun as possible on the day, not necessarily caring about the load on the bar which takes a ton of character in my opinion. We did exactly that, here is an unfortunate missed 250kg pull w

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4 days, 7 sessions, 8 lifters - 2026 Centrals thats a mf wrap

learned a ton, took a bunch of wins, took a couple losses. most importantly, I had some of the best moments of my life.

making decisions that put months of hard work on the line is one of those thrills that nothing else matches and seeing your lifter execute just like they have a million times in training is one of the most satisfying things. Teaching people that strength is more than whats on the bar feels even better.

thanks to everyone that made this meet such an amazing time. works not done, never done.

@theplatformcrew

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NAPF 2026 RECAP 🇨🇦 🥇

593kg total, 103.28 GL, 9/9 attempts, 27/27 white lights

Squat: 227.5kg/501lbs ATPR (first 500lbs squat!!!)
Bench: 125.5kg/276lbs ATPR and NAPF 84+ record
Deadlift: 240kg/529lbs ATPR

Over the last few years I’ve had one goal; to get the opportunity to don the Team Canada singlet on the international stage. I always have fun competing but there is always the nerves about whether I will qualify and place in a position to get a spot on the national team. For the North American championship I was finally given that opportunity, and I had the time of my life. This prep felt very different because I just got to focus on giving it my all and taking chances so that I could put on a good show for team Canada, and I could not be more proud of the package @yenlifts and I delivered. Three ATPRs on the platform and a NAPF record speaks for itself, I had a hell of a day.

Huge thank you to the Team Canada coaches, I got pulled away for drug testing too fast to thank all of you, but I am incredibly grateful to you all for bringing the hype in the backroom. Also, thank you to all my friends at @fortspc for helping me through this prep, I couldn’t have done it without you ♥️ As always, shoutout to the yen man for cooking something big with me.

Into the 600.

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Week 3 recap, 1 week out from centrals!

S: 122.5kg/270lbs x1 (lost my balance a little but we ball)
B: 80kg/176lbs x1 (match pr)
D: 155kg/341lbs x1

Feeling strong and ready to leave it all on the platform with this meet🙂

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About that time again…

I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the opportunity to represent Canada in the NAPF championship tomorrow. Thank you to @yenlifts for getting me here, to my friends and family who have supported me through long hours at the gym this prep, and to the @canadapowerlifting coaches for taking a chance on me. Link is on my story, I lift off at approximately 9:30 am NST/ 8 am EST.

Let’s fire it up @theplatformcrew

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