Driven by POWER

As the Winter Olympics come to a close, one Cedar Grove-Belgium High School student has dreams of lifting a gold medal someday, and that would be one of the lightest items he would handle.

Junior Alex Geib already set a world record in powerlifting by squat lifting 562 pounds at 15 years old—he said it has since been broken—and last month he won the 90-kilogram teen division in the USA Powerlifting Wisconsin State Championships in Rothschild and got silver in the 90kg open competition, facing older and stronger competitors.

Geib’s squat lift was 568 pounds, his bench press was 314 and his deadlift was 546 pounds, totaling 1,428 pounds.

The Olympics haven’t added powerlifting but it’s being discussed, and Geib, who turns 17 on Friday, already has a detailed routine befitting of a top amateur athlete.

“I train five days per week,” he said.

At 3 p.m. each day, Geib heads to the school’s fitness center, where he also works, making it easier to get his lifts in.

Mondays are for squats and deadlifts. Tuesdays are for chest and triceps, working on bench press. Back day is Wednesday. On Thursdays, Geib does deadlifts and variations of squats, focusing on hamstring and glutes. He does bench press variations on Fridays, lifting slowly under control and working on biceps.

He does 45 minutes of cardio every day, walking—not running—on the treadmill. Workouts last from 90 minutes to two hours.

Geib just added Saturdays, doing pull-ups, push-ups, calisthenics and extra cardio.

“I’ve been super consistent. This has built a lot of muscle and strength,” he said.

He has added an average of 11 pounds each month to his squat since starting powerlifting just a year and a half ago.

Squat is his favorite event.

“I can push the most amount of weight. It’s a very difficult thing to do, and that I can do it very well makes me very proud of it,” he said.

His diet includes 200 grams of protein and between 2,500 and 2,700 calories each day. Chicken, canned tuna, rice and vegetables are Geib’s staples, along with one protein drink at 7 p.m.

The timing of Geib’s meals is also meticulous.

“I don’t eat any food past 7:30 p.m. so everything can be digested by the time I finally fall asleep,” he said.

Bedtime is always at 9:45 p.m.

“I try to be as consistent as I possibly can because I think that transfers over so much,” he said. “One thing with lifting is you have to do it day in, day out.”

Geib got into weightlifting through football.

“I figured out the best place on the football team was the weight room,” he said.

As a freshman, Geib was 150 pounds and barely played on the junior varsity line. He started lifting and reached 192 pounds by the next season.

“I gained that 40 pounds and had a lower body fat percentage,” he said.

Geib topped out at 216, then cut back to 194.1 pounds.

“Even with that, my strength has gone through the roof,” he said.

He is several inches shorter and about 15 pounds lighter than the Rockets’ typical offensive lineman, making him a target of opponents.

“It feels like everybody wants to go against me because I’m easy. When they try and find out it’s not that easy, it feels nice,” Geib said.

He received Big East Conference honorable mention on the offensive line last season.

Geib’s father Keri, who lifted weights and wrestled at Plymouth High, also encouraged him to start lifting.

Oddly enough, Geib isn’t pound-for-pound the top powerlifter at Cedar Grove-Belgium High. That title belongs to Information Technology Director Zone Vang, who at 120 pounds won a gold medal at last month’s state championships in the 56kg weight class and ranked higher than Geib. Vang totaled 1,052 pounds to Geib’s 1,427, but a Dynamic Objective Team Scoring (DOTS) formula determines rankings. Vang was ninth and Geib was 11th of 58 male lifters.

“Based off that, he’s stronger than me,” Geib said. “What he’s lifting is absolutely wild.”

Vang also started a powerlifting club at the school. Geib helps lead it and continues to amaze Vang.

“Alex is a phenomenal student who has shown incredible dedication, especially considering he’s only been powerlifting for about 18 months,” Vang said. “His ambitious goals and driven personality are exactly what got him here.”

Geib and Vang both qualified for national competition in June in Chicago, and Geib is already into a 15-week detailed program to prepare.

“I already have it all planned out,” he said.

He also has plans for Vang.

“I’m going to beat him at nationals,” he said.

Vang wouldn’t be shocked if Geib did more than that.

“He isn’t just going to Nationals to participate. Those numbers show he has a very real shot at a podium finish (top 3 in the nation) for his age division (Teen 2),” he said.

Geib has bigger long-term goals. He wants to hit 639 pounds in squat, 365 in bench and 628 on deadlift at nationals. Now, he’s at 630, 340 and the 585 to 600 range in those three.

“I have a ton of time to get past those,” he said.

Geib gets a high when he reaches a goal.

“It’s a big dopamine rush. I’m working months to get this certain amount of weight. It’s pride in myself. All the work —it’s paid off,” he said.

Geib plans to compete in a regional competition three months after nationals. There, he hopes to break the world squat record.

Beyond that, Geib hopes to attend Ohio State University, which has a varsity powerlifting program and offers scholarships in it, to study exercise science. He’d like to own his own gym someday.

For now, the middle child of five is trying to encourage his 11-year-old brother in lifting, as well as freshmen in the school’s club, passing on the help he has received from his parents and others.

“I’ve had a lot of support through family and friends,” Geib said.

For those looking to start a powerlifting program, Geib suggests being patient.

“It’s going to take time. You’re not going to see results in a day or a  week,” he said. “Just stay consistent and become the best version of yourself.”