Spotlight: New EFS Log Addition – Powerlifter Zane Geeting

Maybe I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t expect many guys to go from skateboarding and racing BMX in high school to multi-ply powerlifting. That’s exactly what EFS newcomer Zane Geeting did, though, and he did it well. In his own words, he was “skinny as hell” in high school in part because of skateboarding and BMX. He began lifting weights to gain weight for high school football. It was immediately evident that he was strong for his size when he benched 300 at 155 scrawny pounds (raw, obviously). Prior to graduating, one of his football coaches recommended that he compete in a powerlifting meet. In this meet -which was bench-only- Zane benched 315 at 181, though he was only 170 pounds. He competed here and there until 2004, when he watched the 2004 WPO world finals at the Arnold Classic. Seeing those displays of strength motivated Zane to kick things up a notch. He took his training more seriously and competed when he could, mostly raw. Eventually he met fellow EFS sponsor Josh McMillan, who invited Zane to train with him and his partners. From that point, everything turned around. “These guys made such a huge difference in my training and I cannot thank them enough,” Zane said, “I just wish I had approached them earlier.”

Zane lives in Bay City, Michigan, trains in Midland, Michigan, and works in Linwood, Michigan. He’s a car salesman at a Chevy dealership and he spends about two hours a day driving. Other than work, driving to and from work, and lifting, he enjoys spending most of his time with his girlfriend and his pitbull. He’s a self-confessed sneakerhead who wore some old school Adidas Top Tens to the November UGSS. “I’m a high top guy, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to,” he responded when I asked him about his interesting taste in shoes. He’s also a car buff, and he’s got a 77 Caddillac Coupe DeVille D’Elegance tucked away in the garage. The Caddy crest is tattooed on his elbow, so it’s a serious relationship.

Now that you have all the info you would need to potentially stalk Zane, let’s get into the reasons he’s on this site. Zane is ranked 23rd in the squat, 19th in the bench, 3rd in the deadlift, and 8th in the total for the 220 class. That’s 800, 625, and 725 for a 2150 total at 220 pounds. His current favorite lift is the squat, because that’s the one he’s working on bringing up the most right now. He’s proud of his deadlift mainly because it “saves his ass on meet day!” His training is currently a three day split. Bench on Sunday, pull on Tuesday, squat on Friday. If necessary, he’ll throw in an extra workout to address upper back, abs, and any weaknesses. In regards to his training,”Typically we go two to three heavy weeks followed by a lighter deload week. We rarely hit all three lifts heavy in one week. Instead we try to stagger them so that we’re always getting a break on one or the other.”

Zane, along with plenty other multi-ply lifters, is inspired most by Chuck Vogelpohl. “He is one of the most intense individuals I have ever seen in any sport. The guy is a legend and is still breaking records in his mid-forties. I really think he embodies multi-ply powerlifting and what it’s all about,” Zane said. Speaking of multi-ply, Zane is anxious to get into some Metal gear, which is what all EFS-sponsored lifters use. For his upcoming meet, the SPF Ironman in March, Zane will be wearing his old gear which he says is “a bunch of hand-me-downs I got from other lifters.” He’ll be using the Metal Ace line for everything. “The Ace Pro Squatter is more forgiving than the canvas I’m in now and it has a ton more pop out of the bottom. I was really surprised by just how strong it is,” Zane said about his experience with Metal gear.

I always ask sponsors what their best and worst moments in the sport are. Zane’s best moment was winning the Amateur competition of the SPF Pro Am this past August. It was only his second full meet in multi-ply gear and he went eight for nine, hitting a pro total with room to spare. As for a worst moment, these almost always come down to injuries. It’s rare for an athlete to escape injury after years of training, and Zane is no exception. He tore his left pec in 2004 while training for a bench-only meet. “When it let go it sounded like someone ripping a grapefruit in half. This was my first major injury in the sport. I screamed like a chick from the sheer surprise of the feeling and the sound. In retrospect, the injury itself wasn’t the worst part, it was the girly scream; I don’t think I’ll ever live that one down,” he recalled. He’s had his fair share of injuries other than the pec tear: a torn labrum, separated AC joint, partially torn left bicep, herniated L4/L5 disk, numerous pec strains, and his current injury, a dislocated rib complete with broken costal cartilage in his chest.

As far as diet is concerned, Zane eats pretty clean. “Right now I’m trying to hold at 235 or so, so I eat five to six times per day, focusing on chicken, beef, rice, potatoes, pasta, veggies, eggs, etc.” He goes through about 4 gallons of milk per week, just what a growing boy needs. When asked about gaining weight he said, “If I’m trying to gain weight -which I will be in the future as I’d like to lift at 242 after I hit my 220 goals- I will let some junk food in here and there and cut back to four larger meals.” Luckily for him, he’s got a girlfriend who takes the time to keep him well-fed. Zane uses a multivitamin, extra B and C vitamins, and he recently got hooked on Metabolic Drive. “A big part of why I don’t use more supplements is cost,” he said, “I think some of these supplement companies are out of their minds.”

We’re extremely excited to have Zane join us. He’s a great lifter with a bright future, which is what makes him such an asset to us. As strong as he is right now, he’s still transitioning through strength levels and he’s extremely open-minded when it comes to making gains. There’s sure to be some quality training on his log and -if his personality is as colorful as his shoes- some interesting commentary as well.

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