Caleb Winey of Perry set two national weightlifting records last weekend and capture first place in his age and weight class at the Natural Athlete Strength Association USA and Team Nationals, held June 22-23 in Lawrence, Kan.
The 20-year-old Winey weighs only 203 pounds himself, but he can bench press 350 pounds, squat 475 pounds and dead lift 535 pounds, with that last weight enough to make him national dead lift champion.
Winey started weightlifting in 2014 when the McCreary Community Building offered a young teen lifting program.
“After that, I found a love for powerlifting,” he told ThePerryNews.com, “and I found a coach here in Perry who was a big power lifter back in the 1980s and ’90s, Jim Von Behren.”
Winey took to the sport and soon was wracking up ribbons and medals, winning his first meet in 2015 setting his first national record in 2016. Most of his competitive weightlifting meets are with the Natural Athletic Strength Association (NASA) and the United Powerlifting Association (UPA).
He has also attended powerlifting meets that gave all of the money raise toward research in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Winey’s performance at the NASA USA and Team Nationals in Kansas also had the highest coefficient for Team Iowa. The strong man has amassed an impressive track record of championship medals, trophies and ribbons in a short four years:
- First place, Iowa Games, bench press, 2015
- Champion, Iowa State Fair, bench press, 2015 and 2018
- Regional Champion, NASA, bench press and power sports, 2015.
- National record, UPA, bench press, 2016
- First place, NASA State Championship, 2016
- Champion, Blue Devil High School, bench press and dead lift, 2016 and 2018, including setting three school records in 2016
- Champion, Iowa City UPA meet, 2018
- First Place, NASA championships, 2018
- Three national records, NASA State Championship, bench press, dead lift and squat, 2019
- Champion, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Liftathon, 2019
- Two national records, NASA USA and Team National Championships, powerlifting and bench press, 2019
When he is not lifting, Winey is a junior at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny. He coached a weightlifting team at Faith Baptists last year and will put together another team to compete at state this fall, he said.
The NASA has a number of classes and division, with a basic distinction made between weightlifters who have never taken anabolic steroids and those who have been anabolic steroid-free for at least three years.
- Pure: Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Open: Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 Years
- Novice: Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free; never won first place in any NASA National meet
- High School: Currently HS-enrolled lifters; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Teenage: 13-19 years of age; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Junior: 13-23 years of age; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Intermediate: 24-29 years of age; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Police and Fire: Full-time Law and Fire Personnel; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
- Sub-masters 1: 30-34 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Sub-masters 2: 35-39 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Sub-masters Pure: 30-39 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters 1: 40-49 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters 2: 50-59 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters 3: 60-69 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters 4: 70-79 years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters 5: 80+ years of age; Anabolic Steroid Free for Minimum 3 years
- Masters Pure: 40+ years of age; Lifetime Anabolic Steroid Free
