Holder of several world, European and national records - Dominik Kovalcik!

Hi Dominic, could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, my name is Dominik Kovalcik and I'm from Valašská Polanka near Zlín. I am 20 years old and I am actively involved in powerlifting under the GPC banner. In my short career I have held several world, European and national records. I have held several championship competitions where I have always placed on the winner's podium. My current weight is around 90kg and I am a member of the Valach power team, led by Adam Švehla. Adam is my friend, coach, sparring partner and has been guiding me through the world of power triathlon since the beginning of this year. And I'm under the Elitflex nutrition brand.

How old were you when you started triathlon?

I was about 17 when I went to my first competition. The competition was in Puchov and it was the Czech and Slovak Republic Championships, where I competed in the 16-17 years old category up to 75kg. At that time I placed 2nd with a total of 507,5kg. Which was quite a lot for my age and weight, as the third place was about 70kg short of me. And at that moment I somehow realized that this is what fulfills me and makes me happy. Since then I've actually been doing this sport full time.

What were the beginnings like?

The beginnings were rough. Since I started at 16, I didn't know what to expect or what I wanted to do. I didn't know what protein was and how to exercise my chest, legs and I was just like Alice in Wonderland when I first visited the gym. My first motivation was to get over myself and prove to myself that men can be better, look better and somehow, most importantly, fill that space inside that everyone has after a breakup. I still remember being 70 pounds, cranking along to songs from Revolt. It's funny, but we all started out somehow. That little one became a hobby, a hobby and eventually a lifestyle that has followed me through life and influenced my life decisions. All of my dreams and goals are just influenced by power triathlon.

What about your highs? Do you deadlift classically or sumo?

My maxes so far are more than satisfying. My dominating performance is the squat, in which I proudly hold the world record right now, with a 300kg capacity. Otherwise, my training weight is 315kg. Bench pressing is currently a new max and I broke the national record with 181kg at the World Bench Press Championships. And finally my thorn in my side and that's the deadlift. I don't know the max weight, but the most I put 2x 270kg with snatches. Unfortunately at the competition, since I was doing the hookgrip, my dumbbell always fell out since I probably have short fingers. Anyway, the most I registered competitively was 265kg. For the future, more specifically for Europe I am already training alternate grip. On the deadlift I always lost only because of the grip, because strength-wise I could do more. Otherwise, I mainly ride the deadlift with the sumo, because I had a back injury - prolapse of three discs. Plus, my lower body is strong. But the backs are on the strength side too, because I pull 260kg with the classic, which is 10kg below my max. So maybe in the future I will not only change the grip, but maybe also the style .

How is the gym where you train?

I train in Valach power gym in Vsetín, which belongs to Adam Švehl. The gym has been open for 2 years and there is everything I need for training. I used to train in my village. Now I am really happy, I have everything to leave a good and quality training. Full iron, but also good machines like hammer for back, shoulders and chest . We also have a squat bar and a Texas bar, so everything like a competition. I wouldn't change it - it's a great atmosphere and I love going back there, you could say I'm there more than at home. So I definitely highly recommend it to everyone, if you're passing by be sure to drop by!

Question for the body - what about your lifestyle and supplements(s)?

Very pointed question for a powerlifter. It's not like it used to be and I too watch my diet and overall whole lifestyle. As I wrote before - it's no longer just a hobby for a few hours, it's a lifestyle I'm on 24 hours a day. It always depends on whether I'm in training or out of it. When I'm not in prep, the food is kind of loose. I eat mostly meat, but always somehow to the full. I don't watch my intake and I'll have some sweet or salty. On the other hand, when I'm in preparation, which is probably most of the year, I strictly watch my diet. It depends on whether I have to keep my weight down or whether I have a reserve and men eat more. They always hover around 250-270g protein and 80g fat. With carbs it's different, there just depends a lot on weight, if my weight is good I don't worry about 300g, but if I'm borderline with my weight I'm fine with around 150-200g for the day. You have to be able to play with it and observe your body, how it reacts and how it feels, it's not just about giving yourself some values and blindly sticking to them. Otherwise, when it comes to supplementation, I deal a lot with vitamins and minerals, that's the cornerstone of my whole supplementation. I also give protein, bcaa and creatine of course. When I feel tired I can't miss a proper kicker.

What are your biggest achievements so far ?

I'm most proud of my world championship and multiple world championship titles. Then definitely the records. World ones of course - especially the 300kg squat. I also appreciate every competition where I do great performances and I am happy with myself. But as I always say, the main thing is to have humility in this sport and to keep your ego in check. Because that's one of the things that prevents a person from improving. For me, it's always the case that it could have been better every time and I set bigger and bigger goals for myself so that I don't say, so and so now I'm the world champion, who is more and expecting everyone to come and pat me on the back. That's not how it works unfortunately and certainly not in this sport. Here you are only kicking for yourself and you have to be able to assert yourself, both performance-wise and media-wise. Without that, you can only dream of sponsors. Also, one more thing I would like to mention is that if you want to be a professional athlete, it's not just about having the results to do it, but a big part of it is how you interact with the people around you, how you behave and how you can perform.

Could you give us an idea of what your training looks like? Do you train alone or do you have a sparring partner?

My training is power bodybuilding. I enjoy this style and it hasn't happened yet that I got bored or didn't feel like training. I put the workout together with Adam, who has had a career as a bodybuilder and has taken up powerlifting. We always look at our weaknesses and always try to incorporate things into the workout that will push us further or improve that muscle part that isn't to our liking. We do a lot of heavy training 3-4 times a week. It also depends on the difficulty of the workout and especially fatigue. Then the restday is determined by that. Usually it's a weekend. It's not so much about physical fatigue as mental. That's a lot harder to regenerate than overworked muscles. I've never believed it, but I've tried it myself a few times and I have to say it's a much bigger nut to crack than squatting 300kg.

You've done a bit of triathlon, what advice would you give to those who are just starting out?

Just keep at it and give it your best shot. A lot of guys go to the gym once in a while, lift something and then live off it for a few weeks. The worst thing is that everyone is doing motivation, there's so much motivation already that people get motivated by a guy who started working out yesterday and is already doing mental coaching. Then people don't know who to compare themselves to or who to look up to, who's good and who's not. It's just kind of a fading concept of quality. The worst thing is that mediocrity has started to be celebrated! I say this to the show and I will stand by it - the most important thing is to learn humility and judgment. These are the values that lead to success accompanied by hard work. Nothing comes for free and if someone wants something, they have to do their best for it!

What are your plans for the future?

In the near future I am going to Europe and then the World. At Europe I would like to get closer to 800kg total, but probably in the 100kg weight class. Together with Adam we are building Valach power gym and we are trying to make it flourish in the media, because here in Zlín and Moravia there are not many powerlifters and many people are still strangers to this sport. We want to change that! It's a great shame that people don't know it, it's a beautiful sport, but financially demanding. If you want to give it 100%, you can't do it without sponsors. That's why I want to build a base by having my name associated with the sport, so I have something to offer. Over time, pave the way for younger and stronger powerlifters to have a better background to flourish. I would like to make sure that when you answer "I do powerlifting.", it is not followed by the question "What is it? Is that weightlifting? ", but rather a smiling look of admiration accompanied by the question " What's your total? ".

You can follow me on instagram.

I'd like to thank my mom and my girlfriend for trying their best to make the difficult preparation as easy as possible !