O’Keeffe aims to Power his way to World best

By Thomas Conway

A little bit like Niall O’Keeffe’s numbers at the gym, the popularity of strength training and indeed powerlifting is progressively growing.

At this stage, the former military man turned muscular therapist and chronic pain specialist has built up an illustrious reputation as one of Ireland’s most formidable powerlifters.

When he walks into the World Powerlifting Championship arena in the central Polish city of Pabianice this Thursday, it will mark his third appearance at the event, following his debut in Dublin in 2015 (where he won silver and bronze medals) and his world title-winning exploits in Portugal in 2021.

However, the anticipation is that this year’s competition will be a step-up in scale.

“It’s probably going to be one of the biggest worlds that I’ve ever attended. There are 675 lifters, from over 30 different countries. It’s absolutely massive, and it’ll be run off over a course of five days,” Niall explains.

To the uninitiated, the sport of powerlifting will inevitably conjure up images of Herculean men pressing barbells with enormous quantities of weight attached. In actual fact both men and women compete, and the sport is also ferociously technical.

Elite powerlifting demands that athletes complete three movements – the squat, the bench press and the deadlift. Every lifter is afforded three attempts in each category. Their heaviest weights are subsequently totted up to give them a final score.

Niall, who has been strength training for thirty years and powerlifting competitively for fifteen, gives a quick taste of his numbers. As you might imagine, they are off the charts.

“I currently have a 640kg total, which I got last year in the nationals. That’s a 225kg squat, a 170kg bench and a 245kg deadlift,” he says, before quickly adding that those figures are the result of years of intensive training and didn’t just happen overnight.

The objective in Poland, aside from winning his category outright, is to add 20kg to his final total. In other words, he is looking for a 230kg squat, a 180kg bench and a 250kg deadlift. He describes those numbers as “optimistic” but “achievable” if he can peak on the day.

Fortunately, the 49-year-old is one of those characters who reacts well to pressure and tends to perform better on competition day. Part of that is due to the atmosphere. Inside the arena the music will be blaring, there will be a roaring crowd and he will be observed intently by three judges as he lifts. A lifter must meet all the technical criteria for a lift to be considered valid.

It sounds onerous, but Niall says that it is pretty much built into his psyche what he needs to do on the day. “It’s almost an automatic thing,” he remarks.

Fountain of youth

Niall doesn’t just do it for the personal accolades. He is passionate about powerlifting, and passionate about strength training in general, largely because of the transformative mental and physical health benefits that accrue from both.

“Over and over again the science is proving that strength training is the fountain of youth,” he emphasises, before giving an in-depth explanation of the physiological process of muscle growth and going on to outline how consistent strength training can offset the effects of sarcopenia – age-related muscular decline.

The muscular therapist knows his stuff and really, it is little wonder that he runs Nenagh Pain Clinic, which he established himself some years ago following a career in the Defence Forces.

He laments the fact that much of the strength and fitness industry today has become too “convoluted” and says that people are deterred from training as a result. However, he says the mental health benefits of training are on par with the physical ones, and that everyone should embrace them.

“When I go to the gym, my whole day changes. My outlook on the day changes when I have a good session, or any session,” he says.

Niall will turn 50 in November, but to him, age really is just a number. He explains that people are often afraid to strength train as they grow older, when in actual fact, such training becomes even more essential for the body as it ages. He is living proof.

All those sessions that he has completed over in the Fitness Factory, under the careful guidance of his accomplished coach, Graeme Quirke, are now standing to him as he bids for another world title. He will reach his half-century in pretty good shape, and by the time it arrives, he might even have another world championship medal hanging around his neck.