USAPL-NY would like to spotlight some of the stand-outs in the state. We will feature a new lifter each month, and ask them some random questions to get some insight into what makes them tick…..
This month’s featured lifter is Matt Sohmer.
A little about Matt Sohmer
Home City: Farmingdale, NY
Schools: SUNY Cortland
Question and Answer time!!
USAPL-NY: What got you interested in Powerlifting?
Matt Sohmer: Well I always lifted for football and was really good at it, so I was talked into competing by a few friends, and at my first meet I won 1st place and best lifter and I was hooked
USAPL-NY: Where was your first meet?
MS: Holbrook, NY
USAPL-NY: What have you learned since that first meet?
MS: I’ve learned what, and what not too do while training and competing
USAPL-NY: What goals do you have for the future?
MS: Squat 4x bodyweight, break all IPF and All-Time World Records
USAPL-NY: What is your favorite lift and why?
MS: May not come as a surprise, but squat is my favorite lift. It was one lift that no matter what always came natural to me. There would be times, especially after injury or long periods of not squatting where I would come back and still out squat everyone in every sport in my school
USAPL-NY: What is your least favorite lift and why?
MS: This may be a shocker but, bench press. Many think I dislike bench because I’m bad at it, but that’s not the case. In high school following my knee injury, I couldn’t squat or deadlift so all I did was bench. I was benching almost 400lbs at 16/17 years old. But personally benching was my least favorite, because everyone was good at it, and everyone had a big bench, and no one seemed to care about squatting or deadlifting. I also don’t think it should be a powerlift, instead of bench it would be cool to see powercleans or overhead press used instead
USAPL-NY: Do you follow a specific training program? And if you do what is it?
MS: Usually I do my own programming for squat and deadlift, which is based on a ton of volume. But when I’m attending school and have little time to worry about what I’m doing each week, my bud Josh Bryant does my programming
USAPL-NY: Do you lift as part of a team? Who are they and how did you become part of that group?
MS: No, there really is no teams around were I train
USAPL-NY: What advice would you give any new lifter young or old?
MS: Train hard, work in lots and lots of volume. Also know that it takes time to get stronger, it doesn’t happen over night, so stick with it and push yourself.
USAPL-NY: Tell us something about you that others in the PL world don’t know about you?
MS: I played 14 years of football including college ball however, multiple severe knee injuries ended my career. But what many do not know is that, I had torn every ligament in my left knee and never had surgery for it. Squatting has helped me a lot, and still to this day I squat over 800 pounds without an ACL, and a torn PCL, MCL and Meniscus. That’s why I always tell people, if you squat through your knee injuries and develop your leg muscles more, your knee pain will go away because the surrounding muscles are stronger and can provide support.