Tom Kallas 

25 years old

181/198 powerlifter 

Favorite beer: Miller Lite 

 

I grew up in the middle of no where Illinois. We didn’t have much to do out there. So in our free time we went to the basement where my father set up a gym for us. Nothing but the basics, bench, squat rack and a nautilus machine where we could do some pulldowns and chest flys. We made all that work for years till our high school opened up a weight room. I started lifting when I was 13 and haven’t turned back yet. By 16 I was squatting 500lbs at about 150lbs bodyweight. I competed in multiple bodybuilding competitions as a teen. But found powerlifting when I was 18 thanks to Jon Jursich. He took me under his wing and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve had some awesome moments in my powerlifting career. I’ve broken 4 all time world records in two diff weight divisions. My latest one was by far my favorite. I missed my opening squat of 738. Came back on my second and smoked it. Then decided to make the ballsy decision to jump around 80lbs to 816.8 and break the World record again. It was the hardest squat of my life. I felt it get on my toes, back to my heels, back to my toes again, pause then continue to come up. It was a fucking grinder to say the least. But I don’t have much quit in me. I came there for that record and I’d be damned if I left without it. 

 

I work for a power company here in Illinois. Maintaining power lines, hanging new equipment and getting the lights back on when they shut off. I love this shit. Holding thousands of volts in your hand is something I get off on. My work schedule is terrible. I am at work more than I am home. Which can be hard on my wife and three girls but it’s the life I chose. Training is hard to get in at times. There’s been many nights when im in my gym at midnight lifting weights cranking the tunes and trying to stay awake. Knowing that 4am comes damn early and it’s back to work another 16 hour shift. Not to toot my own horn but there ain’t many people out there that can do what I do, day in and day out. From working long hours to training, to having family time as well. It’s hard to not be spreading myself too thin. But a good honest wife is my key to holding everything together. I couldn’t do what I do without her having my back 24/7.