Spotlight: Alyssa Orlando of Precision Powerlifting Systems
Hi guys!
It’s been a minute since I posted a blog (don’t worry I haven’t stopped this passion project of mine). I am working on some side things and hope to deliver better blogs, posts, and content within the next few months. I have decided along with some educational blogs, I wanted to highlight the people I admire most. My teammates. For a few different reasons. I see these people almost everyday and a lot of them have become like a family. There is about 45 Members of Precision Powerlifting Systems and I hope to highlight as many as I can.
Powerlifting is a funny sport. It is not like we have to “play” because we are on a high school team or because our parents want us to, it doesn’t even make us money (if anything it’s costly). Most of us are in our twenties and thirties, well out of school but still have a competitive edge that we can’t ignore. Some of us have always felt like a misfit with organized sports or the gym and powerlifting found us because of this. We are choosing to compete for no other reason than we absolutely love it and the lessons it teaches us in training and in competition that carry over to real life shit.
Today, I will be highlighting one of the captain’s of PPS and her name is Alyssa. I asked her a few questions that are more or less related to her lifestyle (everyone will get different questions). She is inspiring to me because she works well over full time, travels for work, in school to get her PhD, coaches cheerleading and on top of that has to maintain relationships with friends, family, her dogs and her husband (Hey, Ross!).
So how the F DOES SHE DO IT ALL, never miss a training session AND competed in Raw Nationals in 2018??? I had to know so I asked her a bunch of questions that I will share with you here….
Q: When did you start powerlifting and why were you attracted to it
A: I was initially introduced to powerlifting through my college cheerleading team. During my senior year season, my friend in the exercise science club used us as part of a project they did for club sport athletes and we completed once a week sessions in the weight room. During that time, I was also getting into fitness through a mainly cardio-spurred weight loss journey, so the added weights were exciting for me. When I graduated and started grad school, I continued lifting. I really enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger! After my first semester in grad school, I invested in coaching through that same friend who introduced me to lifting weights. I told him I wanted to compete in powerlifting and the rest was history!
Q: How do you fit it into your everyday life (when you aren’t traveling)?
A: I’m a very scheduled person by nature, so my week gets planned in blocks. Work and class go onto the calendar first, and then training. There are no excuses; I just always make it happen. Obviously, there are times when I am sick or something comes up and I have to move things around, but I am pretty good about fitting everything in.
Q: What sacrifices have you made to make powerlifting fit your life seamlessly?
A: My friends know that when I say I have to train it is not a question of if but when. I have definitely sacrificed nights out on the town and extravagant meals for the sport. However, I think that just comes with performing as a competitive athlete. I wouldn’t be where I was if I had not made those choices.
Q: What steps do you take when you travel to find a gym? (I asked her to be as detailed as possible because this is what gets me going the most. This girl literally stepped off a plane and drove straight to the gym after a six hour flight, WHAT?)
A: When I travel, I typically am traveling alone or with my husband, so this may change for some people based on their work situations. I usually have a hotel or AirBNB booked and map out when I need to be where for work. After that, I look for gyms within walking or Ubering distance that are open the hours I need. Recently there have been more barbell gyms popping up in different locations that have better hours. However, sometimes you have to train at a commercial gym. Since I don’t train at a globo-gym regularly, it’s definitely not comfortable. I usually email or Instagram message the gym to confirm their hours and drop in rate. A lot of gyms now will have first visit free passes which is great.
Q: How are you with nutrition regularly?
A: Since moving to 84s, I haven’t been as on point with nutrition because I can eat most everything and still maintain 80-82kg body weight. When I’m cutting to 72 (and when I used to compete even lighter than that), I bring prepared food with me and ensure I have a microwave in my hotel room. If I’m traveling for work, meals are typically paid for by my company and I have some flexibility to spend a little more money and eat healthier (for me that’s high protein, moderate carb, moderate fat). I usually eat 2,000-2,500 calories per day depending if I’m training or not.
Q: What is the number 1 lesson PL has taught you?
A: Powerlifting has taught me a lot of lessons, but the biggest one would be discipline. It takes a lot to prep for a meet alongside so many other variables, but the consistency the sport gives me allows me to keep on track with all other aspects of my life.
Q: How do you organize being a wife, having a full time job, lifting, social, family time and taking care of that sweet lady pooch?
A: I still surprise myself sometimes. It doesn’t always all get done, and I’ve been getting better about asking for help when I need it. My husband and friends are amazing, and help out with a lot if I’m traveling or have an 8-10 day.
Thanks Alyssa for answering all these! I am sure this will help people when they feel as though there is no way they can still train while traveling. Sometimes I think “What Would Alyssa Do?” (WWAD) and I get my shit done. No excuses. You are inspiring and a great team captain!
Next week on the PPS spotlights, I will be highlighting Beverly Gentile, who is one (I believe we have two) of our vegan badass teammates! (and she runs her own dog walking business!)