Spotlight: Vin Mangione of Kenmore Barbell & Fitness
Happy Friday Guys! This will be my third post highlighting a Precision Powerlifting Member. If you don’t know what Precision Powerlifting Systems is definitely check us on Instagram. We are a team of Powerlifters who compete in the USAPL outside of Boston and Train at RX Strength Training in Somerville. Kevin Cann is the head coach and has almost 50 lifters (in person and virtually). If you have been following along, you know I have been highlighting members of the team.
I never thought I would love interviewing people so much. I am very intrigued how people found powerlifting (even though I always say powerlifting finds you, you don’t find it) and what kind of person they are and what they do outside of the gym. I think everyone has a story and I really want to hear what they have to say. I am learning to write this style of blog as I go, so bare with me. I am having a ton of fun doing this and I am learning so much about my teammates.
Today, I talk to Vin Mangione of Kenmore Barbell In Buffalo, New York. I met Vin at The Arnold in Ohio a few weeks ago. This is also a really cool part of powerlifting is the places you go and the people you meet that you otherwise would not have.
Vin is interesting to me because he owns his own gym in New York, He is making a name for himself in the powerlifting community and really has only been on the scene for 3 years! He is also a USAPL club coach and a ref. So, I would say he is a dedicated member to the community. He is one of our newer members of PPS and has mustache you just can’t ignore.
Here is my conversation with Vin:
Q: How/Why did you start powerlifting?
A: I had been working with The Strength Guys since their inception. When I started with them I was still doing bodybuilding but started growing tired of the bodybuilding community so I decided to try powerlifting; which has essentially brought me to where I am in life at the moment.
(Vin agreed to send me some pics from his bodybuilding days!) Check out that flex!!
Q: When did you open Kenmore Barbell and did you know it was a niche that area needed?
A: Kenmore Barbell & Fitness was opened in 2015. I had thought about how cool it would be to own a gym and create a strength community; the opportunity presented itself and I ran with it. Over the years a strength community has organically developed and it’s nice to sit back to reflect on that from time to time. At the time there was a need and I’m glad I opened when I did because the area is now saturated with gyms.
Q: What are some of you training philosophies? And how do you apply this to your programming?
A: My coaching philosophy “often experimental, forever flexible” may cause some eye-rolls but it’s my way of keeping a conscious mind to coaching but being meticulous enough to not carelessly input exercises into a spreadsheet. In short, I’m finding that the more flexibility the athlete, the more fun they are having. This combination has lead to greater progress being made. The two SBD days in my training is really nothing special. Most of my athletes only train 3 days per week and to create enough frequency the SBD days are trained. I have noticed them carry over well to meet day and rarely are any of my athletes fatigued and sometimes they don’t even feel like they just competed.
Q: Why the enormous mustache?
A: Why not? I had decided to let it grow just to see what would happen and the rest is history. It’s safe to assume that if I ever shaved it off I’m either having an identity crisis or need to go off the grid for awhile.
Q: .How did you find PPS?
A: I found PPS via team member Alyssa Orlando and through social media. I started following Kevin after listening to a couple podcast episodes as I was intrigued by a few things he had said.
Q: Have you hit your stride as a coach/business owner?
A: No, I’m constantly learning and growing on both fronts. As time as gone on I think I’ve been able to get a better grasp on coaching and gym ownership but there is always room for improvement.
Q: What is your day like in a nutshell? (work week).
A: I wake up and let the dog out and prepare some breakfast (sometimes). Head over to the gym to begin coaching athletes in the morning. I usually train then go home to check on the dog and take care of some things before heading back to the gym to Coach more athletes. Finish the evening with some video games or reading before bed.
Q: What are you future plans with powerlifting for you personally and you athletes?
A: For myself personally I would like to compete again in the future. Since having to withdraw from Nationals due to injury I haven’t been able to find my stride but things are looking up since starting with PPS. As for my athletes, most of them have meets approaching. For the athletes not competing we are just working hard to improve and possibly compete in the future.
Thank you, Vin for sharing and thank you for being a cool member of PPS and the USAPL. You are doing great things for the community and we love having you as apart of the team! Be sure to check him and all his athletes out on Instagram:
@Kenmorebarbell
@vin.kenmorebarbell
Now, where is my Kenmore Barbell Shirt?