In the Internet world of strength posts and followers, Texas Strongman Dominic Criqui is a fast rising and hard working star in the making, with his recent 900lb deadlift in his garage, with only his phone to witness the event. Thankfully he successfully recorded this milestone. I was recently able to interview Big Dominic and this is what he had to share
Paul: Please tell the readers your age, location, and occupation.
Dom: I’m 23 years old, live in Killeen, Texas, and I work at a stone quarry mining stone
Paul: How long have you been lifting weights?
Dom: 3 years and a few months
Paul: How long have you been competing in strength athletics?
Dom: I did my first competition in summer of 2020, which I took first place.
Paul: What are your best lifts in Powerlifting?
Dom: Equipped? I’ve squatted 850 and benched 535. Raw I’ve squatted 750, benched 425 and deadlifted 790 without straps or a belt.
Paul: Any best lifts in Strongman style of events or training?
Dom: My best log press is 360 pounds, 350 pound axle clean and press, 427 pound stone to a 60 inch platform and a 900 pound deadlift with
straps and a deadlift suit.
Paul: Have you ever done any other type of lifting events such as strict curl,
Olympic lifting, bear wrestling, or dwarf tossing?
Dom: Haha can’t say I have but who knows what the the future.
Paul: What gyms do you currently train at?
Dom: I use to train at field house gym here in Texas but with my work hours I set my Home gym back up and put some more money into equipment and now I have a really solid home gym so I can do all my normal training just out of my garage.
Paul: Who are your training partners?
Dom: Me, myself and I haha, except on Saturdays when I go to my buddies
gym to train strongman events
Paul:. Can you describe your current training system?
Dom: Very basic linear progression week after week. Big fan of overload
when appropriate as well. I just try to keep it as simple as possible.
Paul: How did you develop your training system
Dom: Knowing what worked for me. I like to keep things in my life simple
but effective and my training style reflects that.
Paul: How would you train a 13 year old Dom?
Dom: Basic compound lifts with most of the focus on forms and reps to
build the muscle to mind connection up.
Paul: Any serious injuries you have overcome? What was your rehab like for those injuries?
Dom: I tore my quad in January of 2020 because I wasn’t listening to body
and training like a idiot. And it was just lots of moving when I could as
well as I took tb500 to help with the healing process.
Paul: What is your diet like? Please describe a day of eating as well as a training week of eating.
Dom: Red meat and rice are the base of my diet. 7:30am – 6 to 7 eggs, 9:30am – mass gainer shake with whole milk and peanut butter, 12:00 – 14oz of ground beef and 1.5 cups of rice, 2:30pm – another shake, 5:45pm – another think of ground beef and rice, 9:30pm – steak or cottage cheese before bed.
Paul: What is a normal week like in taking care of your family, work, and training?
Dom: Working Monday thru Friday, 7 am to 5 pm. I come home chat with my wife as I have my pre training meal and then go to the garage and get my work in. Having the home gym makes it so much easier to balance the training life and home life. Monday’s are press days, tuesdays are deadlift days, Thursday is a press day and Saturdays are strongman events and squats.
Paul: Texas has a long tradition of strong motherfuckers and bad motherfuckers. Who are some of the baddest mofos you have trained with?
Dom: Just yesterday I trained with a man who’s been thru BUD/S, working as military contractor, bounty hunter and law enforcement. Taken multiple bullets in the line of the duty with the scars to prove it. And despite all his mileage and scars he’s still strong as hell. I won’t say his name because I knew he wouldn’t want me to but I love the strongman community for allowing me to meet all this badass people.
Paul: Are you sponsored by any products or company? What can you tell the reader about those products?
Dom: I just recently got sponsored by geaux hard labs and they make some top quality supplements. Not the garbage people normally buy at GNC.
Paul: What are your plans to support and grow the sport in the future?
Dom: My end goal dream in strongman is to win worlds strongest man and set the deadlift world record so all in due time. My current goal is to win my strongman pro card.
Paul: What are you going to do to achieve your next goal?
Dom: Keep working my ass off and competing at the right shows
Paul: What do you do to recover from a deadlift session?
Dom: Sleep and eat as much possible. Emphasis on the sleep part haha.
Paul: Who are some of your friends in the Powerlifting world?
Dom: No one that other people would know likely since I’m so new to the sport.
Paul: Any hobbies of interest? What do you drive?
Dom: Honestly not really I’m pretty boring haha. And I drive a 2002 Ford F-150. I’m a blue collar working man and I think my vehicle reflects that
Paul: Tell the Strength World something that they do not know about you Sir.
Dom: I was in the army for a couple years. Got out when my contract ended. If I didn’t join the army I likely would’nt have gotten into lifting.
Paul: Who would you like to thank for their support, fellowship, or inspiration.
Dom: My army buddy Erickson who got me into lifting and my wife for having my back thru all this
Paul: What questions should I have asked but did not?
Dom: None come to mind.