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Local Hillsborough resident and nationally ranked powerlifter Mark Salandra placed second the 181-pound class Open Division in this year’s USAPL Iron Man Bench Press and Record Breakers Contest. The contest took place May 20 at the Fitness Factory Health Club in Rockaway, N.J.
Salandra, who has been competing for 24 years in the sport of Powerlifting, has held multiple titles including a New Jersey state bench press record and three national rankings including a No. 12 rating in the United States last year. Salandra is also one of a small number of lifters in the United States to ever bench 400 pounds at a body weight of 181 pounds.
Salandra has taken his passion of Powerlifting and has teamed up with Hillsborough High strength and conditioning coach James McFarland to sponsor local high school Powerlifting contests at HHS. Powerlifting is a fast-growing sport that is starting to put Hillsborough on the map. Two years ago, Salandra teamed up with McFarland to hold the very first USA Powerlifting New Jersey High School Championships at Hillsborough High School.
"Based on my competitive experiences, I was not seeing younger children ages 14 to 18 getting into the sport and wanted to have a role in changing that trend," Salandra said. "This year the program has grown and is now branching outside of New Jersey to our neighbors in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Coach McFarland and I are receiving calls from all the local states to see if they can bring their high school kids to our meets. I believe the word is spreading so fast because we put on a nationally ranked contest at a state high school level."
The next New Jersey State High School Powerlifting Championships will be held this Saturday. Several children have signed up around the state of New Jersey that will be using this contest to qualify for the Nationals and they will also be setting state and national Records.
"It all starts with coach James McFarland and his strength and conditioning coaching team at the high school," Salandra said. "The strength and conditioning program at Hillsborough High School is one of the best in the state. There are very few high schools that have their own certified strength and conditioning coach and supply their children with 6,000 square feet of just weights and machines to work out on."
McFarland and Salandra are members of the National Strength & Conditioning Association, which is the top organization in the country for instruction on safety and proper form in the training of all individuals. Both are also certified USAPL Judges that can judge Powerlifting meets at a state level.
The strength and conditioning program, which starts one day a week for fourth graders all the way up to high school seniors lifting multiple days, begins with the basics of teaching proper nutrition, stretching and proper form and safety when learning how to lift weights. Coach McFarland’s programs have been recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as some of the best in the country.
Anyone interested in the Strength and Conditioning program, please contact Coach McFarland at Hillsborough High. For additional information on the June 17 contest, please go to www.strengthcondition.com where you can download an entry form and get information on future N.J. State High School contests.
