From Martial Arts to Powerlifting: One Man’s Journey to Strength and Resilience

Fitness is more than just a routine; it’s a journey of self-discovery, discipline, and transformation. For many, including Daniel W. Dieterle, it’s also a way of life. Coming from a military family, Daniel’s path into fitness was shaped by a desire to build strength, overcome challenges, and carve his own identity in a family of war heroes. His story is a testament to the power of persistence and adaptability in the ever-evolving world of fitness.

In this article, Daniel shares his journey from martial arts to powerlifting, offering insights into building strength, customizing workouts for your body type, and navigating the debate between public gyms and home gyms. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your fitness game, Daniel’s practical advice and personal experiences are sure to inspire and empower you.

Let’s dive into his story and discover how to rise together as athletes in the fitness community.

Journey into Fitness: What first sparked your passion for fitness and powerlifting?

I came from a military family, who served in front line combat positions for generations. It was hard being the computer geek in a family of war heroes. That and being the youngest with an older brother who could bench 315 in 10th grade, and who beat me up regularly, lol, led me on my career of getting bigger and stronger.

I actually tried martial arts first. I excelled at this and really enjoyed it. But soon noticed that what I was learning in class really had no effect on my ape sized brother. My best friend started working out and soon he was a football star for the local football team. He invited me to lift weights with him and some other friends. One of our friends was one of the top students from the martial arts school I attended.

Him and my weightlifting buddy agreed to spar. The martial artists attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. The weightlifter just grabbed him and threw him across the room like he was a paper doll. I decided that day, that even though I loved martial arts, I needed to build strength to be complete. So, I did.

Building Strength and Skills: What skills or techniques are key for success in powerlifting?

I learned quickly that I was an Endo-Mesomorph. Learning your body type is important. I learned that particular body type, though may not win any physique contests, is perfect for powerlifting and strongman. So, I studied all the old powerlifting greats. I learned that, you can powerlift and gain strength into your 40’s and even 50’s from these old champs.

And that to get big without steroids (I have never taken any chemicals of any kind) you had to lift heavy weights. So that became my goal. I would powerlift into my late 40’s then switch to bodybuilding. As your body naturally slows down after that, I would use all those years to gain as much muscle mass as I could, then switch to bodybuilding to get it toned and lean.

Pyramiding is the biggest secret to gaining size and strength. Start with a light warm up weight and do higher reps. Then each new set, increase the weight and decrease the reps. Stick with the full body and large muscle recruitment exercises. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Pressing are the holy trinity in getting your entire body bigger and stronger.

I have always focused on doing one big body part and one small body part per workout day. So, on chest day I also worked triceps. On back day, biceps. Though it is also good to work opposing muscle groups on the same day - an arm day with biceps and triceps together can make your arms grow faster. And that way, you also hit them twice a week, on back and chest day and on arm day.

Does it work? YES! When I started lifting, I could barely do 3 pushups. And couldn’t bench anything. When I stopped powerlifting, I had hit 440lbs on bench pressing (was training for 500lbs) and could do sets of 50 pushups with ease.

Public Gym vs Home Gym

No matter where you are at in your fitness journey -start building a home gym! Yes, the public gym is great for those who want to be around others and have access to all the different machines. If you are bodybuilding it is a good place to be because of all the cable machines. But public gyms are so frustrating when you become a more advanced lifter and want to do specific exercises on specific days. Nothing is more maddening when you need to bench and someone is sitting on it and texting for 15 minutes.

Build a home gym, take your monthly gym dues or trainer fees and put that into buying equipment for your gym. Start out with a bench, a free weight set, and I personally love spinlock dumbbells. If the bench has a leg extension on it, that’s even better.

That’s all you really need to start! Next add a squat rack, I prefer power racks, ones that you can bench and squat in. You can also use these for seated shoulder presses. Then add equipment and additional weight and bars as you see fit, that fit your workout style and needs.

Training Resources

I see so many new people running to trainers and spending thousands of dollars on a canned exercise routine that only worked for the trainer. Then they get frustrated because it isn’t working out for them and the what’s worse, the trainer will tell them, “You just aren’t trying hard enough”, because what worked easy for them ISN’T working for you, so they blame you. I’ve seen this destroy so many new lifters, especially women. The hard truth is, what worked for your ecto-mesomorph trainer may NEVER work for you. YOU need to find what works for YOU.

How do you do that? In the old days, we used to just be stuck pouring over Weider magazines, but there are so many more resources now - and many are FREE! My best advice, search YouTube and find someone who has a body like what you want. Someone that you feel comfortable with, that you enjoy to watch.

Then, try their workout techniques and see what happens. If your body responds well to what they are saying, stick with them. If not, keep looking. I personally found that Seth Feroce is a perfect trainer for me - almost every bit of exercise advice he offers works well for me. And I love his whiteboard workouts, where he explains everything in detail. But he is not for everyone, lol, he says many things that some people will not like and he definitely isn’t safe for work. But he does give solid training advice.

Research your body type and tailor a fitness program to you. Do you like powerlifting? Do you want to get stronger? Do you want to just tone and lean out? Maybe Bodybuilding is better for you. Do you want functional fitness? Maybe CrossFit is a better fit. Take time and educate yourself. And then build a workout schedule that works for you.

Once you have a general direction you want to go - use AI to help plan a workout routine. I actually just revamped my entire workout and nutritional goals, I use ChatGPT to do everything from giving me a daily food menu and a workout schedule.

Final Advice

There is nothing more personal than creating your own fitness routine. Don’t be discouraged! Changing your body can take years, just be consistent. You may only get 10 pounds stronger in a year, but in 5 years that’s 50lbs stronger! I was 150lbs when I started working out. I am now 325lbs. More than twice the size when I started so many decades ago. Don’t give up! Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just make a training schedule, be consistent and work out with intensity and your body will change!

About the Author

Daniel W. Dieterle has over 30 years of fitness knowledge and training. He has strength trained countless people including military personnel, and police officers. He personally loves weightlifting and has combined it with martial arts to round out his fitness routine and to meet his life goals.