James Fowler

Best Lifter spotlight from the USPC Raleigh Ruckus on April 17, 2021.
Men’s Open Raw Best Lifter...

Name, age & how long have you been Powerlifting?
James Fowler, 24 years old, lifting since I was 19, this was my first competition

Best lifts in competition?
My best lift was my 645lb deadlift 

Athletic background?  What you did before powerlifting?
I played baseball, basketball and football in high school. I was in the Marine Corps and that's where I began lifting passionately. 

Why Powerlifting?
It's a great stress relief and you feel great about yourself when you hit PRs and see what your body is capable of. 

Tell me something about your gym/team.
My team was very supportive of me throughout the process because it was my first meet I was very anxious and had a lot of questions and really had no idea where to start

Trying alone or training partner/coach, team?
Due to schedule conflicts I usually am forced to train alone, but always went to Jeremy Scott and Johann Gylfason with questions. 

Something most people you train with (or those who follow you if you train alone) don't know about you?
Even after 5 years of my life revolving around lifting, I'm still learning a lot and trying to perfect form. 
 
Biggest inspiration in the sport?
Marcus Crowder

What's your favorite lift?
That changes fairly often, but usually bench press. 

Least favorite lift?
Up until the meet it was deadlift, but everything came together on meet day with it so I'm looking forward to training it. 

Biggest challenge in your training?
Trusting the process and following the programming

Ideal training atmosphere?  Focused and dialed in or noisy and high energy?
A dark, grungy gym with loud music playing, weights slamming, people grunting and training hard. 

Training plan. Do your own programming or have a coach?
Johann writes my programming 

Social media.  Positives and negatives
I think social media has its positives because you can learn a lot from many other lifters. I think the negatives are unrealistic expectations. People show you what they want you to see on social media. 

Diet you follow? Supplements?
I generally eat red meat and try to keep my meals clean. There isn't a specific diet I follow and I don't track my macros. 

Biggest accomplishment in your powerlifting career? 
Winning this meet was my biggest accomplishment and I look forward to competing in the future. 

What's one of your non-powerlifting goals?
To continue to be successful in my career. 

Finally is there anyone you would like to acknowledge or give a shout out to (team, coach, spouse, sponsors)?
Johann Gylfason @vikingstrengthcoach and Jeremy Scott @jscott919