“One thing that helped me—and I don’t know if I really thought about doing this, I think I just did it when I was in the hospital—was just taking it a day at a time. Taking the day for what it is, not trying to look too far ahead. Obviously, you want to hit that goal of getting better, but take the day for what it is and what you can do that day.”
As one of the world’s most accomplished equipped lifters, Tony Carlino is used to hoisting huge weights over his chest and on his back.
But in 2019, he faced a challenge no gym session could have prepared him for: A bout of swine flu that led to a lengthy hospitalization and a 16-day medically induced coma. Afterward, with much of his muscle melted away, he had to relearn to walk before he could even contemplate lifting again.
When he did go back, the bar alone felt heavy. He wasn’t sure he’d get back to competing, but he did, within five months. And just two years later, he officially benched 1,000 pounds for the first time, a feat he’s repeated several times since (including earlier this year at a meet called Holy Wars, where he also squatted more than 1,000 pounds—the second person ever to do both at the same equipped meet).
Resources/links:
- Tony’s Instagram and TikTok
- Everstrong, his clothing and supplement company
A huge thank you to LEVER Movement, the exclusive sponsor of season 9 of The Injured Athletes Club podcast! They’re the creators of the LEVER system, a portable, lightweight device that attaches to a treadmill to reduce your body weight. Use the code INJURED20 to get 20% off your purchase here.
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