Look out, Lou Ferrigno, aka, the Incredible Hulk. Williamsport has its own Incredible Hulk, and his name is Tom Cillo. I, like most everyone in the Williamsport area, have known Tom for decades for a multitude of things, including his outstanding representation of “Raider Nation” to his willingness to eat a poinsettia (he claims they’re not really poisonous but don’t try it), but mostly because he is truly a great human being. Well, he can add one more accolade to his resume — world champion!
That’s right, Tom broke the world record in the deadlift for the 55-59 age group. For those of you who aren’t ex-powerlifters, the deadlift is as it sounds: lifting a “deadweight” barbell from the floor to a standing position and then lowering it back to the floor with control. It is basically something we all do every day — except we don’t lift the equivalent of a small pickup.
“Well, Dave, it finally happened,” said Cillo, “after years of training and hard work, I finally achieved my goal of breaking an International Powerlifting Association (IPA) World Record in the deadlift. And I can assure you, at my age, it did not come easily. It was not handed to me; I had to go get it.”
Cillo, born and raised in Williamsport, recently moved to Ohio, where he immediately sought out a serious gym so that he could continue his pursuit of something that he has been visualizing for years. To become a world champ.
“Until I met you in my mid-30s, I had never even performed a deadlift, but I soon fell in love with it, and I have to thank you for those early years of expert training and guidance. You truly are one of the best strength coaches in the country. Back to the deadlift. What I love most about it is that it’s you vs the bar, that’s it! It’s the ultimate challenge in the weight room. You look at just about any lift performed in a gym, and you can use a spotter to help perform the lift. But not the deadlift. You stare at the bar, and the bar stares right back at you; I love that.”
It wasn’t an easy road for the Senior Class lifter. Rather, it took years of hard work and dedication to attain elite-level status. When asked what type of work went into his success, Tom responded, “Years of 4 a.m. wakeups for 5 a.m. training sessions. Years of successes, years of failures, years of experimenting, multiple injuries, surgeries, ice baths, moments of doubt, bouts of supreme confidence, and many other things in between.”
When asked about the day of the event, Cillo responded, “The meet I competed in was the Indiana State Championships on July 27. I competed in the 55-59 age group, and the amateur record for the deadlift was 575 pounds. I emphasize amateur because there are two designations: amateur and professional. Amateur is drug tested; professional is not. That’s something I want to point out to your readers. It is possible to achieve your fitness goals without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. That’s one of the things that makes this record rewarding to me.”
Tom went on to describe the weeks leading up to his competition. “About a month out from the competition, I strained my back and had serious doubts if this was even possible. I took about two weeks off from training, and in hindsight, that may have been a good thing for my body overall. And here’s one for all you chocolate lovers: I had read about an old-school lifter, Vince Anello, who ate ten candy bars the night before a meet. He said the insulin release the day of the meet was incredible, and his lifting was off the charts. So, I tried it. I ate five Hershey bars the night before, and sure enough, on meet day, I felt terrific. (As a health educator who works with diabetics, I implore you not to do this.)
On my third and final deadlift attempt, I pulled, somewhat easily, 580 pounds. I finally had the record, and it was a tremendous feeling. My only regret was not having another attempt. I felt so good that there was no question in my mind that I could have pulled 600. Again, this did not come easy, but standing on that platform, knowing the path I took to get there, was an incredible feeling. I’d also like to thank my best friend and #1 fan, who always reminded me to rise and shine.”
I asked Tom if there was anyone else that he felt should be credited, at least in part, for his success, and he quickly responded, “My mother is the real world champion here. No way I could’ve done what I did without her. Toughest woman I know. The sacrifices she made for five children can’t be measured. One of her jobs was working in the cafeteria at Penn College for over 20 years. Sometimes, in the winter, I would go visit her and warm her car up for when she got off work. Most nights, she barely had the strength to walk the hallway to get outside. Growing up in a sports family, we got to witness some of the greatest athletes of all time, first-ballot hall of famers. Larry Bird, Lawrence Taylor, and Dave Winfield, to name a few. If there were a Hall of Fame for mothers, Rita would be a first-ballot lock, no questions asked. She’s that special.”
