The Morning Some guests talk about chasing PRs. Dominic Licavoli is still setting them — at 70 years old. This episode of The Morning Lift sits down with a true legend of masters powerlifting: a Powerlifting Hall of Famer with over 13 world titles, 28 national records, and 41 California state records, who got his start not in a commercial gym but on the LAPD powerlifting team back in 1982.
If you've ever used "getting older" as an excuse to pull back in the gym, this conversation is going to wreck that excuse completely. Dominic is currently putting up bigger numbers in his 70-74 age bracket than he did in his 65-69 bracket, training on the Westside Barbell conjugate system, using a Tendo unit to track bar speed, and gunning for the biggest raw total in powerlifting history across all weight classes — not just his own.
In this recap, you'll get the full breakdown of how Dominic got into the sport through LAPD, why he refuses to compete against anyone but himself, how his coach Wade Russell's "elder abuse" programming actually improved his recovery, how he beat a nerve impingement without surgery, and the advice he gives every young lifter who's too scared to sign up for their first meet.
From the LAPD Academy to the Powerlifting Platform
Dominic's path into the sport wasn't planned. He joined the LAPD academy in 1981 as a football player, recruited for the department's semi-pro charity team. By the time he got out of the academy, he was already burned out on football — "crashing my head up against people all day" wasn't appealing anymore. A captain on the LAPD powerlifting team noticed his size and pulled him aside with a simple pitch: come try powerlifting instead.
That conversation launched a career that started with USPF-sanctioned Police Olympics and World Police and Fire Games meets from 1982 to 1987, where his coach was Larry Kidney, a legendary 2,100-pound totaler, and where training partner Marvin Phillips — an 800-plus pound squatter — helped him build a 755 squat.
Life got in the way after that. Kids were born in '88 and '90, full power meets disappeared from his circuit, and his results from the '90s mostly went unreported since the meets he competed in weren't sanctioned. He drifted in and out of the sport until 2012, then came back seriously in 2019 — and has been stacking records ever since.
The lesson here isn't just about powerlifting. It's about how a sport can find you at the right moment, disappear for a decade, and still be waiting for you when you're ready to come back to it.
Why Dominic Licavoli Competes Against No One But Himself
Ask Dominic who his toughest competition is and he'll tell you flatly: himself. "I always tell these younger lifters, forget who you're lifting against," he said. "Don't put your openers or your second attempts or your third attempts based on what your competition is doing. If you do that, they own you."
This isn't a throwaway mindset line — it's the literal strategy behind a 70-year-old man who has never bombed out of a meet. His openers are always safe. He never chases huge jumps. He baby-steps every attempt and tracks PRs against his own history instead of the lifter on the platform next to him.
For newer lifters, this is one of the most practical pieces of advice in the whole episode: open with a weight you've hit as an easy triple or an 8-rep set in training, not your gym PR. As Brendon pointed out during the conversation, too many first-timers open ten pounds under a PR that was actually a high squat — and bury themselves before the meet even really starts.
Training at 70: Conjugate Method, "Elder Abuse," and the Tendo Unit
Dominic trains under coach Wade Russell of Winning Strength Systems, running the Westside Barbell conjugate system with Wenning warmups — programming he jokingly calls "elder abuse" because of how brutal the volume looks on paper. The twist: even with heavy warmup volume, the lighter loading structure actually let him recover better than the periodization model he used before.
He's also one of the only lifters in his age group using an OVR Tendo unit to track bar speed and power output — technology most lifters half his age have never touched. That detail alone says everything about how seriously he treats his training at 70: not coasting on experience, but using the same data-driven tools top competitive lifters use in their 20s and 30s.
The results back it up. He's already beaten his 65-69 raw total PR in his first meet at 70, and he's closing in on tying his single-ply total from younger years. His current target is the all-time raw total record across every weight class in the 70-74 bracket — a 242-pound lifter currently holds 1,350, and Dominic says he had 1,300 in him at nationals before a red-lighted squat attempt cost him the extra pounds.
Diet, Recovery, and Beating Back Pain Without Surgery
This is maybe the most valuable section for anyone worried about training hard as they age. Dominic was dealing with a bulging L5-S1 and L4-L5 disc when he retired from the LAPD, and his orthopedic surgeon told him to stop lifting, swim, and take it easy. He did — and his back didn't get better. Lifting, with proper supervision, is what actually fixed it.
Years later, a nerve impingement at L5 had another orthopedic pushing for surgery. Instead, Dominic found a chiropractor with a DRX 9000 spinal decompression machine. Within a month he was pain-free and repping over 400 pounds again. He now maintains that progress with weekly decompression sessions, bar hangs, and weighted pull-up bar holds to stretch and decompress his spine.
He's also a certified yoga instructor and treats mobility and stretching as non-negotiable — not an afterthought. His take on aging is blunt: "People's biggest misconception about aging is that your body's incapable of doing things that it's capable of doing." On nutrition, he doesn't count calories or macros in an app. He eats three solid meals, snacks on fruit, vegetables, and Triscuits with hummus, aims for 250-300 grams of protein daily, and uses the scale every morning as his feedback loop — if his weight dips, he adds snacks back in.
Raw, Single-Ply, Multiply: A True Practitioner of the Sport
Dominic refuses to pick a side in the raw-versus-equipped debate that divides a lot of powerlifting forums. He's competed in single-ply, multiply, classic raw, and raw, and respects all of it. His pushback to lifters who dismiss equipped lifting: "I defy them to put an extra 100, 200 pounds on the bar and tell me the suit's going to lift it."
He also credits raw powerlifting with opening the sport to far more female lifters, since it removed the cost barrier of expensive equipped gear — something he saw firsthand coming up in an era of stretchy polyester single-ply suits and cotton knee wraps that bent old power bars nothing like today's kabuki and Texas deadlift bars.
Why He Loves the Deadlift Above Squat and Bench
When asked his favorite lift, Dominic didn't hesitate: deadlift. "You can rip it and rip it," he said — no setup under a bar on your back, no unracking, just grip it and go. It's a small detail, but it fits his whole approach to the sport: simple, no wasted motion, just get the work done.
Advice for New and Hesitant Powerlifters
Dominic's biggest frustration with newer lifters isn't lack of talent — it's hesitation. He hears the same thing constantly: lifters who won't sign up for a meet because they're not "ready" to win. His response is pointed: "If you never get in the game, you're wasting your time... You're not a powerlifter. You're just training in a gym."
His advice is to get into a local meet after a 3-4 month training cycle, regardless of where your numbers are. Competing teaches things training alone never will — when to warm up, when to wrap, what to pick for openers. He also pointed to local gyms running mock powerlifting meets with real judging as a low-pressure way to get first-timers comfortable with the format before an official meet.
Key Takeaways
- Compete against your own history, not the lifter next to you — it keeps your head clear and your attempts honest.
- Open conservatively: pick a weight you've hit as an easy triple in training, not your absolute gym PR.
- Volume-heavy, lighter-load programming (like Wenning warmups) can improve recovery even in older lifters when structured correctly.
- Don't assume pain means stop lifting — Dominic's back improved through training and spinal decompression, not rest alone.
- Track protein intake (Dominic aims for 250-300g daily) but don't obsess over calorie counting; use the scale as your daily feedback loop.
- Mobility and stretching deserve as much training time as the lifts themselves — tight hips and backs are the real limiting factor for most lifters.
- Get into your first meet after 3-4 months of consistent training. Competing teaches lessons you can't learn in a gym alone.
Want the full conversation, including Dominic's stories about training alongside a 400-pound lifter who snapped a power bar in half? Hit play on the full episode and subscribe to The Morning Lift so you don't miss the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Dominic Licavoli get into powerlifting?
Dominic got into powerlifting through the LAPD. After joining the academy in 1981 as a football recruit, a captain on the department's powerlifting team invited him to try the sport instead. He started competing in 1982 through USPF-sanctioned Police Olympics and World Police and Fire Games meets.
How does Dominic Licavoli train for powerlifting at 70 years old?
He trains under coach Wade Russell using the Westside Barbell conjugate system with Wenning warmups, tracks bar speed with a Tendo unit, and trains at Orange County Strength Club, a gym set up similarly to Westside Barbell with monolifts and full equipment access.
What does Dominic Licavoli eat to support masters powerlifting?
He doesn't track calories in an app. He focuses on getting 250-300 grams of protein daily, prioritizes carbohydrates for training energy so his body doesn't catabolize muscle, eats three main meals plus healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, and hummus, and uses daily scale weigh-ins to adjust intake.
How did Dominic Licavoli fix his back pain without surgery?
After being told to stop lifting and take it easy by a non-sports orthopedic doctor, his back didn't improve. He later used a DRX 9000 spinal decompression machine, which resolved a nerve impingement at L5 within a month, and now maintains his back with weekly decompression sessions, bar hangs, and pull-up bar holds.
What advice does Dominic Licavoli give to beginner powerlifters?
Get into a meet after 3-4 months of consistent training rather than waiting until you can win. Competing teaches skills training alone can't — warmup timing, wrapping, opener selection — and establishes the baseline needed to set future PRs.
Conclusion
Dominic Licavoli isn't chasing nostalgia — he's chasing records, at 70, against lifters decades younger across every weight class. His story is proof that consistency, smart programming, and a refusal to let age dictate capability can outlast almost any excuse. Whether you're a teenager stepping onto a platform for the first time or a lifter in your 40s wondering if your best years are behind you, this episode is a direct answer: they're not.
Press play on this one and let Dominic's story recalibrate what you think is possible in your own training.
Listen to the Episode
Catch the full conversation with Dominic Licavoli on masters powerlifting, training longevity, and chasing world records at 70 years old on The Morning Lift Podcast.