"First off, I couldn't have gotten through this competition without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," said Dawson Aaron.

GCU Powerlifting's Head Coach and graduate student found himself back on the competition platform for the first time since the World Powerlifting Championships over the weekend, totaling a personal-best 1,576 lbs. at the WADE Strength Systems powerlifting meet in the 83-kilogram junior division in Glendale.

"After injuring myself at worlds, I didn't think I'd be able to get back to this level of competition so quickly," said Aaron. "I definitely have to thank [Aaron's personal] Coach [Alex Zuong], who gave me a program that allowed me to progress while still recovering from my injuries."

Lifting in the junior division, a group consisting of competitors aged 20 to 23 years old, Aaron set both the high marks at the meet and competition personal bests with his 568-pound squat, 407-pound bench, and 600-pound deadlift. Aaron's bench press ranks as the third highest of any 83-kilogram junior lifter in the country this year.

"All of my lifts were feeling way better than I expected, and I was very happy with the numbers I was able to put up," said Aaron. "To be able to add 35+ pounds to my bench in the 3 1/2 months since worlds is unheard of. When I first joined GCU Powerlifting, I remember thinking 300-pound bench presses were wild, and now, I'm moving way past that."

Next up, Aaron gets to return to the dedicated training that has gotten him this far and prepare for Powerlifting America Bench Nationals in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February.

"The way I've been progressing so far, I'm not looking to change much," said Aaron. "The biggest thing for me is going to be focusing on more eccentric work to build up the tendons and ligaments in my legs and hopefully prevent further injuries."